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But The Dob's Missing!


cloudsweeper

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I really fancy a 12 or 14 inch SCT, but reckon I would need somewhere to accommodate a permanent set-up for such a 'scope (not to mention a long period of saving).

In the interim, I'm aiming for a 10 inch Dob - relatively low cost, manageable, and with 56% more light gathering than the 8SE it should pull in a few more fuzzies.  Wider field too.

So in anticipation of this joyous event, I've built a stand for it out of old bits I had lying around.  Just hope it will do the job............................

Doug.

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Looks fine to me, might not flex like my water butt stand does either.  Mind you if you get a 10" will you need a stand - my 8" is just about useable from the floor and the additional 12" I get from the water butt stand is scarcely necessary.  NB.  My Dob stand has three rubber 'feet' - depending on your stand size, you might need to remove these when you get it to get it level depending on where they fall relative to the stand.

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50 minutes ago, Alan White said:

What a class piece of Dexion engineering Doug.
I look forward to your Dob purchase and subsequent reports.

Purist Manual only Dob or one with all the bells and whistles?
 

Thanks Alan!

And Yes, a basic Dob - no frills - no PushTo or GoTo.  I do like the 8SE with GoTo, but I also like the manual approach with a wider field 'scope.

Solid tube too - no shroud, and (hopefully) less collimation.

Doug.

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1 hour ago, JOC said:

Looks fine to me, might not flex like my water butt stand does either.  Mind you if you get a 10" will you need a stand - my 8" is just about useable from the floor and the additional 12" I get from the water butt stand is scarcely necessary.  NB.  My Dob stand has three rubber 'feet' - depending on your stand size, you might need to remove these when you get it to get it level depending on where they fall relative to the stand.

Thanks!  No, it won't flex - it has reinforcing plates at the corners, and I've jumped up and down on it!  It's 12 inches high, so if I need to raise the 10 incher, it won't be too much.  (Although I'm going largely on guesswork here!)

Doug.

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Having used a 14" SCT a few times I'd go for the dob every time for visual use !

The cool down time alone of the really big SCT's is enough to put me off and the FoV with a 3 metre focal length scope is very limited.

For me, I think I have found my "goldilocks" scope in my Orion Optics 12" F/5.3 dob with custom base :grin:

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45 minutes ago, John said:

Having used a 14" SCT a few times I'd go for the dob every time for visual use !

The cool down time alone of the really big SCT's is enough to put me off and the FoV with a 3 metre focal length scope is very limited.

For me, I think I have found my "goldilocks" scope in my Orion Optics 12" F/5.3 dob with custom base :grin:

It's a hard decision, John.  The 12" Meade LX600 looks nice (although as I said - with appropriate accommodation, and funds!) - it's f/8 and has FL = 2438mm, not much more than the 8SE. 

I've had a Newt, a small frac, a Mak, and now a larger frac and the 8SE, so I figured a 10" Dob would be a low-cost, worthwhile experience.  And as a result, I might then prefer a larger one instead of an SCT!

What an adventure this astronomy thing is!

Doug.

(What didn't you like about the 14" SCT?)

 

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45 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Jolly good show Doug, back to basics.
Any idea which scope yet?

 

Yes Alan - the S/W Skyliner 250PX should give me a nice intro to Dobs.  It's f/4.7, but my EPs are mostly able to cope with that!

Doug.

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I've tended to find that dobs perform as well as, if not better than SCT's of the same aperture.

I know there are many other considerations though and a dob is not everyones ideal scope.

 

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14 hours ago, cloudsweeper said:

Thanks Alan!

And Yes, a basic Dob - no frills - no PushTo or GoTo.  I do like the 8SE with GoTo, but I also like the manual approach with a wider field 'scope.

Solid tube too - no shroud, and (hopefully) less collimation.

Doug.

If the Revelation 12" is still in the classifieds, it represents excellent bang for the buck.  Sure, not as sharp or lightweight as an OOUK equivalent, but a serious bit of kit that keeps me with a smile on my face!!

Great stand by the way!

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