Show Us Your Dobs

[cloudsweeper]

3 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Guys, Can i ask a question ? I have to collimate my scope (bresser10"), every time i use it .. i have to store it in my wardrobe and thus its a trickty manoevre to get the scope down  so i dont suppose its that surprising , but , is that fairly normal with  this  scope ?...( ive had refractors most of my astonomy life). 

Stu - I check my primary occasionally, and it seldom needs more than a tweak.  (It does live in the shed though.)  I recently checked the secondary, and adjusted it a little - only the second time I've ever needed to do it.  (I do these checks with nothing more than a collimation cap - easy and effective.)

Doug.

[Stu1smartcookie]

2 hours ago, cloudsweeper said:

Stu - I check my primary occasionally, and it seldom needs more than a tweak.  (It does live in the shed though.)  I recently checked the secondary, and adjusted it a little - only the second time I've ever needed to do it.  (I do these checks with nothing more than a collimation cap - easy and effective.)

Doug.

i really tightened the screws down last night so i am hoping i wont have to do too much tonight ... of course its the ritual to check before every session , but thats the (unwritten) rules and thats what i do . 

[Nakedgun]

On 16/05/2020 at 06:46, JeremyS said:

That's a shame as I see one area where sales have been soaring during the pandemic is bicycles.

Over here, I've heard bird-watching is on the ascendant, so binocular sales are up.

[Stardaze]

6 hours ago, Nakedgun said:

Over here, I've heard bird-watching is on the ascendant, so binocular sales are up.

Good to hear. There's a few winners in this situation, but not many. People have to do something though to beat the boredom! I know camera sales were reportedly down 70%, which is understandable as you couldn't go anywhere to use them, for most people. The situation, limited camera pursuits and a badly torn hamstring, has actually meant little camera, no cycling but time to properly start my astro journey and I've been thoroughly enjoying it. Just need some clear nights this next week and a few coffees! 

[Stu1smartcookie]

On 17/05/2020 at 13:15, cloudsweeper said:

Stu - I check my primary occasionally, and it seldom needs more than a tweak.  (It does live in the shed though.)  I recently checked the secondary, and adjusted it a little - only the second time I've ever needed to do it.  (I do these checks with nothing more than a collimation cap - easy and effective.)

Doug.

Update : Didnt get much time with the scope tonight ... i am begining to hate summer evenings lol ...but after really tightening the screws on the primary , i didnt need any collimation tonight . So ,it was my naivity that was causing the scope to be out every night . And , to be honest , i have to extract it from a pretty tight space in a wardrobe and then travel down stairs etc etc , its like an assault course carrying a 13kg weight (carefully as poss) lol so i was expecting it to need collimating . 

[Stu1smartcookie]

Guys , has anyone had a problem with their Bresser base or am i just unlucky ? One of the side panels seems to have "blown", and is flaking . FLO are looking into it and are onto Bresser . I am not sure if i like the base compared to the skywatcher ones , although i think its a good system , and a good look but i reckon the skywatcher ones look a bit more stable . any thoughts ?

[callisto]

My OO Dob is on a skywatcher base and it's pretty solid

[johninderby]

Could we see a pic of the panel. Never heard of that happening with a Bresser. Find the Bresser base is very solid as it uses proper furnature type fastenings to hold the base together. Have had the screws rip out of a Skywatcher base.

Edited May 18, 2020 by johninderby

[Stu1smartcookie]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

Could we see a pic of the panel. Never heard of that happening with a Bresser. Find the Bresser base is very solid as it uses proper furnature type fastenings to hold the base together. Have had the screws rip out of a Skywatcher base.

yes , maybe i didnt explain that well ... itis sturdy for sure , ive got a pic on my pc but the better half is asleep ... Bresser have the pic as i forwarded it to FLO . it looks horrible although it doesnt prevent the tube moving in any way . Im sure i will get it sorted . 

[johninderby]

I will be replacing my Bresser base with one built from marine grade plywood. Should look nice with a suitable stain and varnish on it. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

And a lot cheaper than an OO base 🙂

Edited May 18, 2020 by johninderby

[johninderby]

On the subject of dob bases it can be quite illuminating to see the range of replacement parts for upgrading the base and alt bearings on an Obsession dob. Even Obsession cuts corners. 😁

Edited May 18, 2020 by johninderby

[Barry-W-Fenner]

The little 76p getting a homemade dew shield for contrast improvement. 

