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BinocularSky

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Briefly:

It arrived, I've had it assembled (didn't need to tap any threads), taken some piccies, and now have to go to work for a couple of hours. First impressions: a lot of scope for the money - even more so now that they have dropped the price significantly in the last couple of days! Azimuth bearing needs  a bit of work. Fuller report later.

Lousy quality "me and it":

post-358-0-49739500-1396449617_thumb.jpg

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John

John

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I'm looking forward to hearing more about it Steve  :smiley: 

im still not convinced on these.  i want to like them but i dont think i will ever think about purchasing one. hope it works well

I'm in the same place Daniel. I want more info on the optical quality which is most of what you are buying with a dob. The only feedback I've seen on this is on Cloudynights and sort of "so so" but in a vague sort of way :undecided:

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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I'm looking forward to hearing more about it Steve  :smiley:

I'm in the same place Daniel. I want more info on the optical quality which is most of what you are buying with a dob. The only feedback I've seen on this is on Cloudynights and sort of "so so" but in a vague sort of way :undecided:

Do you have the link, John?

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AlexB67

AlexB67

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I'm looking forward to hearing more about it Steve  :smiley:

I'm in the same place Daniel. I want more info on the optical quality which is most of what you are buying with a dob. The only feedback I've seen on this is on Cloudynights and sort of "so so" but in a vague sort of way :undecided:

I wonder why they never give buyers the option to buy with an optional mirror spec, like OO do, that would be nice, additional cost and overheads perhaps.

Just checking the site and the price drop, it for sure is a lot of scope for not much. In between the  14 and 16 inch SW Flexi  models  price point, but at that size for transporting being able to fold down this fella in a small space makes it very attractive indeed, as long as it performs well of course. :smiley:

It does look nice to look at I think, but in the end they are there for looking through :0)

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John

John

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I wonder why they never give buyers the option to buy with an optional mirror spec, like OO do, that would be nice, additional cost and overheads perhaps.

Just checking the site and the price drop, it for sure is a lot of scope for not much. In between the  14 and 16 inch SW Flexi  models  price point, but at that size for transporting being able to fold down this fella in a small space makes it very attractive indeed, as long as it performs well of course. :smiley:

It does look nice to look at I think, but in the end they are there for looking through :0)

It would be nice if ES were to appoint a UK dealer or two so that customers could buy with the confidence that something could be done about any issues they encounter without having to face the spectre of returning the equipment across Europe.

If we bought a Skywatcher dob from a good dealer here such as FLO that had anywhere near the sort of issues that Tom has faced we know it would be replaced without fuss and without cost to the buyer.

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AlexB67

AlexB67

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It would be nice if ES were to appoint a UK dealer or two so that customers could buy with the confidence that something could be done about any issues they encounter without having to face the spectre of returning the equipment across Europe.

If we bought a Skywatcher dob from a good dealer here such as FLO that had anywhere near the sort of issues that Tom has faced we know it would be replaced without fuss and without cost to the buyer.

Indeed, with that in mind I also applaud the bravery for some taking the plunge on something like this to test out for us. I hope it works out for the initial buyers and that they are happy with the product :smiley:

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Naemeth

Naemeth

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One thing is sure: the view from a well collimated big dob from a dark site is stunning. I have Olly to thank / blame for that (depending on who's point of view you're looking from, either my own or my wallets'  :evil:)!

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John

John

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Wouldn't that increase the price?!

Probably. ES seem to have a special pricing policy for UK dealers which is higher than other parts of the world. 

Apologies to Steve though, this is his thread about his exciting new arrival so it's much more important to discuss that  :smiley:

It is really good that there is a new lightweight and affordable dobsonian design available :smiley:

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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OK, tutorial given, time for some more detail:

Enter one packing box. (The set-square on top of it has a hypotenuse of 24cm):

post-358-0-56374100-1396457257_thumb.jpg

The box is actually a double box, inside which are the trusses, the collimating rod, and m ore boxes:

post-358-0-11115900-1396457069_thumb.jpg

post-358-0-98264700-1396457086_thumb.jpg

 The mirror box has a massive lump of packing foam that holds it the mirror in place and also has recesses for other bits and pieces:

post-358-0-55528500-1396457108_thumb.jpg (Top is the left of this image.)

post-358-0-94999800-1396457133_thumb.jpg

The underside of the rocker box. The ground board is the triangle. The silver-coloured stuff is a sort of textured aluminium. There is the same on the altitude bearings:

post-358-0-88843200-1396457153_thumb.jpg

I wouldn't like to put this together in the dark. I found ti very awkward to attach the truss poles and there is significant danger of cross-threading the M5 securing bolts. M6 would have been better. The eyepiece is the ideal height for my eye. Someone asked: I'm 5' 10" (ish) More importantly, my eye is about 1.65m above ground level when I am wearing normal shoes.

post-358-0-77162100-1396457172_thumb.jpg

Haven't yet figured out how the altitude bearings are meant to fit into the rocker box (anybody?). However, it's going to be easier to pack/transport than my 300P was.

post-358-0-00794900-1396458208_thumb.jpg

(In addition to giving a sense of scale, the book is meant to be ironic :laugh: )

The secondary assembly  is going to need a cover, and I'm going to have to make a bag for the truss rods, and a shroud. The finder, as Tom noted in the other thread, is a horrid little thing. Telrad will be an early upgrade, & possibly a proper finder as well.

Not sure about the eyepiece location; I may have to remount the truss fittings on the secondary cage 45* from where they are now (but a lot of people do like the eyepiece on the RHS, so I'll try it. Has the advantage that you can't breathe on the eyepiece when using the finder with the right eye (which I do).

The altitude bearings are sufficiently stiff so as not to slip when the focuser is empty and also when it has a coma corrector and a 2" eyepiece in it. It seems smooth, but I'll need to try it under the stars (typically, it is now overcast and rain is predicted) The azimuth bearing is too stiff. I'm going to need to fix it, either with a lazy susan or with some Ebony Star.

I think this is a very adaptable bit of kit. Unless the optics are rubbish (Tassilo specified a Strehl of 0.8 minimum), I think I'm going to like this. A lot.

Happy to answer questions, but I doubt there'll be much more of substance to say until I've actually tried it under a decent sky.

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russ.will

russ.will

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Wouldn't that increase the price?!

Given that Telescope House sell ES scopes at roughly a Pound to a Euro, then it would be 18-19% more expensive - The price of an extra middle man.

For some, that would be worth the peace of mind. To me it's  more than the cost of shipping back across Europe (which is no more hassle than shipping across the UK) and so I'd take the risk and will be as soon as my March tpy money arrives. I might well spring for the ES CC too...

Russell

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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The first mod (the easy one):

Got rid of the ultra-tacky RDF and installed a Telrad and a proper finder. Top end now too heavy with CC and 800g eyepiece (my lighter eyepieces are all OK), so 1.75kg weight added to the handle on the mirror box. Now balances fine; weight needs removing for lighter eyepieces.

post-358-0-07292200-1396517215_thumb.jpg

One caveat: this much weight on the front end results in a small but detectable amount of collimation shift between zenith and horizon as the trusses flex. I'll probably collimate it for about 60* altitude.

This ability to collimate the primary while at the eyepiece is really useful: no more stiff backs from repeated bending to the primary cell!  I also really like the hand-wheel collimators on the secondary - they do protrude very slightly into the light path (see the two little "corners"), but are mostly hidden behind the secondary.

post-358-0-29087400-1396517894_thumb.jpg

More later.

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