12" Dobson owners, your comment please!

[Jazzmatazz]

Hello guys!

I'm thinking of going for a dobson since my main goal is to observe DSOs, not into AP (yet?).

So I'ver heard from this guy that has a GSO 12" Deluxe Dobson for a very actrative price, but i'm concerned its simply too big for me! 

My observing sessions are made from my backyard, with moderate light pollution but I do have to store the scope after each observing session, so I'd love to hear from owners, what could i expect from a 12"?

I've never owned any dobson and i own a 130EQ newtonian, from what i've seen in videos dobsons are easy to assemble and disassemble so I'm thinking a bigger dobson can be easily transported, am I right?

The best location at home is like 40metres from my house, is it practical to carry and assemble-disassemble?

Comments and opinions needed! =))))

Thank you guys!

[Owmuchonomy]

Hi, I can't comment about the GSO equipment but my SW 300 Flextube is big even when retracted. I will make two comments. Firstly I would not attempt to carry mine 40m. I would have to make 2 journeys, one for the base and one for the OTA and I would be nervous of dropping the OTA. However, it would be possible to use a wheel barrow. I would also wish to collimate it each time as in my case it is F4.9.

Secondly and perhaps more importantly I picked up on your point about light pollution. A fast, large, Dob is great when light pollution is low but when it is obvious you may not be able to squeeze all you can out of the optics particularly for DSOs.

Therefore you may be better purchasing a scope you can transport to a dark location just in case you become disappointed with your current location.

[StevieO]

Hi,

I've been going through the same processes as yourself in the past couple of weeks, wondering how big a dob I can get way with, although I would need to pack it up and put it in a car so it would have to be a truss at anything over 12".

One-piece 12" seems to be about on the limit when it comes to portability. If you have a 40m walk and the scope has to stay in one piece, it may become a bind eventually. If the walk is resonably flat, though, you could get a sack truck, especially one which goes on 4 wheels, and roll it to your site. Sack trucks are pretty cheap at local hardware stores.

Hope it works out for you.

StevieO

[John]

I have an Orion Optics 12" dobsonian which weighs around the same as a 10" Skywatcher / GSO dob. I can just about carry the whole thing a couple of meters but I carry it in 2 sections over longer distances. The base is no trouble but the tubes are large and 40 metres would be a long haul with it for me.

You can easily put some wheels on the base to help with this though. I have seen sack trucks used to make a trolley to move dobsonians around.

My garden suffers from some light pollution plus has trees and houses around it to get in the way. I've still had some fabulous views with my 12" dob though.

If you have reservations about moving a 12" around (they are big things) then a 10" would still give you a really good upgrade in performance over your current 130mm.

[Dannae]

Hi Jazz,

I can't comment on the actual scope you are thinking about but to say that 12" aperture will last you a lifetime.

Regards

Dannae

[Jazzmatazz]

this is like poetry, of course i'll be building my own... =))))))

[FenlandPaul]

Hi Jazzmatazz

I know you've seen my recent experiences with the Revelation / GSO 12" dob. I think the 12" is portable but only just; you need to be careful. And it's definitely only portable in 2 parts unless your route is flat enough to use a sack trolley. I would say that if you're in any doubt go for the 10" because then you know you've got a scope that you can manage and that you'll use. You need a fairly big car to transport the 12" readily; a 10" should be more within the grasp of a family car with the seats folded down. I'd also say that a 12" does catch the wind, so if your usual observing site is exposed bear this in mind.

A 10" or a 12" will both give you amazing views that will keep you interested and entertained for years. So it's really got to come down to what will get used the most.

The 10" would never be the wrong choice; but the 12" might be unless you're absolutely sure on its size and manageability.

Good luck!

Paul

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[John]

Good post from Paul

My 1st 12" dob was a Meade Lightbridge. The scope was fine but it was just too heavy and clumbersome for my personal storage and observing arrangements so, unfortunately, it did not get used as often as it deserved. I sold it and moved to a 10" Orion Optics optical tube which I used on a Giro-type alt-azimuth mount. That arrangement was much easier to move around so, unsurprisingly, it got used a lot more !.

Aperture is good but aperture being frequently used is even better

[Jazzmatazz]

But the detail, is it that much better on the 12"?

[Moonshane]

Do manage your expectations. Even in a 12" scope most faint dsos will be smudges with more detail than a 5" but still grey smudges. Globular and open clusters will be much improved as will planetary and lunar detail. You will not get close to photographic views on many objects.

Don't get me wrong I have a 12" and a 16" dob but you need to be realistic.

I agree about a sack truck for a 40m treck with a big dob.

[John]

Having moved from a 10" to a 12" dob around 18 months ago I agree with Shane's assessment. There are differences in the performance and sometimes they are quite noticable but sometimes not so much.

[russ.will]

I'd add that having had a 12" FlexTube Dob, the main issue in terms of portability is the over-large base. It's very heavy and very inconvenient to carry. Storage to viewing is circa 10m for me and I got sick of it. I'd also add that the OTA, whilst more compact than the solid tube, is actually heavier as a result of the extra castings required to accommodate the truss poles.

