Newbie - first post

[1kmodem]

Hi All,

I am Newbie getting into Astronomy and have started doing some research (thought I should before i bought a cheapie at the Geographic stores). So i've narrowed it down to a Dobsonian 8" or 10" and the 3 brands Skywatcher, GSO and Bintel. I've read alot of threads and doesn't look like theres any clear advantages between the 3 brands? maybe extra accessories? (andrewscom vs bintel).

I have not looked through any of these, I might pop into the bintel store in a few weeks though (It's about an hour drive).

Any tips and pointers would be great even if they're dead basic, I know nothing really...:shrug:

oh and I'll be mainly doing it for the viewing and basic photos through a point and shoot or phone camera nothing major like those DSLR's

[pluto]

Hi and welcome!

Sounds like your shortlist is on the right track :)

I'm pretty sure the Bintel dobs are just branded GSO scopes, perhaps someone can confirm.

[AstralTraveller]

Get a 10". Keep the fever at bay a bit longer.

[barx1963]

The Bintel is a re-badged GSO. Main difference is that Bintel (I believe) do assemble the scopes first to make sure all is OK while Andrews (who sell GSO) basically just ship them in the boxes they arrive in.
I had a 12" GSO and it was fine. Skywatcher generally have a slightly better build quality than GSO from what I have seen but with no appreciable difference in the optical quality.

My main advice is don't spend all you money on the scope. You will need a few other bits and pieces, eg collimation tools, charts, red light, etc.
With deciding on 10" versus 8", apart from budget, the other consideration is how big these are and how easy for you to move or transport. Many people are often surprised at how large an 8" dob is, let alone a 10' or 12"!!

Malcolm

[MattT]

Hi 1K,
Malcolm is correct on all counts. Last time I was in at Bintel they had all sorts of scopes out on the floor. James and Anthony give great advice without any salesmanship.
Matt

[1kmodem]

Cheers for the replies, might go check out Bintel this weekend

[raymo]

I agree with David, the 10" will keep you happy for a long time.
I would add that the SW Flex Dob [collapsible] is easier to transport,
and will allow prime focus photography with a DSLR, should you decide to give it a try further down the track.
raymo

[Starlite]

I am also new to this site but not new to astronomy, having many scopes from a 2" tasco with plastic lenses to a 20" Obsession Dob with Argo Navis. A 12" Bintel Dob I got from Mike and Don at Bintel is a great scope with a right angle finder scope which makes life easy. Mike and Don will look after you. Start saving up for a pair of Denkmeier Bino viewers and it starts punching above its weight. cheers John.

[Camelopardalis]

Definitely go to Bintel to look at the scopes...be aware of what you're getting yourself in for :D

When push comes to shove, it's not going to be night and day between the 8" and 10" scopes, obviously bigger is better, but an 8" scope is the sweet spot IMO between what you see, and how your back feels ;)

[niko]

what about this one?

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=125020

[Starlite]

I bought my 6 year old grandson an 8"" skywatcher Dob so I would have more time with my 20", but it didn't go to plan, he is 3 metres on a ladder and i'm sitting in my office chair with the 8" and I must say I have had many enjoyable nights cruising the Southern Milky Way with a 31 TeleVue in the 8" Dob. A great first scope and no sore backs. Cheers John.PS can someone talk me through posting pics please.:shrug:

[pluto]

First make sure your pic is under 200kb.
Then when you post click on the little paperclip above the text area. Click one of the Browse buttons and choose your file. Then press upload and close that little window when it's done.
You can click preview to make sure it works before posting.

:)

[1kmodem]

yeah was waiting for pictures.. that scope looks awesome but CRAZY big haha
I have a small house and don't want to lugging that in and out of that backyard.

[Camelopardalis]

So keep it covered and leave it out there :confused2:

[zenith]

Hi there,

You will find many suitable scopes here in fantastic condition at 2/3 to 1/2 the price of new, and with the money saved you can put it towards a quality eyepiece, right angle finder and Telrad. I made a trolley for my 12" dob and leave it outside in a locked shed with a tarp over it, no lifting! I also have an ED80 with a zoom eyepiece as a quick little grab and go scope.

You will see a difference between an 8" and a 12", but not much between an 8" and 10", or a 10" and 12". The biggest difference will be between a $30 eyepiece and a $300+ eyepiece.

Maybe join an astronomy club and have a look see through some scopes and meet some nice people. Some clubs have loan scopes for members as well.

Cheers, Tim

[1kmodem]

Just picked up an 8". Thanks to Janet on this forum.
Super excited to get started hopefully tonight. Any good websites or android apps to look out for in terms of clarity of the night skies, planets, dso's, etc to look out for?
Based in Melbourne if it makes a difference.

[Starlite]

Thanks Hugh,Just checked my imageshack photos and they are 175 k so I will have a go. cheers John

[zenith]

Check out a free app called SkEye, it has a nice targeting feature when you search for planets, stars, Messiers, constellations.
On the laptop, Stellarium is free and great.

Have a crack at Saturn on your first night out, its high in the sky and very rewarding. The jewel box is also a nice one.

As for weather, skippy sky is worth a look http://www.skippysky.com.au/ and weatherunderground http://www.wunderground.com/

Also consider getting this book, lots of info and a calendar for each month of things to see. http://www.bookworld.com.au/books/astronomy-2014-australia-peter-northfield-ken-wallace-glenn-dawes/p/9780975607091?gclid=CJjnovfoqsACFUV wvAodyCUAWg

Have fun!

[1kmodem]

Thanks Tim, skyeye is an amazing app. Will try get Saturn this week, weather looks promising, fog needs to go away though.

[Sconesbie]

How cool is that trolley. It looks like a pram base. Bugger it, I only threw one out a couple of months ago.

I just upgraded from a 4" on eq mount to 10" Dob 1K, and absolutely love it. I've only had it outside a few times but should have got this one the first time. Anyway, the rest is history but the others are right, if you can afford, go for it.


Regards
Scott

[Starlite]

169038

169039

169040

169041

169042

169043 The 20" Obsession is factory tuned for Televue eps so I had to shorten the poles by 35mm for the Denks.

[1kmodem]

oh wow, what is that thing that's attached like binoculars? that would be awesome! how much do they cost?

[Starlite]

169114

169115 What you see is 3 grands worth of Denkmeier Bino-viewers with EPs set up for reflectors, they are designed to work with every type of OTA. OTA's are the cheapest part of the kit.

[1kmodem]

Holy 3g!, I'll slowly walk away then.. haha