Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Revelation 16" Dobsonian

russ.will

Recommended Posts

Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

Posted
Posted

I think 14" sits in a bit of a niche. Most people have 12" so they flog that to death, no doubt there will be 12" on every stand.

Then when people upgrade they look at the 14" and think, well I'm unlikely to be able to carry that easily and may need to get a sack truck. So I might as well get a 16".

And so all the stands will be sporting 16" as well.

I still really want a 14" as i think a 16" will need a step ladder and the 14" will not. I'll soon know once I see one in the flesh though. I'm starting to think if I do buy a 14" that the massive lack of marketing and push combined with the assumed resultant low sales would probably mean the scope I get shipped from OVL could have been made years ago and would be old, although unused, before I even got it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 98
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Mark at Beaufort

Mark at Beaufort

Posted
Posted

I had the pleasure of looking through Luke and Sarah's 16" Skywatcher Dob at the SGL8 starparty. Yes its big and I am 5'11" and needed steps to look through the EP when the scope was pointing towards the zenith. In saying that the views of M81, M82 etc and the Horsehead nebula were fantastic.

Yes I would like one but the reality is I could not really move it the 30 metres to the end of my garden by myself. If I upgraded from my 10" Dob I would go for a quality 12" with 1/6th wave or better mirror. I have also seen the 14" Skywatcher Dob which FLO brought to a star party. Again its large and I don't think the base would go through my garage doorway.

Notwithstanding I am still looking forward to viewing what is on display at the IAS next week. I will be wearing my SGL black shirt - say hello if you see me - I am going on Friday.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

Posted
Posted

I have also seen the 14" Skywatcher Dob which FLO brought to a star party. Again its large and I don't think the base would go through my garage doorway.

I am intending to take it apart and build it each time i use the scope. It looks like it's designed for this purpose and I've read it takes about 5 minutes to take apart and rebuild.

It would go through my shed door too, I measured it, so another option would be to cart the entire assesmely around on a sack truck.

My only concern really is the eyepiece height. Im 6 foot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
John

John

Posted
Posted

Shanes 16" is about as compact as a scope of that aperture can get too. Both the 14" and 16" Skywatcher dobs look pretty immense to my eyes when I've seen them up close. Wheely bars are a good way to move these large scopes around though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cs1cjc

cs1cjc

Posted
Posted

I can just about move the 14" F/4.6 Orion Optics UK dob by myself but I cannot carry it up or down stairs, so to or from the house safely. This limits my use of it, because SWMBO has to be up or got up to help me carry it back in after a session. Further she is not keen on going out into the cold to handlle aluminium which is sometimes coated with frost...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mark at Beaufort

Mark at Beaufort

Posted
Posted

I accept that I could move a large Dob by a sack truck. However, SWMBO would not be happy if the tyres made a mess of her prized lawn especially if the ground had become very soft. So the maximum I will ever get will be a 12" Dob. I fancy the Orion (UK) and I also prefer their Dobsonian mount which is more compact than the Skywatcher.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Mark at Beaufort

Mark at Beaufort

Posted
Posted

Yes I did view it and played around with it but never had chance to discuss its specification with anyone from Telescope House. The 3 Truss structure seemed very rigid and the individual poles were wide and appeared strong and up to the task. I would guess that it would be easy to transport in two section because the poles appeared to be easily attached. I moved the scope around in alt and az and it moved very easily - in fact I quite liked the scope.

What I don't know is the quality of the mirror and how good it will be in the field.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites
swamp thing

swamp thing

Posted
Posted

How did it feel balance wise Mark? A lot of commercial scopes seem to be designed with undersized alt bearings, and become nose heavy with any 2" eyepiece, or even with any eyepiece when pointed at low altitudes.

If they could make scopes slightly bottom heavy, this is so much easier to correct with small weights on the UTA. Rather than large plate weights on the mirror box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Optical Dob

Optical Dob

Posted
Posted

Thanks Mark,

Like you say the real test will be using it. Looks positive so far and I like the altitude tension system and the fact that the tube can be moved up or down at the balancing point.

