OMG, it's huge!

[erick]

50% bigger doesn't sound much? But a 12" GSO compared with an 8" GSO is more scope than I expected - even though I had seen a few already.

Many thanks to Scott (Tannehill) for deciding not to take his Bintel 12" dob to the USA with him and selling it to me. I picked it up last night. Took the big family car - the EL Ford - to pick it up. OMG, the OTA won't fit across the back seat by a few centimetres :scared:. Before I took off the armrests (;)) , a bit of pushing, twisting, moving passenger seat forward and tipping the seat back forward, and I did get it in and the base snuggly in behind it! This is sure going to be a challenge for my little Lancer :lol:

How do I break it to my wife that a necessary accessory for the scope is a big new car/wagon?? :eyepop: I'm not even sure the OTA will fit in my trailer if I want to close the lid on it!!

Scott went over the scope with me - showed me the used of more sophisticated collimation tools - eg. an autocollimator. This is a beauty, a real working scope - Scott has had no hesitation to make whatever changes will improve its performance - just the way I like it. I'm looking forward to tinkering further. It's now standing beside the 8", towering over it!

Now, please reassure me that a second-hand equipment purchase is exempt from cloudy sky retribution? :prey:

I have to wait until Saturday to get the scope outside and play with it. Sunday evening before I can get some night sky. I look forward to comparing the 12" and 8", well for a while, then I'm afraid my lovely 8" will probably have to hit the IceTrade classifieds :(

Very happy - thanks Scott.

Eric :)

[goober]

Nice upgrade, Eric. It's a lot of scope - ended up being too much for me.

[DJVege]

"That's what she said!"

Sorry, had to.

Congrats on the new purchase, mate! Sounds awesome! I'm getting my 10" this Saturday from Nightstalker (upgrading from 5"), so am keen to see the difference!

Sorry if I've ruined everybody's night sky with clouds due to this purchase, but 50% of the fault is Eric's!! ;)

Let us know your comparison results!

[acropolite]

Congratulations Eric, there's nothing quite like the thrill of picking up a new toy. It's been interesting watching your progression since joining the forum :D

[erick]

And to think I was dreaming of one of those 16" GSO solid tubes! :screwy: That went out of my mind when I saw a 16" lightbridge up close. You'd need a van or small truck to carry the 16" solid around!

[goober]

I was out with the scope last night and actually felt rain... in Melbourne! Now I know who to blame.

[erick]

Yes, time will tell. I had this idea for a funny photo of me trying to hold the scope up by hand so I could joke about comparing it to my binoculars. After wrapping my arms around it last night and carrying it about, I don't think that photo will eventuate! :rolleyes:

[erick]

Who's a cheeky boy then! :wink2:


Thank goodness I didn't mention my unfulfilled desire for a 16" in the initial post :whistle:

[monoxide]

the 12" is a great scope, you'll love it :)

[Rob_K]

Congrats Erick! :thumbsup: From bazooka to cannon, well done!

[erick]

And it's all set up to plug in an Argo Navis! If anyone has lost interest in their Argo Navis, I guess I can be forced to consider driving over and taking it off your hands :whistle:

[goober]

Sorry, no Argo Navis for sale :)

Do you plan travelling with it, Eric? I imagine that will be a whole new logistical problem to solve, especially with a Lancer!

[Glenhuon]

Good onyer Erick :thumbsup:. Have fun with the new toy!

[erick]

Well, absolutely yes - I've been puzzling over the dilemma all day! I think a tow kit on the Lancer and a suitable trailer(*) is needed. That'll set back my Argo Navis buying for some time :(


edit: * - perhaps a horse float with a slide off roof? :lol:

[ballaratdragons]

Eric, Melbourne forecast for Fri, Sat & Sun:
(from BOM)

Outlooks:
Friday Fine. Cloud increasing. Mild to warm with light winds and afternoon coastal seabreezes.
Saturday Isolated showers. Warm.
Sunday Isolated showers. Mild.

[§AB]

gee thanks alot Erick :P :whistle: admittedly I had my part to play - I just picked up UHC and H-beta filters.

You'll have a blast with the big new toy :)

[g__day]

/off_topic other than about size impressions

Two weeks ago my wife bought the mid sized, springless trampoline for our kids. I am glad she didn't go for the larger size - whilst it might conceivably have fitted into our station wagon, it is definitely bigger than either our front or backyard!

