17 replies to this topic

[Brooksray]

Am a relative newbie. But fortune smiled, and I recently acquired an 80's era Meade DS10 OTA, light blue.

 

No pillar or mount.

 

Trying to decide whether to DIY a Dob mount or should I invest in an EQ for this scope, and if the latter, then what 'fits the bill'.  As with all things, money is an object.

My other scope is an XT8.

 

Would welcome thoughts here.

 

Thanks

RB

 

 

 

[Jon Isaacs]

Ray:

 

Hello and to Cloudy Nights.

 

Even if money were no object, I would recommend building a Dob mount for your scope. EQ mounted Newtonians are one big hassle.. 

 

Jon

[macdonjh]

Ray:

 

Hello and to Cloudy Nights.

 

Even if money were no object, I would recommend building a Dob mount for your scope. EQ mounted Newtonians are one big hassle.. 

 

Jon

Brooksray,

 

Welcome to Cloudy Nights.

 

+1 to what Jon Isaacs says. 

 

Since you don't have the Meade mount, there is no consideration to restoring or preserving a classic.  Given that, a Dobsonian mount will be much easier to use, store and transport than an equatorial mount large enough to support a 10" Newtonian.  You also avoid the expense of rotating rings which are necessary to use a Newtonian that large on an EQ mount.

 

Note, this recommendation is coming from somebody who uses two Newtonians (8" and 10") on equatorial mounts. 

[konrad]

Absolutely a dobs mount relatively cheap and works well with large newts , anyway a large EQ mount will be expensive and a pain to use.

A 10 Inch will let you see a bit more that the 8 inch but for me its not massive but worth it as they are similar in size , just a bit heavier , a 10 inch dobs is like the best for a large dobs  scope , can still be moved around and ok for those faint DSO. I had a 12 inch one but hardly used it as it was just too heavy for me so had to sell it

[tim53]

I'm going to go against the grain, but will note that building a dob mount would likely be the quickest and cheapest route to take.

 

I'd watch the ads for a decent GEM for sale, either here or craigslist locally.  Plenty of decent mounts could hold that OTA off the ground, and give you tracking and maybe goto as well.  But you'll likely have to wait for the right deal to come along.

 

-Tim.

[apfever]

I'd say dob it.  I have a lot of both. I have an equatorial fork for a 10" up to F7 or8, but it's huge. 

[clamchip]

Here's some information about your new scope:

https://www.cloudyni...d-ds-16/?hl= ds

Something to think about is your DS-10 was designed for astrophotography (thankyou spell check!) and

if you have interest in pursuing this interesting facet of amateur astronomy a equatorial may be a better

choice.

 

Robert  

[Brooksray]

Thanks all for your feedback! I really do appreciate it.

I'm very happy to be here among folks who have more insight than i do.

 

It seems like overall the quickest (and cheapest) way to get it up and running (literally) is the Dob route, so for now gonna go that way.

I know I've seen plans posted around the internet, so I'll track some down.  (Of course if people have preferred how-to guides, they want to recommend, please share).

 

I don't mind putting something together as a DOB now and then changing to a GEM later, if the Astrophotography bug bites, so it can't hurt for me to periodically check in with the classifieds (here and elsewhere) in case something suitable pops up.  

(Any specific [wallet-friendly?] GEM recommendations that will work with this scope are welcome.)

 

But this is great, as it gives a direction for me to go in.

Best wishes all,

RB

[BradFran]

You can get a kit from AstroGoods. If you are good with wood you can make it yourself. Another good option is DobStuff. They both have parts and materials and are an excellent place to get ideas.

 

https://www.astrogoo...nts.which.shtml

 

http://www.dobstuff.com/index.htm

Edited by BradFran, 14 December 2020 - 01:12 PM.

[Brooksray]

Thanks again to all who shared their thoughts and opinions. I began searching out pathways for the Dob mount and as luck would have it, I stumbled across an available 2nd hand one while buying some eyepieces. I just finished the conversion tonight. Viewing here in CT for the next week is likely going to be awful, but I can't wait to get it outside and will update you all when I do! Best wishes and here's a photo of the finished mounted Newt:

Attached Thumbnails

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[DouglasPaul]

Nice, excellent find.

[Brooksray]

Yeah, I totally need to give a giant shout of thanks out to Bill and Telescope Warehouse for that one!

[Brooksray]

Yeah, I totally need to give a giant shout of thanks out to Bill and Telescope Warehouse for that one!

[Tom Stock]

Dob it.  If you really want tracking build an equatorial platform. The difference in stability and ease of use will be significant.

[photiost]

I would go with the Dob option. 

 

Simple and very easy to use.  

[RalphMeisterTigerMan]

Watch the Movie "Roxanne". There is a scene where Steve Martin's character and Darryl Hanna's characters are trying to carry a Meade DS10 up several flights of outside stairs and you'll get a good idea of how heavy it is. And no, they are not exagerating.

 

"Roxanne" - 1987 and filmed in the city of Nelson B.C. Steve Martin plays the chief of the local volunteer fire department with a huge probascus. Darryl Hanna plays a Professional Astronomer,of all things.

 

Any of you who remember the character "Babu" in the comedy series Seinfeld as well as the actor who plays Raj's father from Big Bang Theory is also in this movie. He plays a plastic surgeon whom Steve Martin's character consults for a nose job. His real name is Brian George and speaks without any kind of accent.

 

Clear skies!

RalphMeisterTigerMan

[highfnum]

i dobbed mine a while back

 

[highfnum]

i also added mount bar for eq 

not so easy to use in this mode but option  there