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Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
Mark Aguirre
super member
Reged: 09/30/08
Posts: 135
Loc: Eastern Washington
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I currently own a 12" Orion XT12. I am debating on selling it and turning to a Meade LX200 10".
I understand about the light gathering abilities, but I also understand about magnification.
My question is this. Am I going to be losing so much light gathering that it will make a significant difference in what I see visually?
I'm thinking that I would like to upgrade to something that tracks across the sky and has almost double the magnification (for planetary, doubles, etc.)
Can I make this jump without regretting it????
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Orion XT12i
Panoptic 35mm
Panoptic 22mm
Nagler 12T4
Powermate 2.5
Ethos - coming soon
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Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6592
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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I sold my 8" Dob before I retired for a 8" Sct for 2 reasons...portability (I stored the scope in my car 24/7 as I traveled) BUT mostly for the tracking...
I never looked back...and never regretted my decision not even for a second... I gave up a little brightness and some FOV but the tracking more then made up for those...
When you are by yourself 200-300 miles away from home, staying in a Motel with nothing to do except hit the bars or watch TV in your room it is nice to just go grab a Pizza and take the scope out and observe... with the dob is was darn near impossible to eat and observe at the same time.....but with a tracking scope I could relax..never touch the scope, and feed my face AT THE SAME TIME... TRACKING was what I NEEDED !
You are looking to go down in aperture so you will give up more brightness (and I think you will notice it) then I did but I still doubt it will make much difference...and you definitely will loose some FOV...
I will say however that I am into mostly DSO's and do not normally use very high magnifications. so magnification played no part in my decision..
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
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Frank
member
Reged: 01/18/09
Posts: 57
Loc: Netherlands
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Uh ... dob or SCT on a GEM ... two different worlds!
As a GEM-user for almost 30 years, I 'can't live without it'. The fun of an tracking scope - providing time to think and watch, take the star map and watch again, let others watch ... that was the thing that made me deciding to go for a CGE1400 instead of a larger dob for the same amount of money.
BUT ...
This is very - very personal! Observing in a really large dob is also a joy - and sometimes, in the remote background ofg my mind, I sometimes think about a 24" dob ... oops - I like my CGE1400!
What to do? Go to a star party and have a look into these two very different worlds .. and after deciding to go into one of these worlds, forget the other one. The gras on the other side of the fence is always greener (but get closer, closer, closer, and find cow *BLEEP* in it (sorry).
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Celestron CGE1400 XLT
C6 XLT
Vixen 6" F5.0 Newton
WO Zenithstar 80 FD
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RonBurgundy
sage
Reged: 06/16/09
Posts: 271
Loc: Philadelphia
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Gee wiz... What a decision! I'll say that tracking makes the experience a lot more relaxing for me... 10" is still a LOT, and the LX200 mount is really accurate. I like the fact that I can sit very comfortably while observing--I think that's a huge reason that factors into purchasing a fork-mounted telescope. The optics are REALLY nice...if and only if your collimated, so don't get lazy if you get it. Collimation will let you push the higher magnifications. I would also consider a piggyback scope for widefield views and richfield viewing. It adds a whole lot to an SCT. Check out the 120mm Orion Short Tube. It's cheap (considering the quality views you'll get, ~$300 + shipping), and providing you 2-d balance your scope, the mount will certainly handle it.
So, long story short, I would give it a shot. I've looked through an XT12. It gives some AMAZING views that I and my smaller scope can only wish for...But... I wouldn't trade mine for a heartbeat. I really enjoy the tracking (and GoTo, which I see you never mentioned). It is rather convenient.
Good luck, and keep us informed!
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Kipp Ginsburg
8" LX200-ACF
Orion 120mm F/5.0 Piggybacked Refractor
Meade UWA Set [4.7mm-30mm]
DSI-II
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therocksal
sage
Reged: 12/02/08
Posts: 289
Loc: Everett, WA
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I'd keep the dob. I personally have a 10" and have sat using 12" dobs and they are very comfortable to use, more comfortable sitting wise than the tracking scopes I've ever used, at least as far as sitting position goes...personally, I dont track things so that aspect makes no difference to me. I hate setting up my Atlas and don't like the weird angles the scope goes through....and I never spend that much time on any one object so except for some A/P, I personally don't need the tracking...and your 12" dob does bring in a good deal more light than a 10" sct.
Keep the dob!
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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 (11/04/09 07:46 PM)
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rocco13
Got Milk?
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2660
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
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My two cents... Keep the larger dob. You have the COL on your Orion, right? The only thing you'd be gaining would be tracking. To me the tradeoff isn't worth it. Yes, you'll get higher magnification, but a much smaller FOV. Also the smaller aperture combined with a larger percentage obstruction will further reduce your light-gathering capability.
But if you're primarily into planets, moon, and double stars and not so much into DSOs, then ignore my advice and get the SCT!
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Rocco
Zhumell Z12
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
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Gregory
journeyman
Reged: 07/24/05
Posts: 9
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Quote:
...My question is this. Am I going to be losing so much light gathering that it will make a significant difference in what I see visually?
Yes. And why is that? Because so many of the most
impressive deep-sky objects are in the magnitude range
that benefits most from the extra 35 square inches of
light-gathering power that the 12-inch mirror brings you.
Quote:
I'm thinking that I would like to upgrade to something that tracks across the sky and has almost double the magnification (for planetary, doubles, etc.)
Can I make this jump without regretting it????
No. And why is that? Because, despite the wonderful
freedom that tracking brings, those fantastic sights
that you have been seeing with 305mm of aperture will
lose that inspiring sparkle that has kept you spellbound
night after night.
Have you thought about using an equatorial platform?
Have you thought about using a Powermate(tm)?
Unless you are considering imaging, this is not a wise
move!
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Luigi
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 4947
Loc: MA
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I had a C11 on a G11 for 10+ years (with a fan installed). For my purposes and in my experience, a good 12" Dob would perform a little better on everything. Setup and takedown times were very similar for the G11 and a truss Dob.
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17.5" f/5 Dob. IM-715 MCT. 120ED. Lunt 60mm Ha.
Zeiss, Leica, Fujinon, Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell bins
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