What's the fastest big dob to assemble (>=14")?

[pvaz]

I'm not going to buy one right now, however I want to have a big dob in the future and it needs to be as easy to assemble/carry as possible. As it's a big decision I want to start researching pros and cons.

I need it to be easily setup cause the weather here is very unstable, it can rain for 1h then get 30m clear sky then rain again (extreme case just as an example). My current setup allows me to peek through the window and be out and ready in 1 or 2 minutes. It also needs to be a one man job.

I think my limit is a 16", 18" at most, regarding weight. The meade lightbridge 16" seams a good option but I'm not sure how troublesome it is to assemble. The ideal would be the skywatcher flextub design but that's only available up to 12".

Price is also a consideration, the cheapest the better. I can say my max will be 2000£ in a year time or so (by xmas should be a realistic deadline).

I'll be glad to hear your thoughts on this as there may be other things I'm not taking into account. (As optics quality, coatings, and other stuff I barely know about.)

Suggested Mods to the scope are welcome too, e.g. adding wheels to the base, etc.

[Doc]

If you are able to observe without having to dismantle every time then go for the 16" LB, but bewarned it's big, the base is very heavy but the views are to die for.

Plenty of mods available just browse the DIY section looking for mods by me.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Paulo

I have a 10" Flextube and I carry the OTA and base separately about 30 metres from my garage to the end of the garden. This is quite a quick setup. When I recently attended the Astrofest in London I lifted the 12" OTA off its mount to see if I could carry this scope with the extra weight. I think although heavier I could manage it.

There are rumours of a 14" Flextube coming out so you may want to wait to see if this happens.

If you have the chance and you want a quick set up, I would try and get a feel of the weight and size of the Dob before buying too big.

Mark

[pvaz]

If the 14" flextube comes out this year it will be in time. Although the idea of having 4x the light gathering of my 8" with a 16" makes me really want one.

I'll take a look on Docs DIY threads to see what the LB may need. The Orion XX14i is also a nice looking scope that seams a great purchase.

Any way the idea behind this thread is to learn about problem and situations you only learn about after owning one of this and the possible solutions. e.g. the plastic cap on my XT8i scratched the paint and made particles fall into the primary so I had to mod it.

[Doc]

The LB will need quite a few mods:

Essential mods

Flocking

Struts painting or covering

Light shroud

Handles on OTA and LOTA

Base strengthening.

Castors

Wheelbarrow mod

Counterweights

Bobs knobs

base levellers

Other mods

New focuser

Azimuth degree circle

Wixey for altitude

Secondary heater

Dew controller

Telrad + heater

[Doug]

;)Check this out on youtube (Setting up the 17.5 in. Dobsonian Telescope) being put together it may help you to choose

Doug

Essex

[pvaz]

;)Check this out on youtube (Setting up the 17.5 in. Dobsonian Telescope) being put together it may help you to choose

Thats better then I expected! 10 min assembling a 17.5", without any help, seams pretty reasonable.

But still my preference is for something I can just roll off my garage push it 10m or so, take the caps off and observe... I know I'm lazy... Well at least when it comes to repetitive tasks!

Thanks for that Doc, that's exactly what I needed. One of those tasks kind of put me off though: having to reinforce the base from day one kind of makes me think if the construction is solid or not.

[albedo0.39]

Gotta agree with Doc - the 16" LB has incredibly good mirrors for it's money and also, can be handled by one person in an estate car. Set up time ? Approx 10 mins-ish but then if you're fussy on colimation.....

Mods ? - the LB is highly tweak-able and again, Doc has got it nailed. Get it in a dark sky and the stars explode in your eyes

Brilliant