When I went to collect it and saw the large unit set up I simply swore I was that shocked - it looked like Cirque Du Soleil should be bouncing on it. The salesman just said yes - many husbands simply refuse to take it home when they see what their wives have bought over the web!

Size like that impresses - so long as you can cart it around and find a place to use it!

[astronut]

Congratulations on the 12" Erick,
You'll be blown away by the views this scope has to offer.
If your Lancer has drop down rear seats that allow access to the boot, this will be the best way to transport it.:thumbsup:

[Tannehill]

And, lacking such a feature, a spiral saw in proper hands can work wonders in aforementioned vehicle! :D

I do say, I wish I'd taken a pic as Eric drove off, that tube back there just barely fit. One more coat of paint and it would not have...


s

[PhilW]

Erick,
I think of 12" as the tipping point, where trusses become more practical than solid tubes. If you rebuilt it as a truss, all those transport problems would be solved. My 14" fits easily in the back seat of my wife's Honda Jazz (no room for the kids though, but that could be construed as a benefit). :whistle:

Congratulations on the purchase. It's a great scope & I have really enjoyed the views through it.

Phil

[Tannehill]

Yes, I agree. I haven't seen the 16" solid tube GSO, but I can't imagine it's that portable. Beyond 12" I'd only get a truss, also. That 12" was just at the edge of that envelope allowing easy manipulation through doorways and into and out of the vehicle...

I looked (Google) but haven't found a "truss kit" vendor here in Oz. Someone who sells the parts to create your own truss kit (UTA, truss poles, rocker, ground board, etc). Anyone who can lease or owns a CNC machine could fairly easily churn out all the plywood pieces and sell them in the relevant sizes (10, 12, 14, 16, etc) with Ebony Starand Teflon already applied or in pieces to apply yourself. Kinda like the TeleKit in the US, you supply the mirror but assemble the provided pieces yourself. As the bigger mirrors become more affordable (12" and above) now, I think it has merit. And, to be honest, good plywood beats out particle board for sustained durability.

Is there such a product here that I couldn't find?

As the cars in the US shrink (about time, we are petrol pigs) I think there will be increasing interest in the collapsible rocker box units which hinge over and lay flat for easier transport. Mainly for solid tubes...but some truss designs happily mate with these....
http://www.astronomy-mall.com/FirstBase/

Scott

[PhilW]

I haven't come across local kits, but there are plenty of folk with routers who can help produce the bits. :D

A variant on the collapsible idea: you can make the UTA ultralight (eg a single upper ring, like the Bartels designs). Then the balance point moves down the tube, & the rocker box can be ultra low profile. As can the mirror box - or just remove it entirely, as per Greg Babcock's scopes. These ideas have found their way into the Obsession Ultra Compact.

Phil

[goober]

Paul Kemp from NZ build a collapsible 13"...

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~michellekemp/Telescope.htm

[erick]

Paul's base (rocker box?) seems to be solid, not collapsible? His OTA is dismantleable.

[PhilW]

Here is a shot of the 14" in the back of the Jazz, which is the smallest car it travels in. I put the components under the seatbelts when on the road. With a bit more effort than I exerted when I built it, truss scopes can be made more portable than this (eg the UTA can be made to nest inside the mirror box; single upper ring; lower profile mirror box etc).

Phil

[erick]

All of you who thought I couldn't get a 12" tube into my Lancer, well, here it is! :P


Given I have to remove half the back seat and have to manipulate it via the inside of the car having the driver's seat right forward and the passenger's seat lying back with headrest removed, I'm not sure how practical it will be :D

[Tannehill]

Well done. I'd never have thought it possible. Or did you take my spiral saw comment too seriously?

And who cares whether it's practical or not? Practical...that's for spouses, not for us....(Scene from Treasure of the Sierra Madres: "Practical? We don't need no Practical....")

:)

[PhilW]

There is a slightly troubling resemblance to the famous (if apocryphal) Darwin award, wherein the hero attached a rocket engine to his car:

http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1995-04.html

[goober]

Well done, Eric! I got mine into my Astra.... once! :)

[Gargoyle_Steve]

Great job of squeezing it into the car Eric, well done.

And a great big "Welcome" to the 12" Club as well!! :P