At last! Dob 250... But some help & advice required

[Sky Clad]

hi I have the dob 150p and also I have a son , only prob I have at moment is trying to stop him thinking its a bazooka he stands there turning it around going boom boom at the top of his voice, so im trying to educate him

LOL.

Oh dear!

Actually I know a very good poem called Boom Boom Boom - it was in the last Black Adder series

not quite so beefy but mine is like this

Yes - I'm going to need something like golf cart wheels on mine to take it down the drive and acrosss the road and playground. To me that looks like an excellent Dolly for moving it short distances though!

[MatthewMarkWray]

hi mate iv just got the same scope the other day and was amazed when it came its a great scope for the money and to answer the eye piece question iv ordered a eye piece kit from scopes and sky's

ScopeTeknix 10 piece Eyepiece and accessory kit only £99.99 inc UK p&p.

This comprehensive kit comprises 4x Aluminium bodied super Plossl eyepieces:

12mm, 15mm, 20mm and 32mm.

will keep you informed when they avire let you no what there like

clear sky's

matty

[John]

Congratulations on a nice scope Mark

I'd just re-iterate what has been posted earlier in this thread about not rushing into getting a load of accessories until you have had time to use the scope a few times.

There are so many options and everybody has some favorites that work for them but getting some of your own experience under your belt will really help you make sound decisions that suit your needs and preferences.

The astro classifieds are full of stuff that "seemed a good idea at the time"

When I had the same scope I found it was pretty portable. 12" and larger aperture scopes do have some mobility issues and wheely bars and other solutions are worth considering for those but I'm not sure thats the best application of £'s for a 10" dobsonian.

When it comes to eyepieces, do lots of research and ask lots of questions. The Skywatcher 250's have a focal ratio of F/4.7 and work better with some eyepieces than others because of that.

Hope you and your son have lots of fun

[Lenny147]

I replaced the EPs fairly quickly and the results were much better, I replaced the 25mm with a Vixen NPL 25mm, made a huge difference and wont break the bank

Oh and one other thing , get a Telrad as soon as possible. Makes finding things so much easier

[Sky Clad]

Lenny thanks for that. Just a question on the Telrad - do you think it worth opting for a higher mount for it or is that not really needed?

Thanks for your comment too, John, I will for the moment sit tight until I'm properly used to the instrument - going to take a while with this darned cloud though!

At the moment I am listening carefully to everyone's inputs with great interest - it's all of very high value to me, and I am so grateful to everyone. With time I guess I will try to formulate what route I will go. I'm certainly not going to rush out and buy piles of eyepieces and other gear. (It took me 12 months to acquire the telescope!)

As for the Trolley Dolly thing - I'm more likely to steal ideas and build my own. As an aircraft engineer I can usually cobble something together that works satisfactorily

[Dennistutt]

The following may be of interest - sorry if in wrong place. I have not used this company and have no relationship with them

http://www.vikingopticalcentres.co.uk/skyliner-250px-flextubetm

[Lenny147]

To be honest i have never needed a higher mount but i guess that is down to the individual. One thing i quickly learnt was that Astronomy is not to be rushed and patience is the key. Get used to the scope first before you rush off buying new gear. I would say a Telrad is a must though and a good star atlas like Turn Left At Orion

If you have an up to date phone i would also suggest a good app like Star Walk , it helped a lot in the beginning.

[Jase_v2]

The following may be of interest - sorry if in wrong place. I have not used this company and have no relationship with them

http://www.vikingopt...50px-flextubetm

Blinking flip thats cheap !!! was about to shell out on the rigid 250px - now I need another think!

Great topic post though - the eyepiece advice is great and has helped me out alot also. Thanks to all who contributed and for the advice to sky clad!

[knobby]

The following may be of interest - sorry if in wrong place. I have not used this company and have no relationship with them

http://www.vikingopticalcentres.co.uk/skyliner-250px-flextubetm

That really is scarily cheap...

if something looks too good to be true, it usually is

[Sky Clad]

That really is scarily cheap...

if something looks too good to be true, it usually is

Wait and see...!

