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[-=CROMAN=-]

Hey all...

I having the beginnings of tripod mount envy! I truly don't like the dobsonian mount as i don't think its really comfortable to use. I like the tripod method much better.

Would it be a bad idea, costly, to get OTA ring clamps, dovetail and a goto mount for mine? Would I just be better off purchasing an already full goto scope package?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Croman,

Are you considering this for the 10" OTA?

Find out how much that tube weighs first - then how much your desired mount can carry.

A tripod mount set-ups are limited at the weight they can maneuver around. Also, the length may create balance issues and accessibility to the focuser could be a problem - even if you slide the tube down.

If all good, a dovetail is easily attached to the OTA and then slipped into a mount dovetail saddle. I do this with the 90mm...but again, it ain't no 10".

[-=CROMAN=-]

Hey Joe....

Yes I was thinking about the 10". I saw a 10" Orion reflector on an Atlas EQ base and a light bulb went off. The problem is that if I were to buy the mount only I may as well get a whole package because it's not that much more. I'm really confused. I love the aperture but I cant stand the whole dobsonian mount. After looking through the scopes at the lake I was sold on the GOTO tripod setup.



www.telescope.com/Telescopes/GoTo-Computerized-Telescopes/Orion-Atlas-10-EQ-G-Reflector-Telescope-with-GoTo-Controller/pc/-1/c/1/sc/15/p/24735.uts?sortByColumnName=SortByPriceDescending

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

After looking through the scopes at the lake I was sold on the GOTO tripod setup.

We are a bad influence, we Chicago Astronomers.

You could sell your 10" Dob and apply it to a new Go-To...or if the wife allows it, keep it!

Ebay or Astromart may be good sources for deals, if you want to save a few bucks. But a brand new scope cannot be topped, you know, that new scope smell.

It will be bulky, more than the Dob and depending on configuration, take a while to align and get your stars set up....whereas the Dob is going the moment it's set down.

Whichever you decide, post your wish list here and we will assist with our thoughts.

[-=CROMAN=-]

No wife here so I'm good! I would be keeping the Dob as it is a cool scope to have, I simply rather stand than lean over all night.

I'm not sure if the atlas eq is overkill but it may be nice to have around regardless. I'm really digging the mak-cass type scopes and was very impressed by what I saw.

Naturally I want to the Celestron CGEM DX 1400 but let's be serious for a second! I need to eat...

As far as goto cass scopes are concerned do you guys think that an 8" GOTO would suit my needs?

Meade LightSwitch - www.telescopes.com/telescopes/catadioptric-telescopes/meade8inchlstelescopewithlightswitchtechnology1.cfm

I'm not certain if I want that much technology in a scope, seems like more crap to fry out. Not to mention the single arm support

Nexstar 8" - www.telescopes.com/telescopes/catadioptric-telescopes/celestronnexstar8se.cfm

Once again the one armed support

Meade 8" LX200 - www.telescopes.com/telescopes/catadioptric-telescopes/meade8inchlx200acfadvancedcomafreetelescopewithuhtcstandardtripod.cfm

I've had my eye on this for a while now but would really like to take a gander through any of these before I jump in October.

Any and all ideas are welcome..

Oh yeah, one more thing... I would really prefer to use 2" ep's

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I know there are many out there who love the single arm scopes....not me.

You can't manually move them about and need the control pad to slew - aggravating. And I feel over time, the single arm will start to develop a wobble. Even a slight deflection will throw any alignment off. We have a current Chicago Astronomer who has a 5" one - and although likes it, would have gotten something else. I told him so before he got it, but anyway. I won't comment on the Nextars.


On the LightSwitch.......

We have a Chicago Astronomer fan who came down to a session one evening with one....and hates it. And I tend to agree.

It boasts "trinkets"...like the camera and a audio/visual guide...both useless. The camera does not shoot through the scope, but just on it's own along side the OTA. The guide tour is for the raw beginner and you can hardly hear it.

He tried over and over again to align the scope while we were there, but could not.

Here is a pic of it....

It was during the visit of the escape rocket by the Adler...

astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=StarParty&action=display&thread=2911

Keep searching, one will jump up at you and you'll know it.

[Paulie pchris00]

I think one of the guys in Calumet Astronomical Society has an 8" Meade LX200. If I see him soon (he's supposed to have knee surgery in a couple weeks, and might not be around for awhile), I'll make it a point to find out, and take a peek through his scope. Strictly for your research project.

[atomant]

Hey Croman,

I recommend simply raising the height of your dob by placing it onto a wood box/platform.
This will allow you to starhop and learn the starry skies.

I never recommend mounting a Newtonian onto a German equatorial mount unless you're into S&M or imaging. You will always be rotating the tube to find a comfortable viewing position and still maintain mount alignment.
The 10in tube is a water heater. You will need at least an Atlas or G-11 grade GEM to minimize vibrations.

