which dob to buy

[spacenut]

Hi all,

This will be my second go at this question as i posted in the wrong section the first time.

At the moment I own a celestron cpc 925. I have been thinking about upgrading for a while. I was looking at the following scopes, Skywatcher skyliner 400p synscan goto and the Orion skyquest XX16 goto truss tube dob. What I like to know is how does the view through them compare to my cpc? how portable are they? I've got some great advice from Carl in Scopes and Space but would like more advice please before i spend my hard earned cash. Have any of you got one of these scopes? l would to hear about them. looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks

Pauline

[SimonfromSussex]

Hi Pauline,

I went from a celestron 925 to a meade 16" lightbridge and I have to say it's a big step up.

As great as the 925 is, the detail of objects (as you would expect) is hugely better with the increased aperture.

For me, planets show more detail, nebula & galaxies stand out more and show more much more structure.

Portability might be the issue, I have a set of wheel barrow wheels to move the lightbridge about the garden but it's very heavy.

It does come apart easily and fit in my estate car and I've taken it to the beach for a clear southern horizon.

I haven't used an orion but I did have a 12" skyliner a few years back and I was suitably impressed.

Hope that helps a bit?

Si.

[swamp thing]

Hi Pauline

Have a read of this review. It's pretty comprehensive.

http://scopeviews.co.uk/SW400P.htm

[spacenut]

Thanks Simon and Steve for the helpful reply.

Pauline

[scarp15]

That is a good review on the flextube 400. As to how portable they are, it depends a bit on what you drive, how often you intend to transport it and what weight you feel that you could carry. I use a 300p flextube manual and I find that it is manageable to transport in my fairly compact Skoda Fabia hatchback. I only use it at dark sky locations to get the most out of the aperture, the optics are great and I like the ease of use. If you go with a manual scope and decide that you want a tracking system for use at high power on planets for example, consider an equatorial platform.

The 350 and 400 increase quite significantly in tube diameter over the 300 flex. The tube may well still fit on the back seat of an ordinary sized car (the base collapses in two parts) but I wouldn't like to say how easy this will be. I am though a bit tempted at times to find out.

[NGC 1502]

Hi Pauline. You are doing the right thing by asking for advice. However, I do think that it would be a good idea to see these large Dobs in the flesh if at all possible, it will be worth the effort, as as any advice or description would be topped by seeing one.

Only then will you get a true idea of the weight and size, and save a nasty shock if you order one and it turns up at your door...........

One persons genuine opinion of what is portable may not match yours.

Hope you find something suitable, Ed.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The simple answer is go for the biggest Dob that you can:

a/ move around easily and use

b/ store in your house or garage

c/ afford

be it a 6",8"10".............................

Whatever will work best for you on all the points above, thats the one for you.

[Luke]

I have the 400P goto, very happy with it

My experience is completely different to the reviewer regarding the goto aspect, I am seriously impressed by the goto and so glad I got it!

It sounds like maybe the reviewer did not level the mount?:

"My drive is slightly sloping; probably a flatter location would have improved things."

Step 1 of the instruction manual for setting up says:

"Place the mount on the ground. Place a bubble level on the top of the round base to ensure the mount is set on a leveled plane. Better leveling will yield better tracking performance."

Sometimes I'm a bit sloppy levelling mine (and I'm not sure cereal packets are the best support!). But when I take a moment to get it right, the goto usually puts objects within the field of view even at 200x magnification. I wasn't expecting that from a goto for a 16 inch dob

For me, the 400P is portable in the sense that it will fit in my car boot and I can manage the tube on my own, just... (and I'm fairly big). But I prefer for my other half to help, especially when connecting the tube to the mount.

The base is less of a problem because it breaks down into four parts in about a minute.

If I found the weight too much I'd get some sort of solution such as wheelbarrow handles or castor wheels - which I may well yet add.

Optically, like all three Skywatcher dobs I've had, I'm impressed given the price.

I found 12inch to 16inch a big step up, bigger than I was expecting. I could see more detail in M82, for instance, I could hardly stop looking at it in amazement, and galaxies in Leo really started to show structure under my okay skies at home. We also managed to see something I doubted would be possible, the Horsehead nebula, at the last SGL star party, using a Hydrogen Beta filter and a 19mm Panoptic.

[spacenut]

Hi and thanks again for all your advice.

Pauline

[hugobugo]

I have a lightbridge 12" and love it. I had a 150pds skywatcher before and find that i collimated that as much as i do the lightrbidge. So i don't really hold with the collimation fixed or flex argument if you carry it about its going to slip out. The Skywatcher flextube gets good reviews.

My thoughts would be forget the goto and spend on aperture. By yourself a wixey inclinometer and mark out a circle on the base hey presto you have a push to and have a bigger bucket to catch more photons.

I have marked out on a slab in my garden alignment points so just if it out and line the base up and i am off in minutes. I have taken it away with me a couple of times with the family on camp trips , broken down and in in the roof box. So the portability is great, the weight for every day use is great.

[spacenut]

Thanks hugobugo

[Moonshane]

I am not making assumptions about what a man can move compared to a woman but please do consider the size of these things before you buy as suggested above. I have a relatively small (albeit solid tube) 16" f4 scope and a 12" f4 and the difference between them is surprising if you have not seen them. I'd say the 12" f4 is manageable by any able bodied adult but the 16" is a bit of a handful to get in the car. the mass produced truss bases for the 16" scopes are perhaps a little more portable but huge compared with my base which is 550mm across the sides and back.

here's a pic of my 16" and 12" scopes. the 12" is the one on the left

[Bart]

Here's my 16"and my 10" for comparison. My 10" is on the right!

Barry

[spacenut]

Hi moonshane and Bart, thanks for the images. I will be going to view an Orion XX16 soon. If I still want one I have my minions aka sisters and brother-in-law to help me move it. I think I have aperture fever, ha ha.

[swamp thing]

I would be wary of relying on others to move it. It may be tougher than you think to pry them out of warm beds in the middle of winter to "come help put the scope away" at midnight

[spacenut]

Steve I have them well trained, just supply plenty of tea and biscuits and they will do anything.

[Bart]

Steve I have them well trained, just supply plenty of tea and biscuits and they will do anything.

Tea and biscuits wont help at 3am on a cold winters night!!!!

[spacenut]

Tea and biscuits always works because they are idiots and they do it to shut me up.

[vlebo]

I saw a XX16 at Astrofest this year and I must say the base is absolutely massive ! but fortunately that and the Flextube 16" break down and reassmble by hand quite quickly. There is a write up on the Orion XX16 in S@ N a couple of months ago which makes interesting reading and you get a good idea of the size from the pics .Good Luck

[bingevader]

S@N liked it I seem to remember, but it was BIG!

Cheers

[spacenut]

Sorry about this question vlebo and bingerader but who are S@ N,

Pauline

[spacenut]

Doh is it the sky at night?

[estwing]

yes mate it is...

[bingevader]

2 mins and I'll find it for you.

Yes, they liked it, 4 out of 5 stars!

Cheers

[Phil Fargaze]

One thing to consider is the size of the base and will it actually fit through any doors that you need to get it through. I understand that the Skywatcher dob base is particularly large.