Orion Build-A-Scope 8" IntelliScope Dobsonian

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

I'm thinking of getting the Orion Build-A-Scope IntelliScope Dobsonian for my next scope, (the 8" not the 10") but I'm struggling to decide what accessories and equipment i want with it. theres a separate discussion thread where i decided on a dob, ill leave the link if anybody wants to read that. i guess ill just leave it open-ended and ask if theres any one particular way to set up this dob that is the best way, or does it depend on what i want to use it for? i assume, of course, that at least part of it will depend on my preferences. i want to do lots of DSO viewing and maybe eventually some DSO imaging, but this scope doesn't need to be a good astrophotography scope necessarily. by the time i have the money for imaging i will probably have bought a scope better designed for imaging anyway. aside from that, i really want lots of good views of DSOs and maybe planetary to, but i have a pretty good mak that i use for planetary and lunar so that isn't a strict requirement. aside from that, my budget is $600, but i can go a little past it if i need to. i have had a bunch of different threads asking for help picking telescopes the past few days, i hope its not getting annoying. but somebody as new to astronomy as i am needs as much help as they can get, so I'm glad to have help so readily available.

[Galen Gilmore]

I think that this question would be a better question to ask on cloudy nights. SGL is a mostly EU forum, Orion is an American Company.

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

41 minutes ago, Galen Gilmore said:

I think that this question would be a better question to ask on cloudy nights. SGL is a mostly EU forum, Orion is an American Company.

ill try there to. i see your in the US, and i know some other people are as well, but i do notice like 80% of people are in the EU.

[25585]

You are lucky to have a build-a-scope in the US. 

I would say an 8 inch F6 would be good for visual, or between F5 & 6. 

Orion Optics here sell "L" versions of 6 to 12 inch mirrors, the "L" is longer focal length - but not that long. That is what I would choose for optics. 

Decent mirror cell & spider, sturdy 2 inch focuser, and a dob mount. 

Good luck!

[John]

As far as I can see, the Orion Build-a-Scope concept is the same tube and optics as their standard XT dobsonians (which are the same as Skywatcher dobsonians), their XT dobsonian mount fitted with the Intelliscope "push to" system (which is well thought of) but you get to choose which focuser, finder and eyepiece(s) that you use so you can control the quality and cost of those.

If you pick the least expensive options you will still get a good quality and very useable dobsonian. There are many threads on this forum on the virtues of the Skywatcher 200P dobsonian and the Build-a-Scope 8" would be at least as good as those scopes. The math will tell you if it is a good deal over the price of a fully equipped instrument.

[Ricochet]

I like a red dot finder and an 8/9x50 RACI so if they fit both to the tube (rather than providing you with two options to use in a single shoe) it might be worth considering those. However, $40 for a standard Synta RDF seems quite expensive so you might be better off just putting that money towards a Telrad or Rigel Quickfinder that you just stick into the tube. 

You should probably consider a better focuser than the stock one but the dual speed focuser is something else that looks overpriced. In the UK the focuser can be bought under the Skywatcher brand for £129 but Orion want $249.99 for it. 

Eyepieces, filters and other accessories can be left unless there is something you specifically want. Given the other costs you can probably shop around for a better deal on those anyway. 

A dobsonian should really be considered as a visual only scope. If you want to do astrophotography you should probably look at spending your entire budget on the best eq mount you can and then worry about a little scope to go on it later. 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

2 hours ago, John said:

As far as I can see, the Orion Build-a-Scope concept is the same tube and optics as their standard XT dobsonians (which are the same as Skywatcher dobsonians), their XT dobsonian mount fitted with the Intelliscope "push to" system (which is well thought of) but you get to choose which focuser, finder and eyepiece(s) that you use so you can control the quality and cost of those.

If you pick the least expensive options you will still get a good quality and very useable dobsonian. There are many threads on this forum on the virtues of the Skywatcher 200P dobsonian and the Build-a-Scope 8" would be at least as good as those scopes. The math will tell you if it is a good deal over the price of a fully equipped instrument.

i have to single you out, john. you have commented on every single post i have made on here, and have always been very helpful and kept me from wasting my money at least once. thanks for all your help!! and from what i can see, the intelliscope is just a normal dob, just more customizable. i did the math and i can only fit the cheapest options into my price range, so at least it will still be worth it. 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

41 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

I like a red dot finder and an 8/9x50 RACI so if they fit both to the tube (rather than providing you with two options to use in a single shoe) it might be worth considering those. However, $40 for a standard Synta RDF seems quite expensive so you might be better off just putting that money towards a Telrad or Rigel Quickfinder that you just stick into the tube. 

