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Old 27-10-2019, 10:36 PM
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Outcast (Carlton)
Always gonna be a NOOB...

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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Cairns, Qld
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Gondwana 12" Marana & Nexus DSC

Where to start; at the beginning I suppose.

I bought my first ‘real’ telescope here on IIS back in about 2008 or so. An 80mm Meade Triplet refractor; it was a huge step up from the silly little Tasco Luminova I had been using. The views were incredible, it has served me well & is now doing AP duties but, for visual I wanted more..

I considered a large aperture dobsonian then but, the commercially available dobs in the size I wanted were just too big, too heavy & too inconvenient for me, they were easily a two man lift for a 12”, a fact I have subsequently confirmed helping a friend get his in & out of the car! So, a couple of years ago, I purchased a secondhand Meade 8” SCT & it’s a good one, for a time it satisfied my desire for aperture but still, I wanted more…

On IIS last year I read about our own ‘Mental4Astro’ making a ‘different’ kind of dobsonian. I decided to enquire with Alex what sort of money I might be looking at & discovered they were a little out of my budget.. & then life changed & I came into some money so, Alex began work constructing my Marana, a 12” truss dobsonian that just ticks the boxes I wanted to tick, namely:
  • It is relatively lightweight for it’s size (and can be broken down into 3 boxes if needed with a max weight of 12kg for the mirror box)
  • It is definitely portable, even fully packed up I can transport this myself, I don’t need anyone to help me with it.
  • Can easily be travelled with (in the car/caravan)
  • Outstanding design and craftsmanship
  • It’s made from marine ply & finished in marine varnish, an absolute must for longevity where I live in the tropics

I won’t ramble on too much about my dealings with Alex other than to say, that the whole process was an absolute pleasure & the result that I received demonstrates Alex’s commitment to producing a high quality, hand made product & his commitment to his customers.

From the moment I opened the packages & began a dry run assembly, it was clear that an incredible amount of work had gone into the design, as well as the actual construction. This scope is clearly the result of years of experience with dobsonians & Alex has worked very hard to deliver a product that just works & doesn’t require any fettling to make it work better.

So, what is it, what does it look like, how easy to assemble, collimate & use I here you ask…. well, here goes:

To assist in assembly, Alex provides a comprehensive set of instructions complete with useful tips, cautions & photo’s. When you’ve put it together the first time & understand what goes where, future assemblies are a breeze… like any new toy, first time took a while as you need to refer to the instructions but, after you’ve done it once… it really is very simple. Moreover, Alex has again really thought about ease of assembly & the ‘bolt’s’ he supplies are encased in timber to allow assembly with no tools. The bolts fit comfortably in the hand & even with arthritis or other issues, it is easy to do up the bolts.

First light a few days later, it took me 30 minutes to fully assemble the Marana & with the help of a knowledgeable friend, I came to grips with collimating my first ever Newtonian. Again, this is where Alex has thought carefully about his design & not only ease of collimation but, the longevity of the components that enable it. No groove wearing gonna happen at the secondary collimation points, no cheap & nasty springs under the primary, everything has been designed & built from scratch to deliver a solid, first class product that will just keep on working.

So, with the scope setup & collimated, first target was the full moon… first thing I noticed was just how smooth & easy this dob is to move; I have very little experience with dobs but, I’ve played with a few at astro shops… nothing prepared me for what the Marana delivers, one finger operation & then it stays where pointed, no tension knobs just brilliant design & construction. Using a Meade UWA 14mm EP (not exactly lightweight) & even then, no need to add Alex’s simple counterweight bags. The view, even on a full moon was breathtaking; so much clarity, so much detail.. quite honestly, I was blown away!! On to Jupiter, pretty good but, it was becoming apparent that my collimation skills needed some tweaking. Remember, I have never done this before so, it really was a case of my knowledge, not Alex’s design. I was close but, just a smidge out. Sadly the clouds cut short my first light but, first impressions were just wow!! The scope is simple to setup, simple to use, simple to collimate & just works!!

