jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan
Reged: 02/28/06
Posts: 4333
Loc: Petaluma, CA
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Actually orion has been doing just fine with its solid tube Dobs despite the Lightbridge rollout. Orion's ace in the hole versus Meade is an affordable DSC system. If these make their way to Orion, they might take some marketshare from Meade despite lacking a 16".
Personally, if Orion made a 14" Dob with collapsible OTA like these and Intelliscope, I would easily choose it over a 16" Lightbridge.
Regards,
Jim
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"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
- Sir Issac Newton
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jdownie
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/24/06
Posts: 759
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Quote:
Hmmm, I wonder when I'll be able to purchase just the shell and transfer my glass/curved vane into it...
Probably never. These people are not ATM suppliers.
John
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ATM project - a terrible waste of good Pyrex.
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1837
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Discussion and review about the 12 inch (and a lot of: "I hope there will be a 16inch") in the following link .
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Jimmy
If you could stop time, for how long would you stop it?
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
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skyward_eyes
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/12/06
Posts: 2100
Loc: Arizona
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If they made a 16" I would put money down for that. Evenif they made a 14" I would consider it.
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www.skywardeyes.webs.com
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1837
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Quote:
Discussion and review about the 12 inch (and a lot of: "I hope there will be a 16inch") in the following link .
Looks like the scope is good at keeping collimation even with the strut design. That's good news. 
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Jimmy
If you could stop time, for how long would you stop it?
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
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Steenhoek27
sage
Reged: 05/26/06
Posts: 212
Loc: Torrance, CA
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If the Skywatcher line is made by Synta - and Synta owns Celestron.... perhaps this could be Celestron's next line of dobs?
Throw on a dual speed focuser, use the Nexstar encoders and modify the hand controller to make it push to - paint it all black, throw on some Celestron logos and call it a day (I mean night!).
Just a thought...
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Jim
www.laas.org
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1837
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Quote:
If the Skywatcher line is made by Synta - and Synta owns Celestron.... perhaps this could be Celestron's next line of dobs?
Throw on a dual speed focuser, use the Nexstar encoders and modify the hand controller to make it push to - paint it all black, throw on some Celestron logos and call it a day (I mean night!).
Just a thought...
Leave it as it is and sell it for under 900$ and I call this one sweet deal! 
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Jimmy
If you could stop time, for how long would you stop it?
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
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bsim
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/04/08
Posts: 1047
Loc: New York City
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Quote:
If the Skywatcher line is made by Synta - and Synta owns Celestron.... perhaps this could be Celestron's next line of dobs?
Celestron's only dob is the Synta 12" and it doesn't even include a RACI finder. If they decide to sell the new retractable, I don't think Celestron will add anything like a dual-speed Crayford or a COL. You're likely to see what you described from Orion.
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bsim
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/04/08
Posts: 1047
Loc: New York City
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Quote:
Leave it as it is and sell it for under 900$ and I call this one sweet deal!
If Celestron sells it, I highly doubt it since they're selling the solid-tube Synta 12" for $1192.
Celestron Synta 12" dob
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1837
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
Leave it as it is and sell it for under 900$ and I call this one sweet deal!
If Celestron sells it, I highly doubt it since they're selling the solid-tube Synta 12" for $1192.
Yeah, but here the Orion 12" w/o COL is going for 1040$ so Orion will probably sell the flextube over 1K also. On the other hand, the new SW flextube is going for 875$.
Sky-Watcher has a good reputation (my scope is a SW and the reviews confirmed its performance), so if the good reviews keep coming this will be a very good scope that need very few mods (thumb screws, maybe RACI, a Telrad and cloudless nights... ).
Moreover, one difference that might stick out between SW and Orion is the rolled steel tube from the later which will make it tougher but also more heavy.
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Jimmy
If you could stop time, for how long would you stop it?
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
Edited by InkDark (04/15/08 07:13 PM)
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hoof
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 1467
Loc: Irvine, CA
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I can't resist ... finally a modern "telescoping" telescope! 
