Starkler
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/04/05
Posts: 782
Loc: Australia, Melbourne
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Quote:
Whatchoo all think?
Im convinced that the mirror in my 15" truss cools much quicker without the shroud on and I now only use it in light polluted conditions. How much of a factor this is at 12" and below I cant say.
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Geoff
15" SDM truss dob | Vixen r130sf | GSO 10" dob
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Your light shroud system seems interesting and easy to make.
If Sky-Watcher is going to be available in the US, be prepared to see a lot of them. Here Sky-Watcher scopes dominate the public outreach things I have attended. No wonder, these scopes are well build (for mass market), hold collimation, are light and cheap. The control tension handle works great. Just as an example, my 6" SW Dob have no problem keeping its position even with the 24 Pan and a 2X Barlow in the focuser and with the Telrad and the optical finder on. From what I’ve seen, the 8 inch collapsible seems also well thought out and well built. I usually prefer buying whatever stuff from local producers but this is just too good for the price. My next scope might just be another SW.
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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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Zamboni
sage
Reged: 01/03/05
Posts: 249
Loc: Arizona
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Maybe there can be velcro "vents" in the shroud to allow for adequate ventilation when equalibrating the scope?
Anyhoo, I doubt there are terribly many people operating 12 inch scopes without cooling fans. Between vents int he shroud and fans, the system should equalibrate quickly. The shroud should also be made of a non-insulating material to allow the scope to reach equilibrium quicker.
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-Tristan Schwartz-
My Equipment:
6 inch Orion DSE dob
4 inch Galileo Newtonian
Schwartz Observatory Homepage
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12168
Loc: Los Angeles
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If fans are used, it doesn't seem to make a difference in my 12.5" whether the shroud is down or up.
Any scope with 10" or more should be using fans anyway.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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I know that it is hard to say without any reviews available (yet) and without hands on trial, but what do you think is going to be the scope that will be on top between this new collapsible Dob and the Lightbridge?
I understand that this is personal (need for optimizing space, preference for trussers,...), but still would be nice to speculate...
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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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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12168
Loc: Los Angeles
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Quote:
I know that it is hard to say without any reviews available (yet) and without hands on trial, but what do you think is going to be the scope that will be on top between this new collapsible Dob and the Lightbridge?
I understand that this is personal (need for optimizing space, preference for trussers,...), but still would be nice to speculate...
Judging from all the posts on a plethora of websites, I'd say whichever is cheaper.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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Zamboni
sage
Reged: 01/03/05
Posts: 249
Loc: Arizona
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Either way, the optics are going to be of similar quality (Synta vs. GSO is pretty much six of one, half dozen of the other). A 12 inch scope that collapses into one small, easy to transport piece sounds mighty appealing, possibly even more so than the lightbridge which you have to break down into multiple pieces. If it winds up being cheaper than the lightbridge, this sun of a gun will be HUGE.
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-Tristan Schwartz-
My Equipment:
6 inch Orion DSE dob
4 inch Galileo Newtonian
Schwartz Observatory Homepage
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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I was getting more and more interested in the lightbridge but in cold weather, the collapsible might be easier to set up. Moreover, the RACI + a Telrad is much better than the LB's RDF, IMO.
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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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Zamboni
sage
Reged: 01/03/05
Posts: 249
Loc: Arizona
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Not just easier to set up, but its a truss tube that doesn't necessarily need to be collimated every time you set it up. That feature alone gives this thing a lot of appeal.
Good golly, I remember a time when Synta was just a source of cheap 4 inch achromats with poor QC. Now? They have their own excellent GOTO mounts, apochromats, 7 inch maksutovs, and now a totally new variation on the truss tube dobsonian. They sure have come a long way in the last ten years, eh?
