Looking to purchase Dob in SA

[Wookie]

Hi everyone,
My name is Ryan and I'm from Adelaide.
I'm new to this forum and looking at purchasing my first scope.
I have a set of 10x50 binos I have been slowly educating myself on the night sky. Stellarium has been a great help in this process.
I am looking at purchasing an 8" Skywatcher or equivalent but would love to find one second hand to save a few $$.
Courier costs from interstate bring a second hand unit on par with buying new!
If anyone in SA is looking at upgrading from their 8"/10" dob then please get in contact with me.
Also if anyone has any other advice for a better first scope to look at then I'm all ears.

Thanks everyone and I look forward to learning a lot in the near future.

Ryan

[barx1963]

Hi Ryan and welcome.
There is a trade wanted column, pop an ad there and see what you get.

Malcolm

[Wookie]

Thanks very much Malcolm.
:)

[swannies1983]

Hi Ryan,

Where are you located in Adelaide? Matthew Lovell is located in the southern suburbs and is one of the larger sellers of astronomy gear in Adelaide. He sells both new and second hand gear. His web address is http://www.telescopes-astronomy.com.au/ It's not the best web layout so it's best to email/phone him directly to discuss.

Dan

[Wookie]

Thanks for the heads up Dan.

I am Adelaide based so southern suburbs is fine.
I'll get in touch with him.
I appreciate it.

Ryan.

[swannies1983]

Matthew also holds viewing nights which will allow you to look through the scopes he has.

[Wookie]

Thanks again Dan.
How do you find your 8" dob?

[swannies1983]

I've had it since about 2002 I think. I purchased it in preparation for the Mars close approach in 2003. It's a great scope and is still the main scope I use. See my posts for images I have taken using the 8".

[Wookie]

Hi Everyone,

Well I picked up a nice second hand 10" Bintel BT-252 Dob locally.
Firstly, does anyone have an electronic copy of the user manual or equivalent (SW/Saxon etc) or point me in the direction of a link?

The Bintel came with the following:
A custom wooden box on wheels for storage/transportation
A Solar Filter (Just in time for Venus transit)
An eyepiece/filter kit including:
9mm GSO super plossl
15mm GSO super plossl
15mm plossl
20mm GSO super plossl
40mm plossl
32mm 2" wide angle
green filter
red filter
yellow filter
blue filter
moon filter

I have a 2.5x Barlow on the way.
I was wondering if there is any additional accessories I am likely to need in the near future...any advice and reasoning would be fantastic.
i.e Collimation tools, telrad?
Are there any tips or recommendations from people who have this Dob (or any for that matter) that I should know?
It's rainy here in Adelaide so I can't wait until the skies clear up to reveal the marvel I am likely to observe through this beauty.

Ryan

[barx1963]

Congratulations Ryan.
I hope you will be very happy with your scope. Personally I wouldn't have worried about the barlow as you have a good range of eyepieces there anyway. Keep it though as when you upgrade your EPs you will find you will not want to use the plossls anymore.
As regards collimating there are a couple of things I can recommend. The collimating screws and springs on these scopes is not particularly flash. It is serviceable but only just. Look at getting a set of Bobs knobs. I replaced the Primary and Seconady knobs and got springs for the primary and it makes the whole process SOOO much easier.
Secondly, read this article http://www.astro-baby.com/collimation/astro%20babys%20collimation%20guide .htm which is a basic guide to collimating. I printed it out and worked my way through it at the scope and it helped a lot. Try and get a cheshire collimator (Bintel sell them) and learn to use that, if you get a laser collimator only use it as a final check AFTER the rest of the procedure.
I use the laser each time I go out as a bit of a spot check and do a full collimation every couple of weeks or so and that seems to keep everything tidy, at least good enough for visual work.
Make sure you thoroughly check your solar filter before use for any holes or damage. It can be very dangerous observing the sun with anything that is not perfect.
My only other piece of advice is get a decent star atlas and learn to navigate the night sky. Takes a bit of practice but worth it in the end!

Malcolm