I was looking through it at 2am this morning, when I shielded the focuser with my hand I was shocked at how much darker the image became.

Still got to add the finishing touches but I'm all blue petered out for today 😁

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Cooling! 😁

[fiestazetecmk2]

35 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Cooling! 😁

Where is the wine bottle and coaster? ??

[Barry-W-Fenner]

1 minute ago, fiestazetecmk2 said:

Where is the wine bottle and coaster? ??

Coaster is there on the base. Nothing going on it but tea tonight though as its a school night 😂

[Stu1smartcookie]

20 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

yes , maybe i didnt explain that well ... itis sturdy for sure , ive got a pic on my pc but the better half is asleep ... Bresser have the pic as i forwarded it to FLO . it looks horrible although it doesnt prevent the tube moving in any way . Im sure i will get it sorted . 

Update on my Base issues ... Bresser have apparently been informed , FLO have said i can continue to use the base as there is no problem with a replacement part or indeed whole base .. thats the least i expect ! but its welcome all the same . Clear evening here ... but it doesnt actually get dark until after 10 zzzz Damn these summer nights lol 

[cloudsweeper]

55 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Coaster is there on the base. Nothing going on it but tea tonight though as its a school night 😂

Barry - how is the S/W for altitude stability?  Never used one, so I am curious about how it compares with my Bresser.  The Bresser alt bearings are very big, so it stays nicely balanced with different loads.  Plus, since the tube is in rings, there is scope for coarse adjustment there too.

Good luck for an outing tonight.  Cloudy here.

Doug.

[johninderby]

I’ve found one of those rubber floor mat segments makes a great cushioned mat to put the OTA down on. I trimmed the mat down a bit.

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by johninderby

[Barry-W-Fenner]

14 hours ago, cloudsweeper said:

Barry - how is the S/W for altitude stability?  Never used one, so I am curious about how it compares with my Bresser.  The Bresser alt bearings are very big, so it stays nicely balanced with different loads.  Plus, since the tube is in rings, there is scope for coarse adjustment there too.

Good luck for an outing tonight.  Cloudy here.

Doug.

Thank Doug.

Personally I am finding the alt bearing on the 200p to be very good. It tends to hold its position very well. The only time I have a slight issue is when I use my astrozap dew shield at low altitude. This does tend to make the scope nose heavy and can drop from the target. To be fair this shield is not actually designed for the 200p and it may have the same effect on other dobs also, But could be rectified easier on say the Bresser as you can coarse adjust with the tube rings.

In short the smaller Skywatcher dobs (200p) function very well and it is a fantastic scope to use. That said I am keeping my eyes open to see if Bresser decide to bring out a 12" Dob. They make fantastic looking scopes and I like the alt bearings and overall finish of there products.

When I decide to upgrade it might be a toss up between a used OO or a Bresser.

 

Thanks Doug

Baz

 

[fiestazetecmk2]

This is how a 200p look.and no issues with stability or tracking. Alt /az is so much better. 

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, fiestazetecmk2 said:

This is how a 200p look.and no issues with stability or tracking. Alt /az is so much better. 

Sky-Watcher on steroids!😲

[Whistlin Bob]

Very much liking @fiestazetecmk2's souped up version.

A little addition of a laser pointer to mine- see below. Nice alternative to the Rigel...

[Stu1smartcookie]

23 hours ago, fiestazetecmk2 said:

This is how a 200p look.and no issues with stability or tracking. Alt /az is so much better. 

very impressed 

[callisto]

Is this Arnie's scope 🏋️‍♂️ 

[Stardaze]

On 19/05/2020 at 20:02, Stu1smartcookie said:

Update on my Base issues ... Bresser have apparently been informed , FLO have said i can continue to use the base as there is no problem with a replacement part or indeed whole base .. thats the least i expect ! but its welcome all the same . Clear evening here ... but it doesnt actually get dark until after 10 zzzz Damn these summer nights lol 

I have a slight blemish on one of the vertical panels but wasn’t enough to raise, looks like a bumped corner. I’m going to replace my base in the autumn I think with an OO version. I’m not a good chippy myself so I’ll take the easier option. 
Those that have had the OO bases: does the ota detach with the tube rings etc all in place, or do you have open up the rings? How smooth in practice are the OO bases?

Might have a go at mucking a wheeled base though to use in places.