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dlapoint
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/18/03
Posts: 529
Loc: Moncton NB Canada
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I was looking at picking up a 10" dob. I was going to get the Orion xt, I once owned the 8" and it was a great scope. My dealer adv that the Skywatcher collapsible dob was a much better scope and almost the same price. I also looked at the Orion 10" intelescope.
My questions are:
1. what are the sw dobs like?
2. is the intelescope controller worth the extra 200 bucks?
Thanks
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Derek
Orion 72mm Eon
Orion 100Ed (Back again)
C4.5
Naglers 16mm T5, 9mm T6
Orion Planetary ep's 5-6mm
Antares 3 Element Barlow
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therocksal
sage
Reged: 12/02/08
Posts: 289
Loc: Everett, WA
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I bought a 10" SW truss dob and really like some aspects of it and don't like a few.
I love how it stores in such a small package when it's collapsed.
I love how it's the perfect size for me to sit and observe at any angle.
I don't love how it really needs some weight on the back to make the motion smoother...I havent done this yet but will soon. Other than that, it's fairly smooth to move. Also, one needs a cover for the middle..I will make one up myself.
As far as the intelliscope, I almost bought an XT10i but did not have the money at the time. I have decided to get an Argo Navis and a dob install kit which will cost a lot more than the difference between the two scopes but I am going to use the Argo with some alt/az mounts I have so it's not so huge of a cost issue for me.
If you aren't going to be buying and selling scopes like I end up doing a lot of, I'd buy the XT10i...a little more money for a full computerized locator...that would be worth it to me over a long period of time.
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Skywatcher 10" Truss Dob
Astro Tech 6" Mak-Cass (on order)
Orion 80ED
Atlas EQ-G
Canon XSi
KWIQ guider
Celestron 15x70s
Edited by therocksal (11/02/09 02:25 PM)
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panhard
Mongo
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 5226
Loc: Markham Ontario Canada
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If you know the sky very well, then the controller is just extra an expense. If your knowledge of the sky is limited the electronics are worth it. The col is also worth it in light polluted areas.
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dlapoint
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/18/03
Posts: 529
Loc: Moncton NB Canada
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Thanks for the information on the sw dob. I do know the sky very well, but my south/west skies are very light polluted. Ursa major can be hard to find at times. The computer aided finding would help when viewing in that part of the sky.
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Derek
Orion 72mm Eon
Orion 100Ed (Back again)
C4.5
Naglers 16mm T5, 9mm T6
Orion Planetary ep's 5-6mm
Antares 3 Element Barlow
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Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5029
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
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Digital setting circles or an object locator has made my observing a lot more enjoyable, especially when I'm at light pollute sites. I found a lot of objects that would have been very hard or impossible to find via star hopping.
Taras
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15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
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patrick77
member
Reged: 09/15/09
Posts: 45
Loc: Memphis Tn area
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Have you looked into the Meade lightbridge, I just got mine and it is well made. You can find them used online!
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New to this hobby, really enjoy looking at the stars!!
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Old Rookie
member
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 42
Loc: Mansfield, Ohio
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I bought the 12" Skywatcher in early September and have used it a number of times since. No issues at all with balance as I normally swap out a 32mm eyepiece for either an 11mm Nagler T6 or a 7.5mm Speers-Waller. It's a fine telescope with excellent optics.
As for digital setting circles? Before I even had first light with this thing I installed manual setting circles for around $50 total since i already had the laptop to provide the altitude/azimuth degrees for objects. On 10/25/09, I found 15 galaxies in Perseus up to 13.9 magnitude with this setup. Thirteen of those galaxies were within the fov of the 7.5mm Speers-Waller 82º. The other two were within the fov of a 11mm Nagler T6. I've put dsc's on two other telescopes and they both performed well. However, my experience with the manual setting circles has proven to me that this system is just as accurate and considerably cheaper.
Hope this helps.
John
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John
What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!
Skywatcher 12" Dob - Manual Setting Circles
Richland Astronomical Society
Club Telescope: 31" f/7
Club Telescope: 16" Lightbridge
MegaStar 5
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John Noble
super member
Reged: 05/07/08
Posts: 179
Loc: Sandy Eggo, California
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Quote:
I bought a 10" SW truss dob and really like some aspects of it and don't like a few.
I love how it stores in such a small package when it's collapsed.
I love how it's the perfect size for me to sit and observe at any angle.
I don't love how it really needs some weight on the back to make the motion smoother...I havent done this yet but will soon. Other than that, it's fairly smooth to move. Also, one needs a cover for the middle..I will make one up myself.
I bought one of these a week and a half ago, and I agree with these points.
As far as finding stuff, I installed a degree circle on the base (quickie hack job, but the kids leave me no time to do things right, it seems) and bought a Craftsman digital level. My first test run was the night before last, and even with heavy natural (almost full Moon) and man made LP, I was able to track down a bunch of stuff.
I got the alt/az coordinates from SkyMap Pro running on my iPod Touch, slewed the scope over without looking at the sky and had the object in the .65 degree FOV of my 10mm Axiom LX more than 50% of the time. It works amazingly well, and total cost was under 50 bucks.
The scope's mount works reasonably well, though I wouldn't say it's smoove lahk buttah, and fit'n'finish of both the base and OTA are quite good. The mirror needs a fan, but fortunately the mirror cell is drilled and tapped for what looks like a standard 100mm muffin fan. I like the collapsible truss design--nothing cheap or cheesy about it, and my initial collimation seems to be holding up well between collapse/extend cycles. The Crayford style focuser does its job without any rough spots, and the included 9X50 RACI finder doesn't suck.
I got mine on sale for $499 at OPT, and it is shaping up to be a good complement to my 80mm ED refractor.
Clear skies!
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"We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened."
--Huckleberry Finn
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