Show Us Your Dob.....

[estwing]

right that's it.......

[jetstream]

right that's it.......

Moving Calvin?

[estwing]

no Gerry if I did ever move it would be to Golden...scopes at night,,,kicking horse in the day!...or Lake Louise or sunshine etc

Edited November 29, 2015 by estwing

[scarp15]

I've had to pack up more times within an hour on a trip out to a dark site than successful sessions. You sit there for a bit, hoping the cloud will go away, but alas...

Ah yes that sounds familiar, after waiting for an hour or more you submit to defeat put the scope back in the car and it suddenly clears, so through steely determination you unpack only for it to erm, a kind of dance routine perhaps. 

[estwing]

Yes!

[Gazabone]

That's a heck of a scope but I still love my little 10" to bits. Going by this month's weather though even a 280" would be a complete waste of time in sunny (hmmmm) Cornwall.

I have several scopes but I keep a SW ST 102 refractor on an EQ1 mount (legs extended) so that if I see a gap in the clouds it is the ultimate grab and go. I literally plonk it down facing north and remove the dust caps and start observing, takes about 20 seconds from deciding to go looking to actually be peering down the ep. My minute count for November so far is a whopping 20 minutes.

Think I might move to Australia if the YouTube clip is anything to go by

[estwing]

What with everything that moves can kill you!!... Don't get many deadly spiders in Elan

[pipnina]

That's a heck of a scope but I still love my little 10" to bits. Going by this month's weather though even a 280" would be a complete waste of time in sunny (hmmmm) Cornwall.

I have several scopes but I keep a SW ST 102 refractor on an EQ1 mount (legs extended) so that if I see a gap in the clouds it is the ultimate grab and go. I literally plonk it down facing north and remove the dust caps and start observing, takes about 20 seconds from deciding to go looking to actually be peering down the ep. My minute count for November so far is a whopping 20 minutes.

Think I might move to Australia if the YouTube clip is anything to go by

Is a 10" not easier to move around? My 5" on an EQ2 is a pain (literally, carrying the mount can dig) and is extremely heavy and from deciding to go out to looking through the EP is possibly 2/3 minutes. (i have to detach the scope from the mount, rest the scope on my bed, fold the EQ2, carry the EQ2 out front, unfold it, point it north, bring the scope out and put it on the EQ2, bring the tray with my EPs+ filter+ red torch out. I would much prefer a dob I could pick up by handles.

[Paul73]

Pipnina

A Dob needs to cool and be columated. So, yes, no screwing stuff together. But a little Frac on a simple manual mount already assembled is the fastest. I've got an ED80 on a AZ3 which stays up for most of the time.

If I has to assemble from scratch, the dob would win hands down.

Paul

[niallk]

Don't die wondering!.

I do like that sentiment!

A Webster 28" plus all those amazing southern sky DSOs ... Just wow!

Great vid

[pipnina]

Pipnina

A Dob needs to cool and be columated. So, yes, no screwing stuff together. But a little Frac on a simple manual mount already assembled is the fastest. I've got an ED80 on a AZ3 which stays up for most of the time.

If I has to assemble from scratch, the dob would win hands down.

Paul

So from my setup, something like a 10/12" dob would be an improvement on setup time/portability? How heavy is your 10"? Easily liftable by 1 person? Hopefully upgrading in the new year.

Edited November 29, 2015 by pipnina

[luminova11]

That's a heck of a scope but I still love my little 10" to bits. Going by this month's weather though even a 280" would be a complete waste of time in sunny (hmmmm) Cornwall.

I have several scopes but I keep a SW ST 102 refractor on an EQ1 mount (legs extended) so that if I see a gap in the clouds it is the ultimate grab and go. I literally plonk it down facing north and remove the dust caps and start observing, takes about 20 seconds from deciding to go looking to actually be peering down the ep. My minute count for November so far is a whopping 20 minutes.

Think I might move to Australia if the YouTube clip is anything to go by

I'm also in Cornwall and this is exactly my plan. I love my 200p dob but a frac would be lovely when the weather is marginal. I'm only 8 miles from Land's End and right on the coast and when the weather plays ball a nice frac would really shine as we fall within the dark sky area and they can be breathtaking. But in the meantime I'm enjoying the dob and my new pair of 10x50 bins.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

[MattJenko]

Not a new Dob, but a big shiny red upgrade and it certainly feels like a different class of instrument now :

[DarkD]

Hello,

As the sky is still full of clouds, again and again, and again I don't know if I willl remember how to use this 16" dob one day

And how to connect all this ?

Can't wait for clear skies to image the giant one again...

Wish you all a merry xmas.

[niallk]

What a scope - and what a pic of Jupiter - stunning detail, including the moons. Wow

[mapstar]

Very nice looking bit of kit there fella.

Damian

[faulksy]

thats amazing, both scope and image

[Paul73]

Lovely bit of kit.

Wires everywhere! I would call it "RoboDob".

Good luck with the clouds.

Paul

[quaoar]

Darn cloud! 

[swamp thing]

Any more of that and ya banned     

Me, jealous? ............never

[paul mc c]

Darn cloud! 

Show off............i think you are standing in front of a big poster... 

Edited December 21, 2015 by paul mc c

[Beulah]

Difficult observing conditions, considering the skyglow from the hi viz and the smoke from the bonfire in front of you ...

[LaH]

My really last Dobson Skywatcher StarGate 450P. Really last? 

[Beulah]

Sweet stuff, LaH. Won't be your last.

I thought I was happy with my humble 400p......

Roll on SW Stargate 500p!! (and maxed out credit card...  )

[estwing]

Darn cloud! 

I dare you to post that in the Frac thread!!!

Edited December 21, 2015 by estwing