(ducks the flying fruit and runs away)
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Jonathan Hoof
15" F/4.14 Discovery Truss
8" F/5.9 Orion XT8i
6" F/6 Intes-Micro MN66
4.5" F/4 Orion Starblast
80mm F/7.5 Orion 80ED
18x50 IS Canon binoculars
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EclipsingBinary
member
Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 43
Loc: The Motor City
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Nice link! Thanks!
Very nice scope.
I'd like to see some sort of bellows on the inside of the tube, kind of like a flexible shroud that would fill in that air space when you extended the tube into position, it looks like there is room for it. It would really be a flextube then!
Jon
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Orion 10 it, Para Corr,TV 7&11 Nag, 24 Pan
PST w/ 18mm CEmax
WO 66 ED w/ 1-1/4" Vernonscope diagonal, TV 3&8 Radian
Vixen portamount
Hey Dad, what's those twinkling lights in the sky? Those are God's candle's son.
Edited by EclipsingBinary (04/15/08 09:38 PM)
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2095
Loc: British Columbia
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Quote:
One advantage of the design, which I haven't heard mentioned, is that it may be ideal for binoviewers. It should be possible to vary the strut length in order to use a binoviewer without an OCA.
Joseph
that's a very interesting thought, Joseph! the only issue I could foresee about this is that the light cone would change, so the illumination of the secondary would be affected, which could effect the use of a binoviewer. maybe EdZ will see this comment of yours and weigh in on it's merits or lack therein. 
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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groz
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/14/07
Posts: 1071
Loc: Duncan, BC
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The link earlier in the thread to the quebec supplier has 'introductory special' labelled in the price. I just went and checked, it has popped up very recently at island eyepiece too now.
http://www.islandeyepiece.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=641&cat=Skywatcher+Dobsonians#
Looks like the suggested retail is going to be 999. Even at that, 12 inches of f/5 on a mount, reasonably portable, under a thousand. It's an interesting combination of telescope and price point.
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1837
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Quote:
The link earlier in the thread to the quebec supplier has 'introductory special' labelled in the price. I just went and checked, it has popped up very recently at island eyepiece too now.
Thanks for the heads up, I haven't noticed the special intro price.
Quote:
Looks like the suggested retail is going to be 999. Even at that, 12 inches of f/5 on a mount, reasonably portable, under a thousand. It's an interesting combination of telescope and price point.
Here we go, a real battle: Flextube vs LB. 
LLLETS GET READY TO RUMMMMMBLLLLLLLE!
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Jimmy
If you could stop time, for how long would you stop it?
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
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camvan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/05
Posts: 2095
Loc: British Columbia
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does anyone have any idea how much of a difference the SkyWatcher 305mm mirror would make against Meade's 289mm mirror? 
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Cameron
"Aperture can only be replaced by even more aperture. Dark transparent skies cannot be replaced by anything else." - Stathis Kafalis
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amstel78
sage
Reged: 12/21/07
Posts: 338
Loc: Manhattan
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I want one. Anyone know if these things will be heading stateside?
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73 de K2QI
http://jamespaulsarte.com
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panhard
Mongo
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 5185
Loc: Markham Ontario Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
The link earlier in the thread to the quebec supplier has 'introductory special' labelled in the price. I just went and checked, it has popped up very recently at island eyepiece too now.
Thanks for the heads up, I haven't noticed the special intro price.
Quote:
Looks like the suggested retail is going to be 999. Even at that, 12 inches of f/5 on a mount, reasonably portable, under a thousand. It's an interesting combination of telescope and price point.
Here we go, a real battle: Flextube vs LB.
LLLETS GET READY TO RUMMMMMBLLLLLLLE!
Lets see who wins. 
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panhard
Mongo
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 5185
Loc: Markham Ontario Canada
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Quote:
does anyone have any idea how much of a difference the SkyWatcher 305mm mirror would make against Meade's 289mm mirror?
If both mirrors where made equally except for size I doubt you would notice the difference.
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1837
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Quote:
does anyone have any idea how much of a difference the SkyWatcher 305mm mirror would make against Meade's 289mm mirror?
I don't get it. According to Meade the LB has a primary of 304.8mm. Are you talking about some other Meade scope?
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Jimmy
If you could stop time, for how long would you stop it?
"...since that time, I have not complained about the weather one single time. I’m glad there is weather." – Alan Bean, Apollo 12
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