A nice little SDM makeover for the 8"

[pgc hunter]

G'day folks, after using my 8" dob a few times over the last number of months I've come to enjoy it muchly. I decided it'll make the perfect lunar/planetary rig and its quick setup and light weight sonotube will make it very suitable for shorter or those early morning sessions. Ive observed the moon and Saturn mostly with the scope and despite poor seeing. Contrast is excellent, and at times the moon showed fantastically rich detail at 240x. I can see huge potential for those steadier nights.

But, I am not satisfied with the mount, it is too shakey at higher power and makes focusing very difficult.

So, I decided that this scope needs a new mount. I might have tried making one myself, but I don't have the tools or the space to do that. So, figured I'll shoot off an email to SDM. I thought it would be a long shot as they tend to be busy with several builds going on and as such I was surprised when Peter kindly agreed to take on the project! Great guy :D

So, with SDM willing to give the scope new legs to stand on, I decided that while we're at it, why not replace the focuser and outfit the scope with dewheaters. Got good deals on a focuser and a full dewheater outfit so will be getting those aswell. :party:

[anj026]

That sounds like a great upgrade. Looking forward to seeing pictures when you get the chance.

:)

[spacezebra]

Yes, looking forward to seeing the final product. Welcome again to the SDM club.

Cheers Petra d.

[stephenb]

Noice! Any thoughts on what focuser? Feathertouch? Looking forward to the pics. :thumbsup:

[pgc hunter]

Thanks! I was opting for a Feathertouch, but because my scope is a solid tube, it would require creating a curved base for it which would be a bit of PITA, especially with Peter's existing workload.

So, I decided on a Moonlight CR2 with a curved base plate. Incidentally Peter has a CR2 in stock with a small cosmetic blemish, because of that I got great deal on it. It's a red version (was going to go for a black one), but it's a hefty saving over getting a new one ordered in so I'm not going to be picky ;)

Doing the math, I'd be saving atleast $200 just on the focuser alone by going the Moonlite route over the FT and the manufacture of a base for it.

Here is the scope as it is now:

[stephenb]

By the way, Feathertouch do make curved bases. Anyway, I've had an SDM with a red anodised Moonlite focuser and it's a nice colour indeedy.

[pgc hunter]

Ah just noticed it on their site. It's nearly twice the cost of the Moonlite base though, that plus the cost of the focuser would be in the $450-500 range :eek: Nah, moonlite will suit my needs very nicely and will be a big improvement over the existing focuser. How's your scope coming along?

[gb_astro]

8"! . Peter is going to have think of a new name. :)

gb.