Thanks Steve, very interesting. I was very impressed by Quinn's Lightbridge, but of course that was a 16". I suppose I'll get collimation down; I just don't really know how to collimate a dob yet. I thought perhaps a solid tube would hold collimation better, but I know it's ideal to collimate every time anyway. And easier to handle is definitely of interest. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Steve FISHER Sent: Friday, January 08, 2010 5:17 PM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Getting a dob ... Craig: Back "in the day" I was a dealer for Hardin Optical. The Zummel is exactly the same scope that Hardin sold as a Deep Space Hunter. It is manufactured by Guan Sheng Optical in Taiwan. For years I heard arguments back and forth which was better GSO, or Orion. I would say the eventual outcome was that it was a tie. I personally sold hundreds of Deep Space Hunters. The 10" scope is not much less than their quoted shipping weight. It runs in my 60 year old brain that the OTA was closer to 35 or 38 pounds. The OTA and some accessories ship in one box and the rocker box in another. Now ask why I quit selling them. First Larry Hardin quit importing them. He is still in business but no imported scopes. Another fellow in Battleground Washington started importing them and I sold several under the name X-Scope. One day my supplier in Washington called me and told me about the new Lightbridge. This was weeks before you could get one. Once he got one in stock he e-mailed me and told me he was getting out of the solid tube Dobs. The Lightbridge was "that good". I ordered my 12" Lightbridge from him and once it got here I knew what he was talking about. The 12" Lightbridge is awesome. It is much easier to handle and pack around than ANY 10" solid tube. I was impressed and quit selling telescopes since Meade would not let me be a dealer for them. 10" solid tube Discovery, Deep Space Hunter, X-Scope any of them are harder to handle than the 12" Lightbridge or 12" Intelliscope. The catch is that if it is a Newt it will need collimation. Solid tube or Truss. It is intimidating at first but after 2 or 3 times setting up it is a cinch. I sold Bill Cowels my 12" Lightbridge and I sold him my Discovery 10" f/8.6. He loves them both and uses both. He has Scope Totes for the 10" solid tube and swears by them. Want or need push to computer. Then it will have to be a Intelliscope. That is my .02 worth.
From: cs2560@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 16:42:03 -0700 Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Getting a dob ...
I posted this on cloudynights but would like any advice you all could give as well.
I've had 2 8" SCTs and now own a 6" SCT for numerous reasons. But now I'm would like to trade it in for a dob. I want something not too heavy though as I have a back problem, ideally under 35 lbs for the heaviest component. My top options are:
- Zhumell Z10, but I talked to them and they can't give me a net weight for just the tube though, and the shipping weight for the tube is 50 lbs!
- Orion XT10, either intelliscope or not, have to decide. To upgrade the classic to the features that come with the intelliscope it's not far behind in price. But I would have to get scope gripps for adjustable tension; not sure if that's an option for the intelliscope. Both of these are quite a bit more money that the Z10 comparably equipped.
Anyway, a couple other options have me thinking. The slower f-ratio of the 8" scopes is attractive to me (less sensitive to eyepieces and collimation). Only Discovery seems to make a 10" f6, and although they are a bit heavier, I think the quality would be worth the money. They have long wait times now though, but I suppose I wouldn't use it as much until summer anyway. OPT sells an 8" f9 that is interesting, but no 10".
The other temptations are the Orion XX12i or Meade Lightbridge 12. Initially I didn't want a truss tube, as it would be more hassle to set up and I would for sure have to recollimate every time.
I do notice a definite difference between by 6 and previous 8s, and I was hoping to at least get a 10. It is very tempting to double my aperture, but I don't want something that I won't get out because it's a hassle.
So what do you recommend? Thanks. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
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