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Delivered today, Sooo Excited!


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Hey guys got my new (and first) scope delivered today thank you Steve and FLO :). Cant wait for my first light! :mad:

Its the Skywatcher 10" Dob. Now, some probably silly questions, im sorry!

1. Collimation, is this a problem or should it be ready to go out of the box as to speak, (i am a complete newby and unsure) or do i need to do that myself immediatelly?

2. The carry handle on the mount, is that meant to be used only for carrying the base? or can it handle the whole scope and base over short distances. Worried if i try to carry the complete thing by the handle there could be an impending disaster.

Thank you for the advice in advance, 2 probably stupid questions, but hey im new! :)

Thank you.

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With a 10" Dob it will more then likely need an initial full collimation carried out by yourself. It sounds scarey when you read about t having never done it but it really is a breeze. Check the tutorial section of this website for a couple of great explanations on how to collimate a scope. The handle i'm pretty sure is only to carry the base. I wouldnt dare try to carry the whole assembley with the handle. Have fun with it. You have some of the clearest skies right now to do a first light observation with it.

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Wouldn't it be worth trying it first?

Along the lines of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'...:)

I rushed my first collimation (eager to get out) got it all wrong, bits everywhere, sweating, swearing and kicking the dog... (not really, ain't got a dog) - :olost my first nights observing!:)

Try it? It may be fine, if not - take your time tomorrow to collimate it...

:rolleyes:HTH

Kindest,

Mark

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Hello John

I recieved my first scope on Christmas Eve, and the mirrrors were seriously out of alignment and needed collimating. It was something that I dreaded having to do, but I found it so easy to actually carry out. Don't be intimidated by it.

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Thanks for the advice so far guys, ill give it a test tonight if the snow clouds go away and if it is out ill give the tutorial and video a bash tomorow, actually looking forward to learning how to do it :) suppose will have to do it one day.

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Thanks for the advice so far guys, ill give it a test tonight if the snow clouds go away and if it is out ill give the tutorial and video a bash tomorow, actually looking forward to learning how to do it :) suppose will have to do it one day.

:hello2:wise choice methinks...

if it needs it (who knows) you'll have all tomorrow to do it! Make sure you have all the necessary bits n bobs at hand 'before' you start, take your time - piece o cake!

let us know - clear skies for tonight bud...

...Mark

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Wouldn't it be worth trying it first?

Along the lines of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'...:)

I rushed my first collimation (eager to get out) got it all wrong, bits everywhere, sweating, swearing and kicking the dog... (not really, ain't got a dog) - :olost my first nights observing!:)

Try it? It may be fine, if not - take your time tomorrow to collimate it...

:rolleyes:HTH

Kindest,

Mark

Yeah. Sorry. I thought it was taken for granted that John would try it first to see if the scope needs collimating. Absolutely test the scope first to see if it needs it done. Sorry i wasnt clearer. If you are not familiar with how to collimate.......read,read and reread again how it is done before you do it...........just so you are sure how its done. It will make it easier to do rather then reading how to do it as you go along.

Thanks Mark for correcting my error of advice.

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Try a star test with the low power eyepiece. If all the stars look like sharp points then the collimation is not far out.

Then on a bright star on high power try moving the focus out slightly and you shoudl see rings around the star. If they are round then that is a good sign everything is OK..

Mark

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No worries, thank you LukeSkywatcher, i wont be attempting to carry the whole thing around by the handle now when i get it out! phew! I was being daft!

If you had bought the SkyWatcher Heritage 130P........you could carry the whole thing with a couple of fingers.

LOL.

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Congratulations !.

Take time to familiarise yourself with the operation of the scope in the daylight - much easier than fumbling around in the dark.

Align the finder scope as accurately as you can with the main scope, also in daylight, using a distant object such as a church spire.

I'd give it a go without messing with the collimation but don't be dissapointed if the contrast and resolution is not quite what you expect if it is out of collimation a bit.

Give it good time to cool down to the outside temperature, which is pretty darn cold at the moment !.

You will probably get mirror misting when you bring it in from the cold - quite normal but don't be tempted to wipe the mirrors - let it dissapear naturally (could take a couple of hours).

I used to carry mine using the 2 tension handles that stick out on each side of the mount.

Try and spend some time with an object - the longer you view things, the more you see - the details don't jump immediately out at you - you sort of have to tease them out slowly.

Have fun with it and there's no hurry, the universe isn't going anywhere !

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Try a star test with the low power eyepiece. If all the stars look like sharp points then the collimation is not far out.

Then on a bright star on high power try moving the focus out slightly and you shoudl see rings around the star. If they are round then that is a good sign everything is OK..

Mark

I collimated the day my scope arrived using a colli cap. With a low power EP all the stars look like they should. With a high power out of focus EP all the stars just look out of focus. I dont see the rings. Everything in the colli cap is centred....primary,seconday and my eye...........i just dont see the rings with high magnification. Could be my eyesight and/or seeing conditions?.

SHOULD i see the rings?

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Thanks for the advice so far guys, ill give it a test tonight if the snow clouds go away and if it is out ill give the tutorial and video a bash tomorow, actually looking forward to learning how to do it :) suppose will have to do it one day.

Yeah a 10" will need collimation every now and then. Take your time watch that video, read astro baby's guide (very good) as well as the scope manual.

Unless the secondary is too far off, just leave it be. Do only the last part, aligning the primary.

You will need a collimation cap at least. If you don't have one, open a 2mm hole in the center of an old photo film case and put it on the focuser. It will do the job.

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mine was almost perfectly colminated out of the box but the odds on it are pretty slim but you never know.

i carry it using the two tension handles, but watch out incase you catch the finder or focuser on doors etc. i always carry it with the carry handle on the base towards me, that way if the tube decides to pivot over the top hits me on the head rather than the bottom hitting me in the nuts (actually it just seems better balanced to carry that way )

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hi john , got the same scope learn to collimate its a must,, you can carry it with the tension handles just make sure there tight first and you have muscles like popeye,, i use wheels to get it to where i want it then just lift it off,, have fun,,

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mine was almost perfectly colminated out of the box but the odds on it are pretty slim but you never know.

i carry it using the two tension handles, but watch out incase you catch the finder or focuser on doors etc. i always carry it with the carry handle on the base towards me, that way if the tube decides to pivot over the top hits me on the head rather than the bottom hitting me in the nuts (actually it just seems better balanced to carry that way )

Ouch! just the thought of that hurts! :)

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I have had three Sky-Watcher 200s and all of them were out of whack out of the box :mad: thats why I had to learn to collimate :)

The stress of collimation was so great (especially as theres so much guff talked about it) I resolved to write a guide so no one else ever had to be put through the hell of collimation when bein advised by people who know less about it than a rank beginner :)

Thats where the guide originated from and I had a heavyweight collimation guru check it over too to make sure it was ok cos I wasnt so sure myself :mad:

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Re rings...This only sort of works for me on a very bright star at hig power...

Stars look like dots at low power...

Once you go to high power they do look like fulll stops rather than sharp pin pricks but they are uniformly round...

Sounds like you are pretty much there..

Mark

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I don't really see rings either in mine. I just make sure that on a defocused star the secondary looks centralised.

If you can afford it buy a hotech collimator, I have used different types in the past and this one is simply the best, well made and I have never read a bad report about them, it is so easy to use it's unreal.

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