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41 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I keep my 8" Dob in the back corner of the entry coat closet.  Other than taking up some shoe/boot space at the bottom, it's hardly noticeable once the coats are pulled in front of it.

I keep my 15" Dob at the back of the deep closet under the stairs.  Since that space has little headroom, it's not missed all that much.  The fracs, Mak, and eyepieces sit on and around it.  They don't impact the space at the front of the closet for coats and shoes/boots.

Hi Louis ..its like a jigsaw puzzle for me , the Dob sits in the living room , watching tv with me and the wife !! , the 102mm refractor is neatly stored in a cupboard with its goto mount , and the z73 and the eq5 (in bits ) lay under the stairs ...the Dob is the prob , on show in the room , although i think it looks great , the wife doesn't share my view. 

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10 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

At least a shed would solve the space problem .

+1 for that; and, moreover, the negotiation problems too, I hope. More advantages: fast thermal equilibration of the mirror, easy take out - stow away procedures, both allowing for more observing time. And - anything is at hand.

I'd try to keep the scope. The step back from 10" to 4" isn't easy at all, as you are already "spoiled" by the views the 10" gives. The fracs are an excellent complement, but no substitute, IMO.

Or, in addition to GuLinux' suggestion - would your wife be aesthetically more pleased with something like that?:

http://www.hofheiminstruments.com/fotos.html

Not cheap, but gets very good reviews and would be worth saving up.

Stephan

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1 hour ago, Louis D said:

I keep my 8" Dob in the back corner of the entry coat closet.  Other than taking up some shoe/boot space at the bottom, it's hardly noticeable once the coats are pulled in front of it.

I keep my 15" Dob at the back of the deep closet under the stairs.  Since that space has little headroom, it's not missed all that much.  The fracs, Mak, and eyepieces sit on and around it.  They don't impact the space at the front of the closet for coats and shoes/boots.

 

1 minute ago, Nyctimene said:

+1 for that; and, moreover, the negotiation problems too, I hope. More advantages: fast thermal equilibration of the mirror, easy take out - stow away procedures, both allowing for more observing time. And - anything is at hand.

I'd try to keep the scope. The step back from 10" to 4" isn't easy at all, as you are already "spoiled" by the views the 10" gives. The fracs are an excellent complement, but no substitute, IMO.

Stephan

 

1 minute ago, Nyctimene said:

+1 for that; and, moreover, the negotiation problems too, I hope. More advantages: fast thermal equilibration of the mirror, easy take out - stow away procedures, both allowing for more observing time. And - anything is at hand.

I'd try to keep the scope. The step back from 10" to 4" isn't easy at all, as you are already "spoiled" by the views the 10" gives. The fracs are an excellent complement, but no substitute, IMO.

Stephan

TBH Stephen i really am getting into the photography side of astronomy although i know very little about it at present and thats why i bought my z73 . But i love the Dob for the very reasons you outline , ie the quick set up and go, and of course the great views . I want to keep it , got to convince my lovely wife .. taking her out for a meal tonight , its a good start :)

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1 hour ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Hi Louis ..its like a jigsaw puzzle for me , the Dob sits in the living room , watching tv with me and the wife !! , the 102mm refractor is neatly stored in a cupboard with its goto mount , and the z73 and the eq5 (in bits ) lay under the stairs ...the Dob is the prob , on show in the room , although i think it looks great , the wife doesn't share my view. 

Perhaps throw a table cloth over it and put a lamp on it to dress it up or at least disguise it?  Maybe the wife would accept that compromise.  Just put a bungee cord around the tube and base to keep it from tipping over.

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On 21/09/2018 at 16:27, GuLinux said:

I know it might be too late now (or maybe not, if you really want to sell your current Dob), but I have the 12" of these and takes  about the same space as an airplane hand luggage: https://www.sumerianoptics.com/

Sure they're quite on the expensive side, but the're worth it

Like this? 14”, might get away with that!

02B38DCB-7E1C-4A72-AF04-B0421834A30A.jpeg

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1 hour ago, Stu said:

Well, it matches the chest of drawers nicely but you are a lucky man. There is no chance in hell that Mrs Stu would go for that!!! I value parts of me too highly to even ask! ;) 

Yeah, I'm pretty amazed that I get away with it ? Especially as she has absolutely zero interest in looking though it...

The Sumerian Alkaid design is very clever - so neat!!

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On ‎21‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 15:02, Stu1smartcookie said:

Hi , thanks for all the feedback , I’m currently in negotiations with my wife regarding keeping the dob ... they are at an early stage and I’m having as much success as Theresa May in a room full of EU delegates ! 

That also includes trade deals between Trump and China

Started out with 10" collapsible dob, and still first weapon of choice, and collection has grown with ED80 on EQ5 mount, and Coronado 60mm Solarmax 11, which also goes on my EQ5 mount

 John

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I made the same mistake as you with the same telescope luckily l realaliized my mistake and was able to return the scope for a refund l have since purchased a Celestron 925 CPC Deluxe version a bit more pricey but a lot easier to handle l am very pleased with the scope now all l have to do is find out how to use it.

