HollyHound

Folks, if these are as well engineered as the Bresser 10" Dobsonian (and I'm sure they will be), this will be a superb scope for anyone 👍

Also, amazingly and just like the other Berlebach tripods, it passed the "partner test"... she thought it looked quite nice, possibly useful for other things too😬 and is "allowed" to live out on permanent display 🤣

To complement the new Bresser 10" dob, but I'm sure it will get used for all other observing now and make for more relaxed viewing. Berlebach NIX II Observer's Chair 😃

Arrived yesterday, but only got round to unpacking today... mainly for the new dob, but I'm sure it will get used for all other observing now and make for more relaxed viewing... a Berlebach NIX II Observer's Chair 😃 Thanks again to @FLO for fantastic service, as always 👍

As my old Telrad has a new home on the Bresser 10" dob and the Rigel I bought last week is now on the C5, I needed some more RDFs for the other scopes... so another Telrad (back on the Mak127) and Rigel (for StellaMira) arrived today. Also a collimating eyepiece... I've already got the Rigel Aline, so not sure if I need this, but it's there in case.

Thanks. Yes, I'm surprised how really easy and quick it was to move this dob from the house to the patio... move base, followed by OTA and that's it, ready to observe. It's much quicker than setting up my iOptron AZ Mount Pro on its TriPier... however, I do now have plans for that as an EEVA system... more to follow sometime soon. This dob and my Mak127 or StellaMira on the Scopetech/Report are now my grab and go systems, and I never thought I'd say that about a dob 🤣

That’s my plan... I’ve put one Rigel on my C5, as the tube is too short to take TelRad easily, and put the other (possibly) on my StellaMira, as that currently doesn’t have an RDF. I will try the Rigel on the Bresser though, suspect the TelRad will win... it certainly worked well in testing last week 👍

I order another Rigel Quickfinder and TelRad, so I have a decent RDF for all my scopes, and as the Rigel comes with two baseplates (one for 5" radius and another for 10" radius), I'm going to mount a spare baseplate next to the TelRad and have a go with both, see which I prefer. I've always liked the TelRad but the Rigel seems decent too. Might look for a 2" riser too and swap it around, to see which works best if I end up preferring the TelRad 👍

I find the riser does help with alignment and eye position behind the Telrad, but will also try without one night and see which works better. I've purchased one of these... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telegizmos-telescope-covers/telegizmos_tgds.html, so will see if it helps, once I can get some clear skies again of course 🤞 There are also heaters and a little folding dew shield available... others will no doubt chip in with suggestions...

Thanks 😊 I’ve actually just ordered a Berlebach observing chair (this one... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-observing-chairs/berlebach-nix-ii-observers-chair.html), so that I can adjust the observing position easily, as my guitar stool is fixed at quite a high level. It would make the current position for the RACI finder awkward, but I have another Baader finder shoe, so could move the RACI to the top position quite easily. Once the chair arrives, I’ll give it a go. I’m getting to an age now where I would prefer to be as comfortable, relaxed as possible and not putting my back into strange positions 👍 Likewise, I’ll experiment with and without the riser... if I can get my eye close enough to the tube comfortably then the riser becomes superfluous. Cheers, Gary

Thanks, I didn't even realise this came with a sun filter, until I read this and went hunting back in the box... I thought the box it was in was just packing 🤣 Something new to try... will read up on the method and safety first, as never observed the sun 😬

Thanks Doug... good to hear the Aline is more than capable and thanks for the tip on the focuser knob, I'll bear that in mind 👍 Cheers, Gary

Hi, Not since Thursday night, been cloudy here. Got a few hours on Thursday and was very impressed 😊 I had Mars up to 211x (6mm ortho) and was very good, so am looking forward to trying 300x or higher next time. As shown in the post above, I’ve now fitted TelRad and RACI finders, so should be able to move around more easily next time, which will help a lot. Im looking forward to working through Messier objects and seeing how much of an improvement I can see over my current scopes. I have the same eyepieces... Hyperion Zoom and Barlow, Aero 35mm... the latter was great for wide views. I found that M42 was excellent through this, but then detail improved going down through Panoptic 24mm, DeLite 18.2mm and finally was superb in DeLite 13mm. I’m also really impressed how quickly this thing can be carried out (in two parts) and setup, ready to go. Didn’t expect it to be quite so “grab and go”... well “lug and go”. Good luck with some more clear skies and lots of observing 👍 Cheers Gary

When I had the Pentax XW40, it was great, but that eyecup was a fiddle to get on and off... very good idea 👍

Oh I did read that somewhere, and makes sense... will give it a go, thanks 👍 Also the fine focuser knob arrived today, so do that tomorrow at the same time 😃

Having struggled with the original finder supplied with the Bresser, I've upgraded as planned and fitted a 9x50 RACI finder and TelRad (on riser). Initial calibration and testing in daylight proved to be much more successful and comfortable with these finders in place and would expect to make a huge difference in usability at night 🤞 I was going to try the Rigel Quickfinder, but I think the TelRad on a riser works better for this scope, and I'd read it had issues sticking properly... that means I can fit the Rigel to my StellaMira or C5 🤔 Thanks to @johninderby again for the tip on swapping out the finder shoe for a Baader one, which I had on my ST80 doing nothing. I prefer the 9x50 RACI on the lower/side shoe because I can quickly and comfortably move between this and the eyepiece in one simple movement 😃 I had to move the tube back an inch or so to make it balanced, but it's really smooth in operation and stays exactly where you put it at any angle... this is a very well engineered scope/mount 👍

These arrived today for the new Bresser 10" dob... Bresser fine focus knob upgrade kit Collimation cap (good enough to check initial collimation, which seems ok anyway)... have a Cheshire Collimator on its way too for next week.

Amazing scope, got a few hours on Thursday night... read the report here 😃 Cheers Gary

I had this issue on my first ScopeTech and unfortunately it got stiffer and then eventually seized solid! @FLO sent a replacement straight away which worked perfectly and has done ever since. It should be able to move smoothly and I run with the alt knob tightened a little more than loose and all still works smoothly. If it’s not improving, I would email them and see if they replace 🤞

I use my StellaMira 80mm f/10 on the ScopeTech mounted on a Berlebach Report (see photo above). This has a weight just over 7kg, so approaching the limit. All works ok for me and scope stabilises quite quickly in use after focusing or tapping it (test).

I had issues with focus until I used the supplied extension tube on the focuser. Does the Barlow significantly affect focussing distance I wonder ?

No... please don't, at least not for a year, this is more than enough 🤔🤣

It's certainly not the best finder, but I still think the value for money in this package is amazing! You were right about the construction and particularly the bearing system... smooth, accurate and also they function as handles to transport the OTA in and out of doors too 👍

I almost feel like I've now got an "observatory class" instrument available, both in appearance and functionality. I know it's quite small in dob terms, but massive increase from the 5" scopes I have currently.

Great to hear... I love all the other scopes for the roles they are suitable for, but this one has the ability to provide some really deep views 😃