You should probably consider a better focuser than the stock one but the dual speed focuser is something else that looks overpriced. In the UK the focuser can be bought under the Skywatcher brand for £129 but Orion want $249.99 for it. 

Eyepieces, filters and other accessories can be left unless there is something you specifically want. Given the other costs you can probably shop around for a better deal on those anyway. 

A dobsonian should really be considered as a visual only scope. If you want to do astrophotography you should probably look at spending your entire budget on the best eq mount you can and then worry about a little scope to go on it later. 

thats essentially what I'm planning on. I'm thinking a telrad might be the way to go, but i need more research first. i can't afford a good focuser so I'm getting the stock one, but at some point i will be replacing it with something better. i have a $1000/year budget, so i can really afford to buy some good gear. i might get a filter for LP, but the only accessories i know i want is a case for the optical tube and a collimator. this stuff all puts my price at a manageable $766, so it should work out. i really want to do AP but I'm still very new to astronomy, so i don't expect to be doing AP for a few years.

[Timebandit]

18 hours ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

thats essentially what I'm planning on. I'm thinking a telrad might be the way to go, but i need more research first. i can't afford a good focuser so I'm getting the stock one, but at some point i will be replacing it with something better. i have a $1000/year budget, so i can really afford to buy some good gear. i might get a filter for LP, but the only accessories i know i want is a case for the optical tube and a collimator. this stuff all puts my price at a manageable $766, so it should work out. i really want to do AP but I'm still very new to astronomy, so i don't expect to be doing AP for a few years.

 

We don't mind you asking us questions from the other side of the pond. 

 

You do seem to want to go down the Ap route also. Sorry to put the cat among the pigeons. But have you thought of something like the SW 150 pds. This my understanding is great for AP and also visual. On a suitable driven Eq mount will be fine for AP on DSO. 6," aperture so not quite as much your intention on 8" but still a very popular scope and sensible money to get into AP and due to its size and weight very manageable to take to a dark site.

As for visual DSO a dark site is where you will get your best view?

I hope this helps also?

[Cjg]

I've owned a 10 inch intelliscope. Purchased it used and enjoyed the views. It's a doddle to set up and use. The 'warp' factor on the handset always put a smile on my face in use too. 

Sold it simply because I couldn't fit the scope, mount and my family in our small hatchback car at the same time. Superb visually, but I'd suggest completely unsuitable for serious astrophotography - it does not track, so at high magnification, you will become frustrated at seeing the objects you are viewing whizz through the eyepiece, or you will become adept at 'nudging' the scope to keep in view. 

The person I purchased it from told me it took him a while with a spirit level to build it so that the encoding gizmos in the mount were accurate. If you have good DIY skills, then it shouldn't be a problem. 

Good luck!

Chris

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

18 hours ago, Timebandit said:

 

We don't mind you asking us questions from the other side of the pond. 

 

You do seem to want to go down the Ap route also. Sorry to put the cat among the pigeons. But have you thought of something like the SW 150 pds. This my understanding is great for AP and also visual. On a suitable driven Eq mount will be fine for AP on DSO. 6," aperture so not quite as much your intention on 8" but still a very popular scope and sensible money to get into AP and due to its size and weight very manageable to take to a dark site.

As for visual DSO a dark site is where you will get your best view?

I hope this helps also?

hmm.. i don't like the smaller aperture, and i have yet to learn much about EQ mounts, but i need to learn EQs anyway so this might be the way to do it. i don't want to buy a mount i don't know how to use, but i have to buy an EQ at some point so maybe this is when ill do it. 

[Stu]

9 minutes ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

hmm.. i don't like the smaller aperture, and i have yet to learn much about EQ mounts, but i need to learn EQs anyway so this might be the way to do it. i don't want to buy a mount i don't know how to use, but i have to buy an EQ at some point so maybe this is when ill do it. 

Be careful not to mix up visual requirements with AP. A large aperture dob will do just fine for visual, but a small, fast refractor on an EQ mount is much better for AP 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

Be careful not to mix up visual requirements with AP. A large aperture dob will do just fine for visual, but a small, fast refractor on an EQ mount is much better for AP 

hmm. seems backwards to me, but then again a dob might overexpose the camera and it might mess up the image. is that the issue here?

[Stu]

35 minutes ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

hmm. seems backwards to me, but then again a dob might overexpose the camera and it might mess up the image. is that the issue here?

It's not a quick response really. Deep sky AP requires long exposures, accurately guided. A big Newt on an EQ mount has a tendency to act like a sail in any breeze and has a longer focal length so is harder to guide. Many targets are quite large and so a short focal length, fast refractor is easier to guide and gives a nice wide field.

