FIRST impressions

[slice of heaven]

. Just got tea on the table and the courier rocked up with the 12"gs dob. Stashed it in the carport and back inside to check the kids. Their busy chowing down so I mention the Simpsons are on in ten minutes as I go out the backdoor. 40 minutes of free time to have a quick inspection.

. First box.......The base:....First thing that grabbed my attention was the triangular base bottom...hmmm....stability? Next.... The bearing assembly :....Quick test by hand...Verdict- Got to go. Too gnarly just by hand and being at ground level I cant see it standing up to the test of time.

. Second box......The OT & eyepieces...EP box first...
They are 4 6.5 15 30 all andrews 500 plossls not the 2 gs + 2 andrews as stated.Well I can keep the 15 but the rest are going back....Now to check where it really matters
:THE TUBE....The focusser..Made for a 10" scope most likely.
Next...Lift the dustcaps from the focusser and tube and check the collimation -no guess work there... it aint it's way out. Now for a peek down its throat. More of a dark shade of grey than black. Now to check where the sun dont shine...Yep it's got a fan. All back in the box and packed away till tomorrow.

. First impressions???
Well...Thanks to everyone here thats posted about these scopes I gratefully say that.....Forewarned is Forearmed

. I bought this as a project scope for my 8yr old to assemble & modify while he's off school after having his tonsils out. He doesn't now it yet but he's really going to be thrown in the deep end. Nothing better than a hands on approach to astronomy.

Should be ready for first light by easter. Wont have to worry about the full moon though, the clouds should cover that.

[janoskiss]

I do love your approach to parenting! I'm sure your 8yr old will have a ball. No 60mm reject shop scopes for that little one, hey? Sounds like you really do know what you're doing (with the scope that is ... re EPs, focuser, collimation ... ). Good luck!

[ballaratdragons]

:sad: I waited 20 years to step up to 12" and an 8 y.o. gets one!
:sad: :sad: :sad:

[janoskiss]

It's just not fair, is it Ken?

[slice of heaven]

Sorry guys, might have given you the wrong idea there.
He only gets to put it together.(no ownership rights implied)
Its a second scope for the family to give me some breathing space and give them some independence.

Steve,..YEP...he has a 60 mm junkyard dog . $5 TASCO refractor from a garage sale. Got it home ,threw the tripod away ,cleaned the lenses, showed him how to attach it just firmly to a pole in the backyard with a quick release clamp and hey presto ..Instant pier mounted 325x refractor come spyscope.

And to reply to the last part of your first post.
Thanks to all you guys and this site (Mike) I knew what to expect and that there are fixes available. Plus Ive had the old scope(to compare it to) for 10 years which has functioned faultlessly, only ever required general maintenance and cleaning,and I still dont have a real collimater. I still use a film container with a perfectly centred hole and follow the instructions from the original manual for this and then Startest . This had me scratching my head for ages till I worked out what your supposed to be seeing.

Geoff