10" Dobsonian

Ron

Handsonoptics 10" dob see



http://www.handsonoptics.com/astrono...10xl/10xl.html


Hardin Optical

http://www.hardinoptical.com/dsh10.html


Discovery 10" F6 PDHQ


http://www.discovery-telescopes.com/PDHQ.html



Lastly Orion Telescopes.

http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...roductID=14904

Ive heard good things about all four telescopes and associated
companies.

Myself though Id go with the meade 12.5 dob even with the #77 plastic
focuser. But thats me. Best bang for the buck and I own 3 meades and
have good mirrors in all

Rich



On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 21:34:44 -0600, "rep48" wrote:

I have been going to the local star parties for several years and would like
to buy a 10 " dob as my first telescope. any suggestions what to buy and
what not to buy? Ron

Rich wrote:

Myself though Id go with the meade 12.5 dob even with the #77 plastic
focuser. But thats me. Best bang for the buck and I own 3 meades and
have good mirrors in all


This is great advice. I've got the Meade 12.5 dobsonian also and the mirror
is really nice. Check the price on the scope. . .I think you'll find it
highly competitive with other's 10 inch models and, believe me, the extra
2.5 inches will make a big difference on faint galaxies and nebulae. The
#77 plastic focuser will do fine if you take care of it. It is cheaply
made, but it does the job adequately for the beginner. When time comes you
can upgrade it should you desire. I did a little "work" on mine (the #77
plastic focuser) but am still using it, essentially intact, more than four
years after the purchase of the instrument.


Martin

"rep48" wrote in message
...
I have been going to the local star parties for several years and would
like
to buy a 10 " dob as my first telescope. any suggestions what to buy and
what not to buy? Ron

This is an excellent choice for a first scope.

My first choice in a 10" dob:

http://www.cloudynights.com/reviews2/teleport.htm

Second choice would be
http://www.cloudynights.com/reviews/xt10.htm

You could also buy a quality mirror and flat, and construct your own if
you're handy with tools. But you did say *buy a 10" dob* didn't you.

Good luck and good figure.
Etok



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On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 04:44:01 GMT, "Starstuffed"
wrote:


highly competitive with other's 10 inch models and, believe me, the extra
2.5 inches will make a big difference on faint galaxies and nebulae.

There is also a 12 inch Guan Sheng made model out now which incidently
has a better focusser and mechanicals than the Meade.

Personally, I'd avoid a metal tube dob (Hardin, Orion), especially if
one is observing from colder climes. (Don't let that cheek or nose
touch the tube! Watch out for your hand's heat plumes!)

Discovery makes excellent mirrors and scopes and their tubes are
Sonotube type, not metal. I've owned both 8" and 10" Discovery dobs and
they're wonderfully well made, giving excellent views.

Also, if you are in a colder clime, or will do many short observing
sessions, I'd also recommend getting a scope with a Pyrex mirror (Orion
10", Discovery option). In my experience, I've gotten better views,
faster.

If your budget can afford it, also check out any scope with Zambuto
optics (e.g., 8" Portaball, 7" Teleport, 11" or 12.5" Starmaster, etc.
have had Z optics in them). The designs of these scopes is special and
the views with his mirrors will be, too.

Larry Stedman
Vestal

I have been going to the local star parties for several years and would like
to buy a 10 " dob as my first telescope. any suggestions what to buy and
what not to buy? Ron

Lots of thoughts on this one and lots of different ways to go.

Some have suggested getting a Meade 12.5 inch F4.8 scope, some have suggested
expensive scopes, these might well be good options for you.

Some things to consider. Size. A 12.5 inch F4.8 scope is quite a handful to
move around and fit into a car. The OTA is close to 60 inches long so it is
unlikely it will fit across the back seat of a normal sized car. Just getting
it out the door can be an issue. The general consensus on the Meade is that it
is a work in progress. Discovery mades a nice 12.5 inch F5 that is a finished
product. There is also the PDHQ 10 inch F6 DIscovery DOB. Size wise, it is
nearly as large as a 12.5 inch scope and about as heavy.

But as the owner of 8, 10 and 12.5 inch DOBs, I think there are many advantages
to the Asian 10 inch F5 DOBs, either the Orion XT-10 or the GS 10 which is sold
by a variety of stores including OPT, Hands on Optics, Harding Optical.

The OTA is only 48 inches long and weighs 35 lbs which makes moving the scope
as well as fitting into a car less of a task.

Optically these scopes seem to be quite good, some vendors are guarantying 10th
wave or better. The focusers are pretty good on these scopes and in general
they are a finished product that will not need significant tweaking just to get
the scope working. The "Correction Tension Springy Things" really do work and
eliminate the need to add balance weights and move them while observing.

