Calling All Big Dob Owners needed.

[StarGazing]

Hi all,

I am looking to update my Dob( SW 10'') at the start of next year to a 18" to 22" Dob. Appetuer fever has taken over ;). Looking for your input in the ones available in this country ie. SDM, Obsession etc ??????. Any owners, I would appreciate if you can share your knowledge and experience on big dobs, even better what you have and which ones do rate ?.

Thanks Alex.

[JethroB76]

SDM, do it :lol:

[alexch]

Another vote for SDM. Peter is a great guy and will build the scope to your requirements. They are not cheap but the quality is superb and current pricing is hard to resist. My 18" is hopefully arriving before Christmas.

[wavelandscott]

I own an Obsession (and love it) and have had the opportunity to see and look through a couple of SDM scopes...

I'm not certain about the current prices and construction waits but I reckon living in Australia it is an easy choice...get the SDM!

Build quality and service by my observation is second to none...there are many happy SDM customers and I have yet to hear of anyone who was not satisfied...

[AstroJunk]

Hmm, let me think.

SDM or Obsession .....

Hmmm.



S-D-M-!

[StarGazing]

Hi all,

Thanks for the response guys, heard lots of good things about SDM Telescopes so you do have a point. Got on their website and was really impressed. Does any one own a SDM ?????

Cheers once again Alex.

[erick]

Check the signatures of the posters, Alex :)

OK, Jonathan's any way. Yes, there are several SDM owners, and "shortly to be" SDM owners on IIS. SDM#039 will soon be mine :D :thumbsup:

[Starkler]

;)

[norm]

Hi Alex,

I don't have and SDM in the 18" to 22" range, but I can vouch for their quality and craftsmanship.
Yes, they are pricey , but you are paying for quality here.
Peter's a top bloke to deal with and very approachable.

Word of advice..... Peter's prices are dependant on the US$, so if your serious considering purchasing one, it might be worthwhile to take it up when the AU$ is high.

Also, get it fully loaded in terms of what you want from the start. I purchased additional things down the track and even though it didn't cost me anymore, by listing what you want, its done and dusted and you don't need to worry about it later on.

Do I have any regrets ? Except for maybe not requesting a filter slide - none whatsoever!

Good Luck! :thumbsup:
Norm

[erick]

It's on the build list for mine - phew! :D

[norm]

Good move Eric :thumbsup:. It gets tedious screwing and unscrewing filters on your eyepieces.

Peter tried everything and anything to make it happen, but no go. The option was to exchange to a Moonlite which caters for the slide filter.
However I wanted the Feathertouch.... Not a show stopper.

PS: did you get your filters from Omega in the end? They changed their website and I couldn't for the life of me find the 2" NPB and price???

Sorry for highjacking the thread.

norm

[stephenb]

Another happy SDM customer here, Alex.

[Rodstar]

I've had my SDM (The Mary Rose) now for 2.5 years and I am as pleased as I was the day it first arrived. It has opened up a new universe for me on what I can observe, and the build quality is so good, I wish it could fit in my loungeroom! I cannot imagine ever wanting anything more.

Before I ordered, I made comparisons with ordering overseas, such as from Obsession. Remember if you order from overseas you will be stung by shipping costs (for a 20" scope it was going to cost $1,400 in shipping plus insurance) and also you will pay GST as it will be over $1000 (so add another 10%).

In addition to the above considerations, what tipped the balance for me was the fact that if I bought locally from SDM, I could always get Peter Read to follow up on any warranty issues, but to get Obsession to look at/repair the scope, add another $1,400 shipping back to the States (and then if they deny a problem - the shipping costs back)!! As it turns out, Peter has kindly done some tweeking in the past couple of years (for example the wheel barrow handles are now the split version (very cool), and I have my argo Navis on a stalk (when Peter first delivered the scope, the Argo was mounted on the secondary cage assembly).

I should note that Peter Read will also do work on Obsessions and any other large dobsonians, so you can still get Peter's help even if you do go with an Obsession or some other non-Australian brand.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

[JethroB76]

Without sidetracking too much, why did you change to a stalk mounted AN Rod?

[erick]

In my discussion with Peter, he said he didn't place the AN on the UTA any more. He didn't explain - and I didn't ask since I'm happy with a stalk - but he clearly wanted less weight on the UTA. I'm sure I heard a silent groan when I told him the weight of the finderscope I wanted on the UTA. :D

[StarGazing]

Thanks for your responses guys, much appreciated. Looks like there are many happy campers out there with their SDM scopes, lucky you ;).
I am definetly going to look at SDM scopes in the near future and by judging on what has been said it makes good sense to buy one from there. Has anyone built a big Dob ????.
Clear skies to all Alex. :thumbsup:

[Rodstar]

I now have a 31 Nagler which, when coupled with a Paracorr, adds significant weight to the top end. Moving the Argo to a stalk helps to reduce top-end weight. I am also looking to put a larger finderscope on in the next 12 months or so, so any weight saving was important.

I have found there are pros and cons to the stalk. I guess the biggest upside is that if you dial in an object into Argo that will require moving the ladder, you are already on the ground - you don't have to go up and down twice. The downside is that you need to get down off the ladder between objects - sometimes I used to do a tour of objects (say, double stars) in a single constellation, and I could remain up on the ladder for 4 or 5 objects in a row before having to come down when the Argo was up at the secondary.

I suspect the real functional benefit of having the stalk comes in when you get the servocat fitted as well. In that instance, there is the servocat controller also to think about. The stalk provides a neat platform for both the Argo and the servocat. The servocat controller needs to be away from the secondary cage - imagine otherwise the scene if you are up the ladder, and you instruct the controller to move the scope to the next object - a sudden fall from the ladder is rather inevitable!!

I would love it if Argo came with a pocket size remote like servocat. It would be nice to have Argo in your pocket.

[mental4astro]

Tnott has made himself a brilliant dob, check out his project through this link to the DIY forum here in IIS:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=41554

I've found Tnott very approachable in asking advice for my project. He really knows his stuff.

[StarGazing]

Thanks Alex.....:thumbsup:
Cheers.

[tnott]

Anytime.

I have seen and viewed thru several SDM scopes and they are really the best you can get if you do don't want to build your own.

Shipping etc. can really add up when importing stuff from overseas, especially with these heavy and bulky scopes!

[Starkler]

Must say I like having the AN up top near the eyepiece and everything close at hand. My scope was designed around that weight being there.