My neighbour just bought one!!!!

Buy on credit card and you're covered for any drama

[knobby]

Fingers crossed, that's a cracking scope for £299... Hope it works out

[Sky Clad]

Fingers crossed, that's a cracking scope for £299... Hope it works out

Indeed!

I can't help feeling they have either priced it incorrectly, or have otherwise got the wrong image/details up. It's certainly going to be interesting!

Incidentally, this is one of the neighbours that my 7 year old has got looking skywards! I don't think she has an account here yet, but I imagine it's only a matter of time...

[happy-kat]

Cracking price, but it is too big and heavy for what I need, but the price!!

[Jase_v2]

Wait and see...!

My neighbour just bought one!!!!

Buy on credit card and you're covered for any drama

Googled the scope and got the same website up as the original link , but also an identical website with a different name, but same phone no!

http://www.claritas-online.co.uk/telescopes/astronomy/astro-scopes/skyliner-250px-flextubetm

still suspicious !

[Lenny147]

Yeah all sounds a bit dodgy to me, be careful

[Sky Clad]

Googled the scope and got the same website up as the original link , but also an identical website with a different name, but same phone no!

http://www.claritas-...50px-flextubetm

still suspicious !

Yeah all sounds a bit dodgy to me, be careful

If you scroll down to the bottom of that 'claritas' link it says:

"Claritas is a subsidiary of Viking Optical Ltd. Company registration no. 1956767. Registered in Wales.

Registered Office: Blyth Road, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8EN."

so doesn't look like anything is being hidden, but I have to agree it does all look iffy.

Let's see what next week brings...

[Jase_v2]

Back up to £579 now on both sites ! Guess someone has made an expensive mistake or were trying to hit sales targets - damn my suspicious mind as I missed a bargain there !

[Dennistutt]

Hope it turns out well for all concerned. I would have bought one but my wife has a shoes- and-coat habit.

[Sky Clad]

Hope it turns out well for all concerned. I would have bought one but my wife has a shoes- and-coat habit.

LOOOL Isn't that behaviour universal with women?

Back up to £579 now on both sites ! Guess someone has made an expensive mistake or were trying to hit sales targets

Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking.

My neighbour is away from the computer at the moment so no info yet.

...The suspense is killing me

[Sky Clad]

Forgot to mention in my last post that the sale of that Dob was for a week only - we are of course, now into a new week

[swamp thing]

Lenny thanks for that. Just a question on the Telrad - do you think it worth opting for a higher mount for it or is that not really needed?

Its not needed Mark, but it makes using it even easier and comfortable. I used a Telrad without out one for years, then, on a whim thought I'd try one. I went with the two inch riser and found an immediate improvement. With hindsight I would have bought the four inch riser straight away.

[Sky Clad]

Thanks Steve.

I've not yet had a real chance to investigate this device properly, though I did note there are two ways of fixing this to the scope. I imagine any attachment has to be done with a huge degree of accuracy...?

[swamp thing]

Not that huge. There's some alignment screws on the rear of the Telrad that allow for accurate alignment . As long as you're in the ball park you should be okay. I've certainly not affixed mine with pinpoint accuracy.

[mitchelln]

Hi.

Sorry for not getting back earlier about the Telrad. Yes, the short riser is a very good idea. I was initially worried about attaching it just with the sticky pad, but this has proved unfounded. It's stuck on like a limpet!

You'll have more choice on where to put yours as you have the solid tube. Attachment alignment is not very critical. I have mine just touching the top ring of the tube, which seems to square it off adequately.

Here's a quick review I wrote on it when I first got it:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/179075-quick-review-telrad-finder-on-300p-flextube/

Cheers.

[Sky Clad]

Hi Mitchelln thanks for the reply, I did wonder about those sticky pads - in my mind I would imagine they would let the thing wobble around all over the shop - obviously this is not the case - so very interesting feedback, thanks for that!

I was thinking the way to get the thing straight would be to make, and use, some large V blocks to get the initial position - but as you say - the top trim must be pretty square (hopefully)