A few nights later, still with lot’s of cloud about, I setup again.. this time 20 minutes to put it together. Having done a bit more reading & looking at pictures, I had a much clearer picture in my mind of what good collimation would look like. A short time later & I was confident I had it pretty tight. Worth mentioning here that again, Alex’s design comes to the fore with simple no tool thumb screws for secondary adjustment & a beautifully crafted ‘spanner’ that fits neatly in the palm of your hand to adjust the sturdy primary collimation bolts. Yet another well thought out feature is that when tweaking that primary with a laser inserted it is so simple to see the laser & gently adjust the primary bolts. A quick star test, a very, very minor tweak of the primary & bingo beautifully collimated. This was only the second time I’d ever done a collimation on a Newt.. so, my success is a testament to how simple Alex has made this process of adjustment & again, I will highlight that his choice of materials will ensure that it remains so.

Okay, time to fire up the Nexus & do an alignment… Snappy two star alignment & I was off & running.. so, what to look at.. well, I still had around 50% cloud coverage & a full moon rising so… it wasn’t exactly ideal conditions… Jupiter, still only through the 13mm Vixen… very clear banding, pinpoint moons, I was impressed… then Tuc 47 came up…

Now, I am not a cluster guy… I’ll say that again.. I am not a cluster guy.. I’ll be honest, other than Butterfly which I find singularly beautiful.. clusters just don’t really do it for me… However, I couldn’t afford to be picky, I didn’t have many visible targets to choose from…. off to Tuc we went.. Nexus took me straight there, with a little motor power supplied by my right index finger.. Following the very simple display on the Nexus, straight into FOV of my 13mm Vixen LVW, no problem…. All I can say is WOW!!, I’d seen Tuc before, through my refractor, through my SCT & to be honest… I wasn’t that impressed… Through the Marana, it was a whole new experience… to borrow from a well known movie ‘My god, it’s full of stars’!! It wasn’t just a creamy circular smudge with a few stand out stars, it was pure white & full of pinpoint stars making up the cluster… I’m a cluster guy now… let me tell you..

I will be chasing way more clusters with this scope.. & Serge’s Nexus device which is a breeze to use, simple, intuitive & well thought out, will take me there… I haven’t used the wireless connection to Sky Safari on my phone yet but, the device itself contains a huge list of catalogues.. simply punch in what you want & it provides you with an Az/Alt countdown, complete with direction arrows to guide you onto your target. It does everything it promises to deliver & it does it in a way that is just so simple to use, fantastic product.

Running out of targets, I pushed around to Saturn; I didn’t really need to use the Nexus but, I did & again, spot on.. again the view through my 13mm was fantastic.. clear & sharp, and, to my surprise quite BIG for a fairly modest magnification, Then I thought, heck.. wonder what a 6mm ortho will look like… Holy CARP!! Man, I love Saturn, always have.. I’ve had good views of it before through the other scopes I own but, this view, well, this was seriously in a league of it’s own… so clear, so sharp, very very clear banding & the rings, cassini division just simply mind blowing for me.. I’d seen them before but, not like this…

So, now I had to pack up as the sky was turning to more cloud than clear spots & the full moon was turning my sky blue…
Packing up is also a breeze, simply reverse the process of assembly, put everything back in it’s place & done. I haven’t had a chance to get her out again just yet..

I’ve been hoping to get out to dark skies this weekend but, thus far, the start of the wet season is defeating me… I’m still hopeful that I might just get out before my 3 day weekend is over…

So, what do I think of Alex’s scope… I friggin love it… I now have some serious aperture in a package I can happily manage on my own; the design & execution is just superb, clearly, Alex has given a huge amount of thought into delivering an outstanding product with performance that just belies the compact package of the unassembled scope. Each detail has been carefully considered & constructed with both ease of use & the longevity of the product in mind.

I’ll admit, the lack of tracking which, I thought might be an issue for me, just isn’t!! It’s so light & easy to move, I just give it a one finger nudge & my target is back in the centre. The build quality is just fantastic, the optics are to me outstanding & everything just works, then the bonus, the scope is a thing of beauty & the artwork that Alex developed from a vague concept I had to personalise the scope (Alex’s little trademark for his customers) is just beautiful & several people have commented on how it just captures who I am & my relationship with this scope & astronomy..