Now, if you have discretionary monies, you might think about joining the CAT club.
However, to get similar views thru your 10in Dob, you might need to get a 11 or 14 incher.
SCTs have a 30% plus secondary that muddies up the views versus a similar sized newt or fract.

Happy astro gear hunting for your holy grail.

Note: I surf the Astromart and CloudyNight classifieds for more trustworthy used astro equipment sales. It's too bad, Chicagoland no longer has Shutan Camera or 20/20 Telescopes for new stuff. We have to endure the transit of high end equipment with the common carriers, ughhh...

[patrickm]

Heya.

First, why isn't this thread over in Equipment? Anybody who comes here in the future looking for answers to similar questions will never find it buried down here. Can it/should it be moved, boss man?

Second, I had this exact same question last year before jumping on the 9.25 SCT. Here's that thread, where you may find some answers to your questions.
astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Equipment&action=display&thread=2834

I was looking at 8"ers and ended up with 9.25. I am very happy about this decision except when I am lugging the thing up the Horner Park hill. And even then, my heavy CGEM mount would be the same, with the extra 1.25" of mirror and tube weight adding a negligible amount.

I cannot see having a heavier mount that did not live in some sort of observatory. I really feel like for most mortals that the 9.25 and the mid-level CGEM is at the edge of portability. Joe may disagree, but I don't really consider the 11" to be a portable scope for most humans. If you aren't interested in portability, then your options change a great deal. Most of my answers below assume some desire for portability. Additionally, if you want to piggyback anything else on your scope, like for A/P, an 11" OTA on the CGEM would really be pushing the limits of the CGEM. At that point, you would want to go up to the even heavier CGE mount.

As Bill rightly points out, you will lose just a little bit from your big dob down to an 8" or 9.25" because of the mirror train, but everything in scopes is a tradeoff. You trade a bit of aperture and clarity for comfort and portability. I think the upside is significant.

The other options are:

• Go even larger on your dob so that you are standing up. As Bill and I were discussing, they are getting larger and lighter by the day. I saw some amazing examples of this at the Austin AS star party.
  
• Find some sort of stable table for the dob to sit on. I think this would frequently be rough to achieve away from home or in any sort of portable table.
  
• Go the equivalent route of strapping a jet engine to a Ford Pinto and buy that there dob mount that you posted.
  
• Go with the Nexstar. I have a 4.5" SLT that I really love. I have used the heck out of it for a year and a half and have no wobble. Not that you might not eventually encounter it, but the dovetail is pretty firm and hasn't shown any problems. The optics are very good. I have enjoyed using my nephew's 5" Nexstar as well. Haven't used a larger one, but when you get much bigger, then you run into longer and longer scopes and start getting to the point where the tradeoff for an SCT starts making more sense.
  
  • Upside: I can view sitting down, which I really love doing and which I can't do with my SCT.
    
  • Upside: I have gotten stellar, crisp views through it, and at times have even been able to pull in objects that Joe couldn't track down with more than 2x as much aperture.
    
  • Upside: I LOVE GoTo. Star hopping is also groovy, but if I have a limited amount of time to view (but greater than 15 mins), I don't WANT to star hop. I wanna see stuff! If you only have 15 mins, then your dob is the obvious choice anyway.
    
  • Upside: No need to polar align on an alt/az mount. Plop it down, align the scope to two stars, or even one or a planet, and you're off. You can always add additional alignment stars as you go. With a CGEM, you must align mount first then the scope.
    
  • Downside: The OTA can't go to zenith, much less past it, like a CGEM SCT or dob can. M57 right overhead? Oh, well...
    
  • Downside: Smaller aperture with longer OTAs than SCTs.
    
  
  
• Some people love, LOVE fork-mounted scopes. They can easily go past zenith, which is great for photography, and they are sturdy as hell. I've never used one, but there are good arguments and, as always, tradeoffs for using one. Here's a really good cloudynights.com thread on the subject, and if you wanna go heavier to make up for the central obstruction, to like a 12", then here's an excellent, if epic, thread that discusses the ins and outs of not only a fork-mounted scope but larger scopes in general.
  
• Looks like the CGEM and Edge scopes got a fairly significant price increase back in February. That means that looking around for a used one would really be the way to go. Sucks to take advantage of somebody else's misfortune, but that's how it is in a down economy. If lucky, perhaps you'll find somebody who's just trading up instead of selling out.
  

2" EPs are the way to go. I love them.

You are welcome to view with me any time. I always try to post on here whenever I'm going to set up near my home in Lincoln Square. Anybody is welcome to join. You doubly so. We can play with the scope and mount, put it through some paces, and see what you can see. Then you can compare with others from a more educated platform. A new scope is a significant investment in time, money, and emotion, so the more info you can bring to the table, especially learning from the experiences of others, then the better your decision is likely to be.

