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300 Solid Tube?

UHF

By UHF
in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups

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UHF

UHF

Posted
Posted

Hi,

I've been observing visually for a year now (mainly in the winter months) with a SW 200 on an EQ5 mount and thoroughly enjoyed learning my way around the sky (not getting a GOTO was definitely the right choice for me).

I've just decided to sell the 200 EQ5 as the setup time often puts me off going out some evenings so I've decided to replace it with as big Dobsonian as I can, it looks like the SW 250px is bang on the money but as its only a little bigger than my 200 wondered if I could get a 300, the problem however seems to be that all of the 300's are flex tubes which puts the price up.

Does anyone else other than SW make reasonably priced Dobs? I believe they did used to make a 300 solid tube but stopped.

The 250PX is £445 but the 300P flex tube is £850, that's almost twice the price, is there any other way of achieving this aperture without such a massive jump in price?

I guess the answer to "will a 300 be that much better than a 250" will most certainly be yes based on some of the reading I've been doing.

If I can't get a 300 at a reasonable price I will certainly look forward to getting a 250 solid tube (simple as you can get really), and spending more time observing and less time building and taking apart.

Dave

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Naemeth

Naemeth

Posted
Posted

Thanks, I see they have the 300PDS OTA for £498, is there a dob conversion kit or is a matter or making something yourself, not really something i'd be able to do I don't think.

It's something you'd have to either buy or make yourself.

HTH

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UHF

UHF

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Thanks, that site is listing the SW 300 and also a GSO Deluxe 300, not heard of GSO before but the spec looks very similar to the Skywatcher and about £660 delivered to UK which is excellent value for a 300mm dob.

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Naemeth

Naemeth

Posted
Posted

Thanks, that site is listing the SW 300 and also a GSO Deluxe 300, not heard of GSO before but the spec looks very similar to the Skywatcher and about £660 delivered to UK which is excellent value for a 300mm dob.

The Skywatcher is ~£649

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p3930_Skywatcher-Skyliner-300P---Pyrex-Parabol-Dobson---12--Oeffnung.html

Exactly what you're looking for.

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John

John

Posted
Posted

Thanks, that site is listing the SW 300 and also a GSO Deluxe 300, not heard of GSO before but the spec looks very similar to the Skywatcher and about £660 delivered to UK which is excellent value for a 300mm dob.

GSO make the optics and mirror cells you find in the Meade Lightbridge and Revelation dobsonains. The units used in the Telescope Services dobs are the same.

In the USA the Zhumell brand uses the same.

Orion Optics (UK) tubes are lighter and not too expensive if bought used. I recently bought a used but nice condition 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics tube with their "Professional Grade" optics in it for £250.

I'm going to mount it on a dobsonian mount that will be made for me in due course by a member here :smiley:

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perrin6

perrin6

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Posted

Make sure you can handle the weight first and then start saving. If you reach £850 and a second hand one hasn't surfaced you will have enough to buy new. It's worth it because the amount you can see with that sized-mirror means it should be worth hanging onto for a lifetime. Patrick Moore has had a 12 inch for decades.

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UHF

UHF

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Thanks I've emailed them, site says neither gso or sw 300s are in stock so will see what they say.

Going to weigh out the weight of the scope using weights tonight and lug them around to get a feel for how heavy it'll be to make sure im not making an expensive mistake.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

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sunshine185

sunshine185

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I had a 200p which I could move from the kitchen to the garden easily in one piece, now I have a 250px I have to seperate it. I can move it in one piece around the kitchen but getting out out and up the steps is a bit to much for me, also the bases are the same diameter so it just fits through the door under the stairs where its stored. 10" dob is the limit of what is practical to me, if you have somewhere to store it and don't mind splitting it in two to get it set up, then bide your time and get the 300p.

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knobby

knobby

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Make sure you can handle the weight first and then start saving. If you reach £850 and a second hand one hasn't surfaced you will have enough to buy new. It's worth it because the amount you can see with that sized-mirror means it should be worth hanging onto for a lifetime. Patrick Moore has had a 12 inch for decades.

come on ... it cant just be me, that last line is begging to be chuckled at !

( be careful, its a child freindly forum though)

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Rossco72

Rossco72

Posted
Posted

I'm a 'frac man for the most part as you could tell from my kit, but doing visual with the 14" flextube is a wonder.

I've looked at DSO's in a 4" frac and wondered is that it, is that what i'm looking for. Then you see it in a 14" and it's like WOW!

Save up, get as big as you can handle and the flextube is a great thing for keeping the size and weight down.

Cheers

Stuart

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