Help with the Last Scope I'll Ever Buy

It looks like I'll have a budget of ~$1k. From previous scopes, I've
learned that (for various reasons) I want a really good dob, probably
a 10". I'm in my mid-50s, so size and weight are possible issues (I
expect to usually be moving it no more than 10 - 15 feet per session,
but I don't expect to get much stronger or fit as I age); I drive a
Subaru Outback station wagon so transportation space is not an issue,
on those occasions when I want to find a remote site; a backyard
observatory is not in the foreseeable future. I have a full suite of
accessories (well, an accessory suite is always a work in progress),
so all I'm looking for is the basic scope and any included
accessories.

Any recommendations for my $1k? Are there any web sites that allow
price comparisons among the various brands?

---------------
Beady's Corollary to Occam's Razor: "The likeliest explanation of any phenomenon is almost always the most boring."

John,

The XT-10 is a good choice. I have the 10" Dob from Oceanside Photo
(OPT). It is pretty much the same design and I paid $499 plus tax for it
(no shipping, I drove to Oceanside and picked it up).

I added large side handles to the base, to make it easier to carry.

The tube is a bit unwieldy, but no problems so far. And I am 5'9", 140
lbs and 66 yrs old.

I did buy the Orion XT-10 case for the OTA and it travels well in my
Honda CR-V.

There is a Yahoo Group on these scopes where you can find out much, much
more

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skyquest-telescopes/

Not the "last scope I will ever buy", though -- in fact I purchased a
celestron NexStar 8 GPS two days later. My first thought was to buy an
NS 11GPS (only). But at 65 lbs for OTA+Fork in a 30 lb carrying case, I
just did not see *me* hoisting it in and out of the car.

Phil

John Beaderstadt wrote:
It looks like I'll have a budget of ~$1k. From previous scopes, I've
learned that (for various reasons) I want a really good dob, probably
a 10". I'm in my mid-50s, so size and weight are possible issues (I
expect to usually be moving it no more than 10 - 15 feet per session,
but I don't expect to get much stronger or fit as I age); I drive a
Subaru Outback station wagon so transportation space is not an issue,
on those occasions when I want to find a remote site; a backyard
observatory is not in the foreseeable future. I have a full suite of
accessories (well, an accessory suite is always a work in progress),
so all I'm looking for is the basic scope and any included
accessories.

Any recommendations for my $1k? Are there any web sites that allow
price comparisons among the various brands?

---------------
Beady's Corollary to Occam's Razor: "The likeliest explanation of any phenomenon is almost always the most boring."

John,

If this is to be your special one, then I suggest that you buy top notch
optics and build the Dob structure yourself. For example, you could buy a
thin 12.5" mirror from Swayze Optical for just a bit over your $1k budget.
The results will be superior to any econo-mass-produced telescope.

Del Johnson



"John Beaderstadt" wrote in message
...
It looks like I'll have a budget of ~$1k. From previous scopes, I've
learned that (for various reasons) I want a really good dob, probably
a 10". I'm in my mid-50s, so size and weight are possible issues (I
expect to usually be moving it no more than 10 - 15 feet per session,
but I don't expect to get much stronger or fit as I age); I drive a
Subaru Outback station wagon so transportation space is not an issue,
on those occasions when I want to find a remote site; a backyard
observatory is not in the foreseeable future. I have a full suite of
accessories (well, an accessory suite is always a work in progress),
so all I'm looking for is the basic scope and any included
accessories.

Any recommendations for my $1k? Are there any web sites that allow
price comparisons among the various brands?

---------------
Beady's Corollary to Occam's Razor: "The likeliest explanation of any
phenomenon is almost always the most boring."

Of course the 10" F6 PDHQ is $999 + S&H, which puts it just over your
budget. But that would still be my choice.

-Stephen Paul

Plenty of choices to consider here.

1. Orion XT-10 or Gueng Sheng 10 inch F5 DOB. These do have the advantage of
the shorter OTA. The Orion is F4.7, the GS is F5, I think the longer FR is
better but the Orion has a Pyrex Mirror.

2. The new Gueng Sheng 12 inch F5 DOB that is available in Canada for under
$900 US. This could be a winner, I am thinking buying one but I will probably
wait until the results are in. The OTA is supposed to weight 50lbs and be 60
inches long. Lighter than the 10 inch F6 Discovery....

3. The Discovery 10 inch F6 DOB, this is a nice looking scope with Birch
plywood and nice big altitude bearings. There are a grand...

There is a guy who has been asking $700 for a near new Discovery 10 in F6 on
Astromart with no takers. He is in the New England area and does not want to
ship it but will deliver some distance.

Seems like someone back there ought to scoop that baby up.

Regarding the concept of "the Last Scope I'll Ever Buy."

Sounds good but most of us know that is not how it works. Back about 7 years
ago I picked a nice Eddy Merckx bicycle frame and decided it would be the last
bike I would ever buy.

Not quite....

jon

(Still got it and ride it a fair amount but I seem to have ended up with a few
other since.)

Look up the size at Discovery's site first. A 10" f/6 has a longer tube
than the XT-8 bunch.