It's kinda like getting married but with less bickering afterwards.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

but I don't really consider the 11" to be a portable scope for most humans

Oh, you are so right.

But then again, I don't follow the rules.

[patrickm]

May 20, 2011 22:28:59 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

But then again, I don't follow the rules.

WE KNOW!

I just think it's important to point out early and often that, just because people see Dad gleefully lugging the 11" to Tuscaloosa and back on a moment's notice, everybody else will likely not get the maximum benefit from trying to do the same. Seems like a fast track to Scope in Closet Syndrome to me... That's all.

[patrickm]

Plus who walks like that?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Oooh...

Pee Wee!

I bet Patrick looks sharp in a bow-tie.

I know I do....

[-=CROMAN=-]

Wow... Thanks for all the great input!

I was working with my homemade degree circles and inclinometer on Saturday night with good success. While GOTO would be awesome I think I'm going to merge some of the views here into phase 2 of my journey.

I will be working on a portable base for the 10" ZOB next weekend. I hope to raise it about 6 - 8" off the ground with minimal effort. This should keep the old back happier longer. So long as I can keep it level the degree circles should do what I want it to do, just at a slower pace. I am also planning on building an arm mounted laptop holder so I can mount a laptop to the base. This way I can run Stellarium and not have to leave the scope to get coordinates, yes I know there are simpler ways ( Skeye ) but tat involves me juggling a phone in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

As far as the next scope is concerned I am leaning towards another Dob. I'm running with the aperture is King mentality but with the addition of portability. The 10" water heater barely makes it into the backseat of my car. So the only solution is a Dob that breaks down with some ease. I don't have Obsession cash but I can swing an Orion. I'm looking into the SkyQuest XX14i Dobsonian. The scope breaks down into 4 manageable parts for transport. Transport is king for me as I truly love to go and take my scope outside of the garage.



www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/IntelliScope-Dobsonians/Orion-SkyQuest-XX14i-Dobsonian-Telescope-Shroud-amp-Case-Set/pc/1/c/12/sc/27/p/24414.uts


Oh yeah.... Thanks for contributing to my future diet of pb&j and kool-aid!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Rich,

What about a collapsible dob...



I wanted to get one for the Adler, but they went in another direction.

[-=CROMAN=-]

i was looking at the skywatcher 14 synscan but could not find it for sale in the us. perhaps i need to refine my googling skills. i really like the skywatcher series and would love to check one out.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

A 14" Dob would be very nice.

With a wide FOV eyepiece, the vistas of the Universe would be amazing - slowly slewing across clusters, galaxies and faint nebulae.

But Rich.....should you not be considering a EQ mount with drive?

[-=CROMAN=-]

i know! a motor drive wold be cool. i found some plans onine for equatorial motorized dobsonian platform that looks promising. what i need is to win the lottery so i can just get something that i am completely unqualified to operate!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

so i can just get something that i am completely unqualified to operate!

Oh, just go with it babe.

[atomant]

Hey Croman
Any progress on the dob stand?

A dob that is on my wishlist is the 8in goto dob from Orion.
Potential best of both worlds: point and shoot ease of dob along with goto tracking for high powered views.
Reason why I sold my 10in water heaters, did not have tracking to study planets.

[-=CROMAN=-]

My purchase window will be in October so I have a little bit of time but I am seriously leaning towards the 14" Orion with GOTO. I know it went against most of what I was looking for and is expensive but I like having the aperture. A lot can happen between now and October though so my options are open.

[atomant]

Hey Croman,

That is a sweet choice!
Covers your appetite for aperture and ability to track objects for further study.
An added plus, you can push to or goto. All for under $2500.

For visual astronomy, you will not find a better deal in a new refractor or catadioptric scope setup.

Orion Telescopes is also a very good customer oriented company.
Can't wait for Fall and Winter skies!

P.S. Start practicing collimation.

[atomant]

What ever happened to the goto dob?
I saw one in action this early fall. It was sweet.
Nice goto action with the option of manually nudging the scope without losing tracking.
A big light gulping mirror on top of a stable, easy to setup dob mount.

Great for visual astronomy; not for DSO astrophotography.

[-=CROMAN=-]

Life found a way to throw a wrench in my gears! I'm still thinking about the 14" orion but I can't swing cost right now. Maybe the summer months will be kinder to the pocket book

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The 14" would be incredibly sweet.

I wanted something similar for the Adler's arsenal, but fell on deaf ears and the largest tube we got there is a 10". Someone at the last AAD asked if we had an 11"...and one of the Adler staff astronomers pointed to me and said "He does!"

Nice...!