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-Tristan Schwartz-
My Equipment:
6 inch Orion DSE dob
4 inch Galileo Newtonian
Schwartz Observatory Homepage
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Starkler
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/04/05
Posts: 782
Loc: Australia, Melbourne
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Quote:
If it winds up being cheaper than the lightbridge, this sun of a gun will be HUGE.
$200 cheaper in Australia than the lightbridge for 12" models. Hopefully this will cause lightbridge prices to drop.
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Geoff
15" SDM truss dob | Vixen r130sf | GSO 10" dob
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Zamboni
sage
Reged: 01/03/05
Posts: 249
Loc: Arizona
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I find it interesting that this may represent the next battleground in the Celestron/Meade tech war. Considering Synta is the parent company of Celestron, and Sky-watcher USA is going to be a subsidiary of Celestron.
Interesting times. Interesting in the "yippee" sense of the word, not the "Chinese Curse" sense of the word.
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-Tristan Schwartz-
My Equipment:
6 inch Orion DSE dob
4 inch Galileo Newtonian
Schwartz Observatory Homepage
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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With regards to collimation, I would think that you would still need to do fine adjustment to the secondary and the primary if you travel with the scope (like any other scope). This being said, my SW Dob came from China, across Canada, to the local dealer and in to my home and it was collimated right out of the box! (Ok, it’s an F/8, but still...). This wasn’t an isolated case, if you take a look at the CN reviews of the 6 and 8” SW Dobs you’ll see that the authors have reported the same thing.
I first considered (as a second scope) a 10” Dob, but the base would not fit into my car’s trunk. So I got interested in the 10 or 12 LB. But now with this,...the 12” is going to be great. The handles will make it easy to carry around and the OTA is not that heavy. But right now the 10” is getting into my head. If the 12” retracted is about 93 cm long, I would expect the 10” to be about 75 cm long. Now that’s a small and easy package to bring to dark skies or where ever you go!
Next, I want to see what Orion is going to do. If SW is sold in the US, I would think that Orion will need to bring something original to the market to stay in the race. Is adding the COL on the collapsible enough? IMO, this would help, but would probably not be enough considering the price difference. Interesting stuff...
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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 (05/27/08 01:08 PM)
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jayscheuerle
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/16/06
Posts: 4034
Loc: S. Philadelphia, PA
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If there IS added competition, I hope they use it as an opportunity to distinguish themselves by improving the consistency and finish in their optics, the one part that isn't easily upgraded/modded/fixed by the buyer. Gimmicks like this are welcome, but the optics are the heart of the instrument.
Skywatcher and Orion both use Synta optics. Orion sells Celestron scopes. These may show up in the Orion catalogs.
The fear of getting a lemon figure and the general roughness of the primaries in these mass-produced scopes is the biggest thing holding me off from getting a GSO/Meade 16"er. I'd be really interested if Synta came out with something in that size as their optics seem to have a slightly better reputation. - j
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Walk purposely with a concerned expression.
The Green Goblin - 12" of dobsonian excellence!
The PortaBowl-a $100 4.5" f/8 ball-scope YOU can build!
Eero2-a 6" f/5 ball-scope you probably can't. 
Edited by jayscheuerle (05/27/08 09:37 AM)
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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I passed by the local dealer today and saw the 8, the 10 and the 12 inch side by side. At first glance I didn’t get why the store displayed one 12 inch and two 8 inches. After a second look, there were in fact one 8 inch and one 10 inch. The 8 and the 10 are very similar (practically same length). The 10” is obviously fatter but not by much. The 12” is in a word, huge. Yes it is collapsible and about 20 inch shorter when collapsed, but it’s still one fat scope (of course!) IMO, the 12 LB will still be more portable than the SW, but in the smaller sizes (8 and 10 inch), the SWs look very portable. Hopefully we’ll start seeing some reviews coming in, especially now that they will be available in the US.
Until then, clear skies for all!