These scope range from about $500 to $650 for the Orion XT-10. The new XT-10
has a couple of things that make it attractive, encoders for Digital Setting
Circles and a Pyrex mirror. For another $150 you can buy a handset with a
large database that turns this scope into a PUSH TO scope, a nice feature. The
Pryex mirror should help with cool down, though for me that is not a big
problem.

The one disadvantage to the XT-10 is that it is F4.75 rather than F5 as the
others are. This is getting into Coma Corrector territory, I am not quite sure
where this begins but at F6 it is not needed, at F5 it helps and at F4 it is
pretty much a necessity. Probably not a big difference between F4.75 and F5
but there is some to be sure.

The question of the 8 inch vs 10 inch vs 12.5 inch DOB has come up here over
the years on several occasions. I have had an 8 inch for several years and
added a 12.5 incher a few years ago. Several months ago a bargin OPT Star
Hunter 10 came up on Astromart, I jumped at the opportunity, partially just to
be able to answer this question at least for me.

What I have discovered is that most often it is the 10 incher that I use,
whether it is at home in my light polluted backyard, going to the mountains for
a nights observing or taking a long trip in our motor home.

Yes, the 12.5 incher does provide more glorious views, but the views in the 10
incher a likewise still quite amazing and joyful and it is just easier to deal
with.

So, you have been around, want to buy a 10 inch DOB, I think you have made a
good choice. There are many choices out there, what you choose depends on your
needs and situation.

I can recommend the OPT Starhunter 10 and the other GS DOBs, I think that when
Orion designed the original XT-10 they made some very wise design choices.
They realized that a 10 inch TUBE Dob is about the limit of practicality so
they optimized the size for both optical performance and
portability/useability. Optically they seem to perform well.

Certainly one can spend much larger amounts of money and get a nicer scope.
But these Asian scopes are quite nice and capable of providing many years of
serious viewing enjoyment.

Best wishes and dark skies

jon isaacs

"Larry Stedman" wrote in message
...
Personally, I'd avoid a metal tube dob (Hardin, Orion), especially if
one is observing from colder climes. (Don't let that cheek or nose
touch the tube! Watch out for your hand's heat plumes!)

There are some issues here for sure, however, if the temperature is low
enough that hand heat is a serious problem (takes more than a few seconds to
dissipate after grabbing the open end ring), one will likely have gloves on
anyway. As for cheeks and noses, I've never had occasion in two years to put
either against the OTA. Even so, when it's _that_ cold, I'm either not out
there, or I have something covering my facial skin as well.

Frankly, I find that the metal tube is a non-issue. In fact, I prefer it
because it reveals air moisture long before the innards are at risk, making
an excellent indicator that it's time to start taking special measures to
prevent dewing up.

A question for the group: Does sonotube dissipate heat faster than rolled
aluminum?

-Stephen Paul

F4.75 ? I ain't still figured out WHY????
Unless it's just to get it in our small stupid American cars. An F5+ or 5.7 or
like, would make a much nicer and easyer scope for beginners to use and it is
so forgiving. I really think someone at Orion had their head stuck in their arm
pit. ( fooled you didn't I )
I'd buy one in a minute if it was 5.XX something but not a 4.75 It is going to
be a PITA for a lot of people. IMHO
Ok, Flame away.
Gene

F4.75 ? I ain't still figured out WHY????
Unless it's just to get it in our small stupid American cars.

I prefer a small car. A small car is more economical and easier to drive to
boot. Of course the irony here is that a small car in the US is a large car in
the rest of the world.

So making a scope that fits nicely in a car that is reasonably sized was really
a great marketing decison.

What I do not understand is why when they switched vendors and went to a Pyrex
primary Orion switch shorted the focal length.

I think they had it right the first time.

jon

"Indianaradio" wrote in message
...

I'd buy one in a minute if it was 5.XX something but not a 4.75 It is
going to
be a PITA for a lot of people. IMHO

The GS scope is F5, which although demanding, is do-able. But, in general I
agree with your sentiments. At F5 the length of the OTA is 48 inches, and
while another 6 inches would make it too long to fit in the trunk of the '99
Chevy Malibu, I'd gladly use the Taurus wagon to be able to handle the extra
length of the 10" at F5.7. (Fact is I use the wagon most of the time
anyway).

But, since it is what it is, I put a paracorr into my F5 XT10. It's been in
there ever since. Only take it out to clean it once in a while. Doesn't help
with collimation, but it sure helps keep stars nice and tight across the
entire field. (If that's what you're into).

-Stephen Paul