Meade Lightbridge 16"

[vlebo]

Hi everyone

This is mainly for Lightbridge 16" owners as I am thinking of maybe getting one by the end of the year if Skywatcher do not come up with the Flextube goto 14".

I have a few questions and hopefully you can help me please.

I have read on older posts that they need a bit of tweeking from new to get them to work at their optimum. Is this still the case or has Meade made any improvements since it first came out?

Is the base too big to fit through a normal doorway as I would store it in my garage and bring it through two doors out to the back garden . If anyone has had one for a while how has it held up after a few years use and is everything still functioning as intended.

Also how high roughly is the eyepiece when viewing at the zenith as it looks a bit of a beast.

Do you think the 16 " is that much more superior to a 14 " ?

Sorry for the excessive questioning but I thought I would get them all out of the way in one post.

Feel free to answer as many or as few as you like.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. Look forward to hearing from you .

Vlebo.

P S

[johninderby]

Maede hasn't made any changes unfortunately so the same old mods are needed.

The base has to be turned on it's side to get it through the doorway.

I think anyone over about 5'7" or so would be able to look through the eyepiece at it's highest.

It looks like the Skyliner 14" will be out in September / October.

I would only recommend getting a second hand one as they usually go for about £1,000.00. Brand new nowdays they're overpriced in the UK.

I used to have a 16" Lightbridge but sold it and got an Orion Optics UK 14" dob with their best optics (at the time it cost over twice as much as a 16" Lightbridge) and also added a StellerCAT drive system to it.

John

[JohnC]

16" by xmas:)

[Doc]

I was the one who bought John's LB. All I can say is see one before you buy as they are huge.

No they do not fit through doors and the base really needs strengthening or you get a fair bit of flexure.

They need alot of mods to make them user friendly but once they are done, the scope works very well and the views are very pleasant.

[johninderby]

I was the one who bought John's LB. All I can say is see one before you buy as they are huge.

.

Yes I absolutely and totally agree. Try to see one in the "flesh" as they are a lot bigger than most people expect. If you do get to see one and think you won't have any problems moving it about, including carrying the OTA, then why not. Or if you've got a shed to store it where you can put wheels on the base and move it out without taking it apart then it becmes a much more practical proposition

I've read a lot of posts recently with people enthusing about getting one of the SkyWatcher 16" dobs as soon as they come out but I think once they see one it may be a case of the 14" is a lot more manageable.

John

[DarkerSky]

Agree with the idea of seeing one in the flesh before you buy. It really is a super scope once you've worked out the best system for storing and using it. It is worth noting that the primary mirror part of the assembly is about 26kg, so is pretty heavy when moving it about.

You'll have no problem with doorways if you put the base on its side and roll it through.

[albedo0.39]

All been said but to add my 2p worth... be sure you get a good 'un. Check the mirror, because direct from Meade, they are not well overcoated and the surface finish (great for arid dry deserts) can deteriorate in our humid climate.

Make sure the mirror clips have been loosened or you might well get astigmatism.

I leave mine in the garage but it will not fit through the side door... it's big.

It needs:-

Flocking

A shroud

base Strengthening

Tubes painting black

Dew heater on the 2ndary

Weights on the lower OTA if you use any decent EP + Shroud

Wheels

... and most important... careful collimation

That said, at Salisbury, I was rewarded with some utterly stunning views and am nothing but very very pleased. My newly re-coated optics sparkle and now 2 years old are looking perfect.

Recommended - but it's a beast. I agree with John.. best to look out for one 2nd hand !

Cheers

Steve

[vlebo]

Thanks for the feedback guys , I will need to have a look at one as you suggest before I decide and hopefully the 14" flextube goto will be available by the end of the year so I can compare sizes and build quality.

I like my 300p Flextube as it is ready to go out of the box with no modifications so I am assuming the 14" will be the same. Still struggling with the thought of spending £1800 on the Meade and then needing to make mods to make it more user friendly.

May be tempted by a second hand one with the mods already done , I will wait and see nearer the time what is available.Thanks again.

Vlebo

[johninderby]

Two years ago the 16" Lightbridge could be bought new for £1099.00 and so even though it needed the mods it was still a great deal. At £1,800.00 it's simply too expensive when you consider what else can be bought in that price range.

You could get the basic Orion Optics UK 16" dob for £1,900.00. Even though it's the basic model it's still got better optics than the Meade and a proper alloy base instead of MDF.

http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/DOBSONIAN/dobsonian400.html

I've seen plenty of the 16" Lightbridges come up for sale for about £1,000.00 but very few of these have had any mods done. The mods aren't difficult though and pretty well anyone could do them and there's plenty of people here on SGL that could advise you.

John

[Sam]

I've got a 16" Lightbridge with no mods and it's great - the biggest gotcha is the collimation - it's unforgiving on poor collimation but when it's well collimated it's fantastic.

[vlebo]

I've got a 16" Lightbridge with no mods and it's great - the biggest gotcha is the collimation - it's unforgiving on poor collimation but when it's well collimated it's fantastic.

Thats encouraging , will try and get to see one asap. Hopeing my Hotech will be enough to keep it well collimated.

Thanks

Vlebo