My ES 305 Dob is definitely more portable, because it breaks down into more manageable chunks. That said, the mirror box is still quite heavy, but it's less than SW OTA and definitely the SW base, plus being more compact, it's easier to carry. By it's more deconstructed nature, there are more bits to carry, which equals more 40m trips and there's more to screw together when you get there. There's no free lunch!

Russell

[Jazzmatazz]

Thank  you so much for your comments guys!

And thank you John for the expectations call, thats a good one!

Thing is the price the guys is asking is great - 400€ - I still dont have any pics but he says its in great condition! The thing is here in Portugal I dont think i could get my hands on a 12" for this price any time soon. 

I was investigating the possibilities for carrying it around (assembled) and this seems like a possible solution, what do you guys think? Hopefully i'll have some pics soon!

Cheers!

[RCompassi]

I have a 12" GSO.

It was a pain in the a** to haul it outside and inside every time.

It is heavy, it is cumbersome. But the view throught it is priceless. M42 is just amazing! It has (for me) a very bright green tint. 

Since then, I built an observatory and put it on an equatorial mount.

Cheers

[FenlandPaul]

I have to say that EUR 400 for a 12" does seem like a good price if it's in good condition!

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[Jazzmatazz]

I have a 12" GSO.

It was a pain in the a** to haul it outside and inside every time.

It is heavy, it is cumbersome. But the view throught it is priceless. M42 is just amazing! It has (for me) a very bright green tint. 

Since then, I built an observatory and put it on an equatorial mount.

Cheers

Que Beleza! Congratulations on the observatory ))))

[russ.will]

I have to say that EUR 400 for a 12" does seem like a good price if it's in good condition!

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Exactly; that's a lot of aperture for the money.

Russell

[Jazzmatazz]

the owner hasnt send pics yet but says the scope has 3 wheels, 8-10cm in diameter and 2 of them have breaks. nice feature, right?

[John]

Sounds very handy.

If it's an older GSO check out the condition of the mirrors carefully (in fact do this regardless of the age). The older GSO's did have some problems with poor / missing overcoatings on the mirrors which means that the aluminising can deteriorate more quickly than is usual. Re-coating is perfectly possible but the mirrors will have to be removed and sent away this and there will be some cost associated with it.

[pete_l]

Hello guys!

I'm thinking of going for a dobson since my main goal is to observe DSOs, not into AP (yet?).

So I'ver heard from this guy that has a GSO 12" Deluxe Dobson for a very actrative price, but i'm concerned its simply too big for me!

I have this: the GSO980

and yes, it is BIG. You can carry it in two parts, but it's unwieldy and I'm continually afraid that I'll

knock the focuser or the smash the red dot finder (in place of the finder scope) if I bump the OTA

against anything. The base is also large - which the pictures don't really convey.

I only carry mine about 10m but if I had to take it 40m to observe I doubt it would ever leave the

house. If you can only observe from that far away, I'd seriously suggest you look for a better means

of moving the scope - rather than just carrying the pieces.

On the topic of moving it. the base is about the size of a washing machine so you'd either need a very large

base on your sack truck, or you'd be tipping the scope over at quite a steep angle (collimation   ) and

would need to move it very, very gently.

[DRT]

I have a 12" Skywatcher FlexTube and as others have said it is a big effort to move around, even in two parts. The farthest mine travels is 15m, but not often. I fitted two very solid handles to the OTA which helps a lot with getting a secure grip but it is still very heavy and clumsy to move around. That said, I love the scope when I am using it and have no plans to sell it.

What I would say is that having the chance to try 12" of aperture for 400 Euro seems too good to turn down. If there is a healthy second hand market in Portugal you will get all or most of your money back if it doesn't work out for you so you have very little to lose in going for it

[Jazzmatazz]

Some pics of the 12" GSO. In the 8th pic there's a smal dent, doesn't seem too significant, what do you guys think?

Any thoughts on the mirror condition?

And overall do you think its a nice deal for 400€?

Thank you guys!!!

[DRT]

Some pics of the 12" GSO. In the 8th pic there's a smal dent, doesn't seem too significant, what do you guys think?

Any thoughts on the mirror condition?

And overall do you think its a nice deal for 400€?

I think it is a good deal provided that mirror is ok.

The dent won't make a lot of difference and if you really wanted to it could be hammered out.

The mirror looks dusty but should be fine. You will find lots of threads here describing how to clean it safely. If you go to inspect it just take a close look to make sure those little spots are dust and are not areas where the mirror coatings have broken down and started to flake off.

It might just be the camera flash but the paint on the inside of the tube looks quite reflective. The scope might benefit from flocking or being repainted with non-reflective mat black paint.

The dual speed focuser is a bonus as most are single speed.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do

[pete_l]

I agree with DRT. Dings and dents will make absolutely no difference. Nor will a bit of dust on the mirror.

Though if it looked like this, I'd have second thoughts

I'd also ask for photos of the base. It's made from MDF and coated with plastic. If the edging is coming away it could be a little tricky to repair.

[Jazzmatazz]

hehehehe