I chose the Synta mirrors, you can pretty much have whatever you want (I’m sure Alex will correct me here if I misspeak) you can donate your own optics or you can ask Alex for something specific.. depends on your budget.. Is the Marana cheap.. well no, no they aren’t but, they’re not stupidly expensive either & what you are getting here is a hand built, well designed and constructed astronomical instrument that just works beautifully & delivers outstanding views. Alex’s design is purpose built to to provide a portable, large aperture scope that is manageable by one person & travel friendly and it just delivers in spades!! Am I happy with it.. you bet… I want to use this scope more than any other scope in my collection actually.. because it is simple & just beautiful to use & the views thus far from my Bortle 6, suburban Cairns backyard, complete with annoying neighbours porch lights have been simply stunning… I cannot wait to get this out chasing faint fuzzies under truly dark skies… I am absolutely certain I will not be disappointed..

Alex & Sergei, together you guys have delivered a beautifully crafted, well thought out package that just delivers!! This scope & the Nexus DSC just works for me on so many levels… & the views are breathtaking… if you want a large aperture push to dob that is a joy to use & you don’t mind paying for a high quality, bespoke product.. do yourself a favour & contact Alex to have him build one for you, I guarantee, you will not be disappointed.. Thankyou Alex & Serge… I just cannot get enough of this scope & I’ve only just begun to use it…

More to follow in the coming months (if our wet season conditions allow it) and I get a chance to do some more exploring under dark skies.
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Last edited by Outcast; 28-10-2019 at 03:18 PM.
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  #2  
Old 28-10-2019, 05:53 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
kids+wife+scopes=happyman

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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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Carlton,

I am very pleased to hear you are so happy with your new scope. As you say, there is a lot of thought and time that has gone into the design. And I don't work alone with this. I work very closely with Sergei and other people to make sure that the design is optimal and vetted before implementing, so your experience with the instrument is a pleasant and productive one.

I can't wait to read about your dark sky experience with it!

Alex,
Gondwana Telescopes
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Old 06-11-2019, 07:30 PM
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ngcles
The Observologist

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Location: Billimari, NSW Central West
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Hi Carlton Alex & All,

That's a lovely looking telescope and by all accounts works very well indeed. Congratulations to all and I hope it provides many years of enjoyment under the stars.

Disclosure: I am good friends and often observe with Serge Antonov and have played a very small role on the Nexus as a Beta Tester and with some of the catalogues. I have no financial interest whatsoever.

The Nexus is a wonderful bit of kit and if others are interested in an after-market set of DSC, you would do well to look into them.

Best,

L.
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Old 06-11-2019, 08:01 PM
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GrahamL
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Location: ballina
Posts: 3,263
looks great ,, what (D) are your truss poles I'm sliming down my 12 " and will lookingf at stuff in the comming months.
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Old 06-11-2019, 08:24 PM
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Outcast (Carlton)
Always gonna be a NOOB...

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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Cairns, Qld
Posts: 1,285
Hi Graham,

The truss poles are carbon fibre maybe 8mm in diameter, Alex uses them in a way that adds rigidity to the scope but, doesn't require thick heavy poles to achieve the outcome.

You'd need to talk to Alex (Mental4Astro) to find out more details as I'm not overly mechanically minded... I can say, they aren't particularly thick in diameter & are quite flexible in their own right.

Hope that helps...
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Old 06-11-2019, 08:26 PM
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Outcast (Carlton)
Always gonna be a NOOB...

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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Cairns, Qld
Posts: 1,285
Quote:
Originally Posted by ngcles View Post
Hi Carlton Alex & All,

That's a lovely looking telescope and by all accounts works very well indeed. Congratulations to all and I hope it provides many years of enjoyment under the stars.

Disclosure: I am good friends and often observe with Serge Antonov and have played a very small role on the Nexus as a Beta Tester and with some of the catalogues. I have no financial interest whatsoever.

The Nexus is a wonderful bit of kit and if others are interested in an after-market set of DSC, you would do well to look into them.

Best,

L.
Mate, I have come to know Alex quite well through this forum & particularly through the build of this scope. Had a few chats with Serge as well, together they have delivered me a fantastic product that just works & both have been an absolute pleasure to deal with & are both very generous with their knowledge & expertise...

I second your endorsement of the Nexus product wholeheartedly as well as Alex's Marana scopes

Cheers
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