hey

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

James,

Get a GS Dob, not the Skywatcher! Skywatchers are made by Synta in China and are fairly crappy and the focusers have a bad reputation. The GS is made by Guan Sheng from Taiwan and have much higher quality optics. Also when you order the Eyepeices, get the GSO ones. The Synta ones are garbage.

Bold statements, but true. You want help, we'll tell you the good and the bad.

Good to have you on board, I am an old Seven Hills boy and went to Blacktown Boys High School a very, very, very long time ago.

[james]

i finished from john paul 2 last year

[james]

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/images/...nian/gs880.jpg
Guan Sheng GS-880-LTD
$649.00 AUD

Guan Sheng GS-880-BK7-CRF
$699.00 AUD

is this one good ?

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Yes James the 880 is the ideal size and a great buy!
Its about as big as can be transported in the family sedan and 10 inches aperture is enough to keep most people happy for years.

It IS worth paying the extra for the upgraded model just to get the crayford focuser over the standard one which leaves a little to be desired.

When you place your order, I strongly recommend you order a cheshire collimater also.

[james]

cheshire collimater whats this?

[Starkler (Geoff)]

James its a tool for aligning the optics in your scope to ensure you get the best results.

A newtonian reflector such as the GSO dob will require periodic alignment ( collimation) to get the best out of it. You will need a cheshire (dont buy a laser) to keep the scope giving the best views possible.

Have a read of this http://skyandtelescope.com/printable...rticle_790.asp

There have also been a few recent threads on collimation and cheshire eyepieces, the forums search function will find them for you.

[james]

do i have to do that myself or does it already come like that

[Starkler (Geoff)]

It will arrive on your doorstep something between "reasonably well collimated" to "way off". It certainly wont be optimal as it arrives.

Best thing I can suggest is to take your new scope along to one of the local groups starparties and one of the experienced observers should be able to show you the ropes and collimate it for you

[james]

Guan Sheng GS-880-BK7-CRF
i jsut called andrews and he told me that this version really aint worth it, not really worth it for australia.

[james]

also he told me that it doesnt give good quality of planets. is it true ( even tho i want to see deep space, but i still want to see planets from now and then ).

[james]

also 1 more thing

how do you take pictures, cause i want to take a pic and ask you guys if its good.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Originally posted by james
Guan Sheng GS-880-BK7-CRF
i jsut called andrews and he told me that this version really aint worth it, not really worth it for australia.

He may be referring to the BK7 mirror which has better thermal properties than the plate glass. More important in very cold climates. What you really want is the crayford focuser which comes with that model. Maybe they dont have it in stock and are trying to sell you the cheaper model.

As for viewing planets, the scope should do a fine job of it with the right eyepieces and when collimated.

You could also try Bintel who sell the same scope for a slightly higher price , but it supposedly comes already checked, centre-spotted and collimated for you.

[ving (David)]

Originally posted by james
also 1 more thing

how do you take pictures, cause i want to take a pic and ask you guys if its good.

now youve opened a completely diffrent er... kettle of fish or however the saying goes.
to take pics of DSOs you need tracking... $$$

[james]

cant you jsut put the cam at the lense and take a pic lol

[iceman (Mike)]

All your questions about astrophotography with a dob, answered here:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.p...63,201,0,0,1,0