Lightest component or heaviest compo ent is 60 pounds. Out of how many components? On Sep 3, 2016 2:55 PM, "Don J. Colton" <djcolton@piol.com> wrote:
A 15" Obsession is too heavy. The lightest component is close to 60 lbs. It is true you don't lift it if you use the wheel barrel handles and ramps but that only works if you keep it in the garage or someplace where you can wheel it. If you have steps etc. you are going to have to do some lifting. The lightest component of the UC 15" is 45 lbs. and if you put it in the provided case it takes two people to lift it into a vehicle.
I would suggest getting the Orion SkyQuest XX 12i see http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/Truss-Tube- Dobsonians/Orion-SkyQuest-XX12i-IntelliScope-Truss- Dobsonian-Telescope/pc/1/c/12/sc/29/p/102017.uts . I would also get the shroud for $89.99. The heaviest unassembled component, the mirror base, is 34.3 lbs. You can move the scope manually but it is really nice to have the object locator for faint objects. At $1399 it is much less than an Obsession.
I have both a 15" Obsession and an 18" Starmaster so I speak from experience.
I think you will find that anything over 12" won't get used as much since it takes two people or a lot of effort. If you get the Orion scope, be sure to use the cooling fan.
Clear Skies,
Don Colton
-----Original Message----- From: Utah-Astronomy [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+djcolton=piol.com@ mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Marlene Egger via Utah-Astronomy Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2016 8:33 AM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] in the market for a telescope
I am now thinking of purchasing my first telescope, after using the SLAS 12" Orion reflector, Dobsonian base, for awhile. Of course I want the largest aperture that I can afford and lift in and out of my RAV4. I know the sky well enough that I don't need go-to and am not currently doing astrophotography. So I would happily buy a manual telescope now if the price was right. I see that Chuck sold two this week, but I saw the email too late, so this note is to be proactive and let you know I am looking, in case someone else has a working telescope that is just taking up space. So...about lifting...my back is not great and I am not confident about lifting more than 40 pounds. What do others do? Obsession's telescopes come with wheelbarrow set-ups, but they are pricey, too. If I buy a manual 15" Obsession now and add go-to later, I will have spent over $10K when the go-to, paracorr and all that jazz are added in. What is your advice? My contact info is on the SLAS website if you want to contact me directly. Marlene Egger _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy
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