jacobingonzo

I agree with Stu- in your present situation you are gonna find reasons not to use the 8" dob and god forbid your interest in astronomy may wane- as good as the 8" is I would suggest the handier Heritage- it will be used often and help you foster your skill and interest in astro-hopefully sometime down the road you will be able to afford to have another 8"  and the means to portage it . 

Strongly suggest you read this sticky if you havnt already - it will give you some idea of the abilities of scopes of various arp 

I would get a smaller handier grab n go scope but i fear the wifely wrath. maybe one day lol

J

so we now all wait for the unboxing and finally its first light.

good luck and I hope you both get the bug and spend many amazing evenings in this magical hobby

Wookie- I camped out near Thirlmere in the Lake District last week in October- the weather was dreadful torrential rain, flooding and stormy winds- I use a military artic sleeping bag and found a couple of blankets on top of that kept me toasty- Weather at the end of the autumn star camp was was a bit mental . I was glad we were in a static and felt terribly for the guys in tents on the site.

two clear results from static 1

Just arrived on site just in time to experience, at close hand ,heavy scottish rain shower- However the static is warm and toasty - just looked at the forecast and tuesday and wednesday seem to be the clearest evenings so fingers crossed

Paul

First clear skies above in an age and Carlisle  Council, in their infinite wisdom, decided to  hold a festival of light!!!! I kid you not 12 or so strong multicoloured laser beams scanning aloft putting out some eleventy billion watts right across my FOV!!!

If I had hair I would be pulling it out.

I think Im going to have a Victor Meldrew moment!!

That is all

J

you woulnt get poorer observing- you would definitely improve you experience its just that the bigger aperture wouldn't reach its full potential. And believe me when you take it to a dark site you will really appreciate the bigger light bucket

this observer uses an accessory called a "hand towel"- works a treat cutting unwanted light from pesky sodium lights!!

Really pleased your new Dob is paying off Dave- The "Ring" viewed from the 12" Dob is great and will pay you back in spades as long as the sky gods are kind

Haha Yes indeed -Im travelling to a star party in November for a week in a caravan near the Galloway Forest and I have to somehow fit the Big lump in the car along with clothes , food etc and with all the other camping sort of stuff. Ive come to the conclusion the Memsahib will be travelling on the roof rack but at least the tube will be snug as a bug!

My 12 inch Tube also sits across the back seat and the dob base in the boot- inevitably there are many astro accoutrements that I need to carry and those I use to carefully wedge the Tube in snugly to reduce wobble- so far so good as I touch wood, kiss a rabbits foot and anything else I can do to ward off the evil eye- now I just have to find my truss so that I can actually lift the big B*strd into the car!!!

There are lots of threads on which scope to buy- its a lot down to your situation and what you want to do in Astro- have a read through them on this site.

the standard EP's that come with the SW Scopes are usually 10mm & 25mm- they are ok to start with but would always advise to expand your collection when able.

I generally rely on the following   25mm for general viewing and finding your target, 10mm & 5mm for close up- the 5mm won't get heaps of use as the seeing needs to be good. a Barlow again boosts magnification but needs good seeing- Zoom EP's  are also worth considering along with a Telrad or Rigel Quickfinder

You will need some sort of star chart to find your way about the heavens and a good book like  "Turn left at orion"- 

Before you jump in and buy hordes , spend time reading the many threads on here-and keep asking questions- this will ensure you spend your money wisely and will pay dividends in the long run.

As always if you havnt already , read this in the "getting Started with Observing" section

Hope this helps - let us know how you go or keep asking questions

J

Hi Dave

Do you have the same issue with your other EP's or just the 9mm?

ask 10 different people and you will get 10 different answers-  I have a 24mm for general sky scans then a 10mm and 5mm for closer work- I seriously wish I bought a zoom but where's the fun in getting it right first time? For my  F5 dob I personally prefer the Baader Hyperion EP's not majorly expensive as in Nagler territory , but I would support the BST's too for a relatively inexpensive but well regarded EP.

Keep an eye out on the second hand market and would not be surprised if you snagged a bargain like that big loverly dob you nabbed!