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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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Zamboni
sage
Reged: 01/03/05
Posts: 249
Loc: Arizona
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Considering the cooperative relationship between Celestron and Orion, not just in selling Celestron scopes through the Orion Catalog but also selling Sirius/Atlas/SVP versions of Celestron SCTs under the orion brand name, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they wind up selling Sky-Watcher branded scopes through the Orion catalog.
If that does wind up being the case, that alone gives these bad boys a serious leg up on the Lightbridge dobs. Orion's return policies and customer service are pretty much the best in the world, whereas Meade's is sometimes some of the worst.
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-Tristan Schwartz-
My Equipment:
6 inch Orion DSE dob
4 inch Galileo Newtonian
Schwartz Observatory Homepage
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kiwi_canuck
member
Reged: 11/07/04
Posts: 50
Loc: Port Coquitlam, BC, CANADA
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By next weekend, I'll be the proud owner of a brand spanking new SkyWatcher 10" Collapsible purchased locally from Vancouver Telescope. If the weather ever clears out here on the Wet Coast, I'll let you know how it performs.
From what I understand, the 10" will be soon be on back order, with a 90 day wait. If you're thinking of buying one, and your dealer has one in stock, get it now.
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Sky-Watcher 250mm f/5 Collapsible Dobsonian
Sky-Watcher 102mm f/5 Refractor
EQ3-2 mount
Red-dot finder
TV Plossls - 11mm, 15mm, 25mm
Fraser Valley Astronomers Society, Abbotsford, BC
http://fvas.net
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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As you can see from my previous posts in this thread, I'm very interested to know how the 10 inch will perform. I'll be waiting to read your first light. This scope will be, IMO, one of the most transportable good size mirror. Again IMO, you have chosen wisely.
BTW, passed in front of the local dealer yesterady and the 12 inch demo is no more. I guess those are going like hot cakes!
Clear skies to you on the other side of the country!
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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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dvb
different Syndrome.
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 2967
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The collapsible 10" looks great. As InkDark says, the inconvenient part of transport is not the scope, but the base.
I have a folding Baltic Birch base for my 10" Antares, made by FirstBase. I'm going to see if I can adapt a 10" Skywatcher flextube to fit it -- Problem will be that the Skywatcher Tube is probably a bit thinner, and the altitude bearings may not be the same size.
I may order Antares bearings and see if I can attach them to the Skywatcher tube, with something to extend them out a bit so they nest in the cut-outs in the folding base. The whole rig should then tuck into the car quite nicely.
Anyone know the diameter of the 10" Skywatcher Flextube tube, and the diameter of the bearings?
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"But seeing through a telescope is 50% vision and 50% imagination." - Chet Raymo
Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Newt on Matilda
Celestron CF 9.25"
Vixen CF 8" f/4 Newt
Meade 8" SN f/4
Celestron C6 SCT
Skywatcher ED100
Skywatcher ED80
EQ6 Pro "Matilda"
AT Voyager
Canon 15x50is
Mallincam HyperColor Plus
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jusher02
super member
Reged: 02/05/07
Posts: 133
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My 12" Skywatcher Flextube scope arrived today. Setup was quite easy though the manual in the box is for their normal Dob. I see the Skywatcher Website has the new manual available for download.
First impressions: a very nice looking scope, and the sliding truss moves smoothly, as does the rotating base. Movements generally seem quite smooth.
Today was nice and clear all day, and the night was crisp and clear when I took the scope out for a first light. Within about 15 minutes a parade of clouds drifted in from the south, attracted by the new scope. So I only had time for the briefest of looks, but that was enough to tell that (a) I'm going to enjoy the light gathering potential of this scope, (b) Movement in both axes is nice and smooth, and (c) I need to collimate the scope (!).
Once it's collimated and when I have another clear evening I'll post some more impressions.
Jonathan
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InkDark
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/29/07
Posts: 1828
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Hi Jonathan,
Congrats on the new scope.
Quote:
Once it's collimated and when I have another clear evening I'll post some more impressions.
Please do. 
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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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