From the pictures I've seen it looks like the focuser is in a good position to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alan potts

alan potts

Posted
Posted

Mark,

I am sure that the guy at Sumerian Optic who I am sure you know makes custom Dobsonians, uses the same mirror in his 16 inch. If that is the case and I believe these scope are very good, the mirror can't be that bad, can it?

Alan

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

Posted
Posted

I had a good look at it. mechanically it looked ok actually. balance was good. the base looked a bit basic in matt black with no graphics on it, no frills. the truss design looked solid enough and I gave it a good shake to see how much wobble was in it and it looked pretty good.

the edge of the primary mirror was very rough, like someone had been at it with a sander or something. poor finish indeed and if that is how they bother (or rather dont) to finish the edge of the mirror - what quality is the surface?

i spoke to one of the guys there and he said that UK skies are only good to half wave anyway and this one is 1/12th wave. I said "well yeah but thats RMS not peak to valley" and the look on his face changed when he realised i wasnt going to be mugged off so easily. I asked him if they had any idea what Strehl ratio the mirrors had and he said he didn't know but that it'd be plenty good enough for UK weather - also what more did I want for £1500.

Although a bit brash, on reflection later on I think the guy might have had a point you know. This is an awful lot of scope for the price. The images might not be super sharp which you would want for planetary and maybe lunar but they would most definitely be very very bright and considering this type of scope is for DSO primarily and that DSO don't really respond any better from 1/4 pv onwards anyway this is probably a really good deal if you can live with the permanently constructed base and less then perfect reputation mirror.

One thing with this I did notice, compared to the Orion USA 16", was that this eyepiece could be looked into directly at zenith without a height aid and I'm 6 foot - a real plus for this scope. The Orion USA (read - synta vaiant) was a clear 6 - 8 inches over me eye level at zenith.

For me seeing it next to an Orion USA 14" truss (which I'm basically looking at like a Skywatcher 14" flextube) I have resolved that a SW 14" flextube is better for me. It's only slightly smaller and would come with a base that can be disassembled easily. More manageable. The SW 16 would be far too big and I couldn't live with the base on the Rev 16.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mark at Beaufort

Mark at Beaufort

Posted
Posted

Graham you clearly had a better look than me and I think your views are very valid. The Telescope House staff were all busy each time I went so I never obtained the information that you got - so well done. I am just under 6 foot and I agree with you that you could reach the focuser when the scope was at the zenith.

So for £1500 it could be a good buy if your interest is solely a large lightbucket for seeing fainter DSOs. Hopefully, someone will review it in the field so we can get a better idea of its quality.

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites
John

John

Posted
Posted

Looks a lot of scope for £1,500. If they can keep the mirrors at 1/4 wave PV, or better, consistently and the trusses hold collimation reasonably well then it could be a winner :smiley:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bart

Bart

Posted
Posted

Graham

That is a very firm grip you have on that there, I imagine it would be a toughie to smuggle out under your jumper ! The only thing I would say is, how many times do you use a Dob at zenith - rarely, becasue it is a pain in the Dob to move one round at that height. The Dob Hole as someone described it to me once, and they are correct. Pushing and pulling a truss Dob at zenith does nothing for your collimation I think as it produces all kinds of forces working in directions you dont want. I wouldn't fuss over the zenith thing really. One issue is the placement of the focusser. My 16" LB has the focusser horizontal to the ground and my 10" GSO focusser is ata slight upward angle to the ground, which i prefer, the EPs seem more secure in there while I'm switching I feel, but that may be just me.

Just to reiterate, I love my solid tube GSO. When I was hunting for the 16" I liked the price of the 16" GSO which looks exactly like this. TS in Germany declined to offer a price on one as they stated they were having problems with the truss design on this one. Maybe it's been sorted, maybe it hasn't, but it does look exactly like the one marked GSO I had me eye on.

Barry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.