I dont rely on one forecasting medium -I use three- Clear outside, Ventusky and most reliably sticking my head out the window at dusk!!

read recently that there has been a major outbreak of the delta variant at one of the big chinese shipping terminals - workers are isolating and causing more logjams- Shipping container rates have recently risen sharply to $20,000 per container so Im afraid the delays and price hikes are here to stay for a while im afraid

Thats Grand news Dave-

I had to laugh at " So I had to buy it" !!

Cloudy skies are the curse of the casual astronomer- you will soon get used to it- just use the time to read up on astro stuff

hey Dave

Its not a site ive heard of before -

From what I can see the scope looks in reasonable condition- hard to tell from photos-nice selection of no frills extra bits and bobs that will get you up and running with maybe only a small purchase or two required . Judging by the prices I can see on some of the items they look a little dated but its the scope thats the important bit . Really like the trolly and would be ideal for this heavy beast. A little perplexed by the marks inside the top of the tube .

The most important bit is the primary - hard to see what condition it is in. Would you have an opportunity to see the scope in person before committing? if you cant I would not be willing to part with the readies 

 if you can inspect,look closer at the primary- its common to have dust and a reasonable amount of grime which is fine - you dont want any scratches or gouges in the surface 

make sure the focuser operates smoothly and doesn't slip, try the adjusting screws at the foot of the scope to ensure they are adjusting the primary Look at the secondary for the quality of the optic surface too, make sure its well seated and not hanging on for grim life lol- swing the scope back and forth and up and down- should be reasonably smooth and hold its position. 

Look at the eyepieces for obvious scratches etc- they are extras so it wouldn't be a deal killer 

talk to the seller and ask about it, has it any issues , how long have they had it ,why is it being sold. you should get a feel from their answers

other than that its its your gut-

J

I made a wheeled trolly for my 12" Flexitube Dob but still it is a heavy and unwieldily beast to move around- even in your garden I would suggest making a smooth track or paving slabs as even on a trolly, uneven ground or grass is a nightmare!!

Make sure its bought from a reputable site if not from a reputable astro home- generally FB et al can be a minefield , classified here on SGL or UK Astronomy buy and sell are well regarded- If you are not sure of its pedigree list the specs on here and the SGL massive will keep you straight

And yes a 12" Dob will reward you in spades, just be patient .......

Yes I agree -scope first , dont need to go out on a limb , Id suggest a simple Dob for visual first ( but Im biased) , a star chart or decent book like turn left at Orion so you can learn the skies.  Too many have jumped in deep spending way more than they should only for the set up to be underused and back in the classified by xmas!

yes- my 12" dob is great to use but seriously need to consider the humping around- especially the size of your vehicle if you are traveling to a dark sky site

J

Yeah the quick finder is a neat piece of kit - glad you had a good, if short session . First clears night here for ages -used the rigel to pinpoint Shellak and Sullafat and then homed straight onto M57 The Ring Nebula!!- the only problem I have with the rigel is remembering to turn the bloody thing off when im finished!!!

Yes indeed ,Totally understand but I have learned its best not to worry- use this forum to help dispel any worries, there are many friendly beardy  pointy headed folk positively straining at the leash to offer a helping hand

J

as above my Dob accumulated crud from the get go- dont worry takes a lot to affect performance -if you are starting to get sleepless nights just wash the damn thing lol.

J

The darker sites will improve viewing no end but being exposed make sure you wrap up well

+1 for the turn left at orion book- also get hold of a star chart , I use Deep Sky Hunter Atlas by Michael Vlasov- Ive copied each page and laminated it. I am (slowly )going around the sky -I choose a laminate and learn how to find my way around.

I use an ironing chair, its magic- ultra variable height and easy to move about and comfy.

as a general guide to using your eyepieces- the 25mm for searching and finding your target- then depending on seeing conditions you can try to increase magnification with the 10mm EP- using the barlow with either will increase magnification but I find more often than not its just becomes more mushy and doesn't help. My 25mm is my goto EP

Search this site and ask your questions , its a goldmine

J

i seem to remember reading the first lock is for using binoviewers

J