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On 20/09/2018 at 07:19, Stu1smartcookie said:

i bought a 250p flex tube dob (sky-watcher) whilst what i really wanted was a small  wide view refractor .

Don't make a second mistake because they are two very different scopes, some day you will have aperture envie.
If you sell your first scope you will not recoup your investment not even close.

(I wish I had made only one mistake) ?

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On 21/09/2018 at 14:29, Louis D said:

I keep my 8" Dob in the back corner of the entry coat closet.  Other than taking up some shoe/boot space at the bottom, it's hardly noticeable once the coats are pulled in front of it.

I keep my 15" Dob at the back of the deep closet under the stairs.  Since that space has little headroom, it's not missed all that much.  The fracs, Mak, and eyepieces sit on and around it.  They don't impact the space at the front of the closet for coats and shoes/boots.

A quick update , the dob is still with me ,although I’m reminded constantly that I’ve three scopes and only two eyes !!! I too have found a space under the stairs but currently it’s taken up with my eq5 ! What I have found is that the dob is a wonderful scope that is “up and running “ within 5-10 mins whereas my small refractors take considerably longer ( due to setting up the mounts etc) . I know the above may seem obvious but , let’s face it , the main reason we like astronomy is to see things that are normally too small or too far away to see (again , obvious). And although the refractor is small , take anywhere ... the  dob is my fav scope . There rests the case for the defence for keeping all my stuff ! 

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1 hour ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

A quick update , the dob is still with me ,although I’m reminded constantly that I’ve three scopes and only two eyes !!!

I have 4, but only two eyes, but they each have a purpose and I wouldn't be without any of them! Currently building a shed with a removable roof ? to house them... this was part of the 'new bathroom' agreement. The 14inch dob budget included a decorator for the kids bedrooms. Conclusions: marital negotiation is strange sometimes and astro costs don't stop at astro stuff! But we're all happy and that's what counts!

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Yeah i know the feeling i bought a 200p i live in a very tiny 1 bed flat, i was lucky the wife was only mad for 12 hours,the dob is behind my armchair near the kitchen with a blanket over it.looks like the elephant man,i have to carry it down 2 flights of stairs across a car park up some garden steps into the communal garden two trips 1 for the mount and 1 for the scope ,keeps me a little fit lol.the light polution is bad as the building has spot lights on it grrr,luckily i dont have to sell,i booked a week a way in dec for the wife and i and im taking thr scope with us lol.

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16 minutes ago, ukuleledaveey said:

Yeah i know the feeling i bought a 200p i live in a very tiny 1 bed flat, i was lucky the wife was only mad for 12 hours,the dob is behind my armchair near the kitchen with a blanket over it.looks like the elephant man,i have to carry it down 2 flights of stairs across a car park up some garden steps into the communal garden two trips 1 for the mount and 1 for the scope ,keeps me a little fit lol.the light polution is bad as the building has spot lights on it grrr,luckily i dont have to sell,i booked a week a way in dec for the wife and i and im taking thr scope with us lol.

Sounds like you have a very understanding wife which is excellent news :)

Trip away is a good plan. Make sure you negotiate some nights observing and some treat nights for your dear lady :)

 

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Given you have both the dob and the refractor which have you been picking up to go outside and observ with. A light bucket or not if it is left inside it is a dust bucket.

Though an altaz tripod swap for the eq5 would be super fast to set up. How big is that cupboard...

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4 minutes ago, Stu said:

Sounds like you have a very understanding wife which is excellent news :)

Trip away is a good plan. Make sure you negotiate some nights observing and some treat nights for your dear lady :)

 

Will do Stu luckily its my birthday week,the wife also has one of those birdwatching scopes she also shares our dob lol i call it ours as she has some interest to.we are staying in a log cabin in the suffolk countryside, we went in the summer the sky was amazing and dark no light pollution or very low, also got.a hot tub.

Will definately take her out and get a  couple or 3 nights gazing ??

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18 hours ago, happy-kat said:

Given you have both the dob and the refractor which have you been picking up to go outside and observ with. A light bucket or not if it is left inside it is a dust bucket.

Though an altaz tripod swap for the eq5 would be super fast to set up. How big is that cupboard...

I have to say , I have used them in equal measure ... I tend to take out the dob first letting it cool , whilst I set up the EQ mount.. which actually does grate on me sometimes ... but once it’s set up I love using that little refractor .. I’ve also got a go to set up on a tripod and I sometimes put the refractor on that , if I’m feeling a bit lazy that is ... I really love finding stuff for myself . So , at the moment I feel I have a great set up ... I suppose , if I’m honest a large 280mm Cassegrain would be the ultimate answer for me .. just one scope , one mount , that ticks all boxes ... hmmm , now there’s an idea 

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