Phil

Brian A wrote:
Thought about that one myself Jon. Looks like a good deal.
Ad# 20899

Brian A

"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...

There is a guy who has been asking $700 for a near new Discovery 10 in F6

on

Astromart with no takers. He is in the New England area and does not want

to

ship it but will deliver some distance.

Seems like someone back there ought to scoop that baby up.

Jon Isaacs wrote:

2. The new Gueng Sheng 12 inch F5 DOB that is available in Canada for under
$900 US. This could be a winner, I am thinking buying one but I will probably
wait until the results are in. The OTA is supposed to weight 50lbs and be 60
inches long. Lighter than the 10 inch F6 Discovery....

May have roller bearings in AZ .. ans some find that a bad thing.

Phil

"Del Johnson" wrote in message
...
John,

If this is to be your special one, then I suggest that you buy top notch
optics and build the Dob structure yourself. For example, you could buy a
thin 12.5" mirror from Swayze Optical for just a bit over your $1k budget.
The results will be superior to any econo-mass-produced telescope.

Del Johnson


There ya go. Sombody out there is thinking outside the consumer-drone box.
He might check the R.F.Royce website (http://www.rfroyce.com) also.

It's pretty common for the dedicated amateur to figure a mirror that is far
better than what one that is mass produced. At the local free telescope
maker's workshop ( http://www.chabotspace.org/visit/telescopeworkshop.asp )
amateurs routinely generate 1/10th wave mirrors. A 12.5" pyrex blank and
tool is about $230. The grit and CeO is free.
I've looked through quite a few dobs produced by amateurs and they tend to
blow away the mass produced scopes. There is really no comparison, imho.

Etok



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Hello, Etok,
I strongly agree with you and Del on this subject In my experience an
outstanding mirror is really very different from the standard commercial product. R.
Royce and Swayze have outstanding reputations. So also do Mike Spooner and Richard
Wessling, by the way..
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers

Etok wrote:

"Del Johnson" wrote in message
...
John,

If this is to be your special one, then I suggest that you buy top notch
optics and build the Dob structure yourself. For example, you could buy a
thin 12.5" mirror from Swayze Optical for just a bit over your $1k budget.
The results will be superior to any econo-mass-produced telescope.

Del Johnson

There ya go. Sombody out there is thinking outside the consumer-drone box.
He might check the R.F.Royce website (http://www.rfroyce.com) also.

It's pretty common for the dedicated amateur to figure a mirror that is far
better than what one that is mass produced. At the local free telescope
maker's workshop ( http://www.chabotspace.org/visit/telescopeworkshop.asp )
amateurs routinely generate 1/10th wave mirrors. A 12.5" pyrex blank and
tool is about $230. The grit and CeO is free.
I've looked through quite a few dobs produced by amateurs and they tend to
blow away the mass produced scopes. There is really no comparison, imho.

Etok

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I was reading in the bathroom when I ran across an item written by
Bill Meyers on Mon, 11 Aug 2003 00:21:50 -0400,
which said:

Hello, Etok,
I strongly agree with you and Del on this subject

You guys are 'way more experienced than I am, and I can certainly see
the sense behind what you say. However, a home-made 'scope is not an
option; what is interesting, easy or obvious to some people is an
impossibility for others, for whatever reason, and that's where we are
right now.

So far, it looks like Orion's XT10 has been almost the universal
recommendation. I also checked the S&T review from last year(?), and
the problems/fixes they noted are things I can handle; also, I know
that some improvements have been made since the review was written.

To whomever said that it's unlikely this will actually be my final
'scope: well, maybe. However, I don't get along well with EQs, I've
spent the last few years experimenting and learning about and getting
used to refractors, and have felt absolutely no urge to get into
anything more technological than consulting Redshift 3 and LunarPhase
Pro to see what's available for the evening. Fact is, I gave serious
thought about going over to binoculars (and, if there's enough left
over from my purchase...).

Anyway, thanks to all.


---------------
Beady's Corollary to Occam's Razor: "The likeliest explanation of any phenomenon is almost always the most boring."

"John Beaderstadt" wrote in message
...
----snipped for brevity---
Fact is, I gave serious
thought about going over to binoculars (and, if there's enough left
over from my purchase...).

Anyway, thanks to all.


Shneor Sherman made a recommendation in another post about binoculars. He
has about 40 years observing experience, so I'm passing this along to you:
-----------------
They may come from the same factory, but you will find that Burgess
does excellent quality control and individually star-tests every pair.
You won't find that with others, and believe me, it makes a
difference. I've had a pair of Burgess 25x100s for about a year and
even though they were rejects (no multicoatings on eyepieces) they
have performed admirably. Excellent for Messiers and non-Messiers like
the Helix; see all of Markarian's Chain in one field of view; and the
moon is loaded with glorious 3-D detail...with just a bit of purple at
the limb. You'll need a heavy-duty parallelogram mount (I use a T&T)
to use these to best advantage. But it's one of the best optical deals
there is today.
Clear skies,
Shneor Sherman

----------------

Regards,
Etok



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