Try Steve Richards' book 'Making every photon count' before you spend any money on AP gear.

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

It's not a quick response really. Deep sky AP requires long exposures, accurately guided. A big Newt on an EQ mount has a tendency to act like a sail in any breeze and has a longer focal length so is harder to guide. Many targets are quite large and so a short focal length, fast refractor is easier to guide and gives a nice wide field.

Try Steve Richards' book 'Making every photon count' before you spend any money on AP gear.

aah. that makes sense. i wasn't even thinking of how the wind might affect the tube, but with a dob that a very real consideration i guess. thats something i will have to remember, its a big issue for a big scope. is that why truss tubes have trusses rather than tubes? with the tube mostly holes it wouldn't blow around so much, right?

[Stu]

5 hours ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

aah. that makes sense. i wasn't even thinking of how the wind might affect the tube, but with a dob that a very real consideration i guess. thats something i will have to remember, its a big issue for a big scope. is that why truss tubes have trusses rather than tubes? with the tube mostly holes it wouldn't blow around so much, right?

Yes,wind can affect a big dob but one of the beauties of the design is that the tube is supported on other sides by a bearing so they are normally very stable if well designed.

Actually Truss dobs are built that way largely for portability. Mostly they are fitted with shrouds to maximise contrast and keep dew off the primary so they are still affected by wind. A 22" (for example) solid tube would be a beast to move anywhere; being able to break it down into manageable parts allows you to get them to the darkest skies possible and really use the aperture.

[25585]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

Yes,wind can affect a big dob but one of the beauties of the design is that the tube is supported on other sides by a bearing so they are normally very stable if well designed.

Actually Truss dobs are built that way largely for portability. Mostly they are fitted with shrouds to maximise contrast and keep dew off the primary so they are still affected by wind. A 22" (for example) solid tube would be a beast to move anywhere; being able to break it down into manageable parts allows you to get them to the darkest skies possible and really use the aperture.

With a shroud would that not act like a sail and be worst than a solid tube which, if round, would be less affected as solid?

[John]

29 minutes ago, 25585 said:

With a shroud would that not act like a sail and be worst than a solid tube which, if round, would be less affected as solid?

Yes you are right - a shroud can be a little more prone to this than a solid tube. Also the shroud, if a little loose, can be pressed by the wind or just droop into the light path of the primary.

[Stu]

39 minutes ago, 25585 said:

With a shroud would that not act like a sail and be worst than a solid tube which, if round, would be less affected as solid?

Well in both instances the scope can be buffeted by the wind, but as John says, shrouds can be a pain if they are not well fitted. They do have benefits as outlined so are worth using. See this line up of a combination of Truss and solid tube dobs, not a bare Truss to be seen

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

just seeing such great scopes makes me a little bit jealous.. someday. someday ill buy one...

[Timebandit]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Well in both instances the scope can be buffeted by the wind, but as John says, shrouds can be a pain if they are not well fitted. They do have benefits as outlined so are worth using. See this line up of a combination of Truss and solid tube dobs, not a bare Truss to be seen

 

33 minutes ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

just seeing such great scopes makes me a little bit jealous.. someday. someday ill buy one...

 

The BIG ones look as if it is the Dob Mob boys. If so these gents build their own scopes. Pretty impressive they are to. Have a look at the Faulksy Dob Build thread on SGL ,well worth a read IMO. Great job these chaps make of their scope builds ?

[25585]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

Well in both instances the scope can be buffeted by the wind, but as John says, shrouds can be a pain if they are not well fitted. They do have benefits as outlined so are worth using. See this line up of a combination of Truss and solid tube dobs, not a bare Truss to be seen

Skywatcher Flextubes must be the best hybrid compromise between truss & solid. They just need an easy one-action mount to lift the OTA off the vertical box as Bresser & OO use, for example. 

To the OP, a SW Flextube 8 inch could be a neat solution. 

[RT65CB-SWL]

3 hours ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

just seeing such great scopes makes me a little bit jealous.. someday. someday ill buy one...

I would think that a DIY 'scope is more satisfying than buying on ready built. I know a few amateurs that DIY, (past & present). I have been more impressed with the view than with the ready built equivalent. 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

DIY wasn't even an a psiibility to me until now, but.. it looks really possible, and my dad is a gimungous DIY geek. we once made a leaf blower- powered hovercraft that actually floated about 1-3 inches off the ground once, I'm sure he would love to do this. hmm.. i need to look into DIYing a dob. is it hard? i would assume the hardest part would be the optics, but making the frame should be easy since we have made frames for stuff a lot before.

[25585]

On YouTube watch "Telescope making with John Dobson". Ground-up building, from mirror grinding to complete scope.