8" and 10" portability

[andrew2008]

Hi all

Now have an Argo coming for the 12". Yay.

This isn't kept at home so i'm after something a little bit smaller. Thinking an 8 or 10" truss dob that can be thrown in the car Without taking up all the room and taken out for looks at home. Will get a second encoder kit for it eventually.

Both are 1200 long and i assume collapse to the same height. Is the 10" a lot bigger for transporting?

[Waxing_Gibbous]

The 10" IS a lot bigger (well, bulkier at any rate), and heavier.
Unless you are going to be transporting it to dark-sky sites where the extra 2" will come in handy, then I'd stick with the 8".

I've got a 12" SW collapsing dob, and it only gets moved with the help of my RTV!
Mind you, I'm the wrong side of 30, so the bulk may not worry you so much. :D

[andrew2008]

I'm beginning to come around to that way of thinking. As a second scope for looks at home of planets and the odd interesting event the 8" should be plenty. Have just moved into a townhouse and all i can see is about 30 degrees each direction of zenith before running into trees and houses, not to mention the lighting and heat currents coming off everything. Skies are actually reasonable though, mag 4.5 maybe.

The plan was to transport it but the 12" is already kept at a dark sky site. Will put the money i save into petrol to get me to it more regularly.

[mental4astro]

Hi Andrew,

I had read your thread some time ago, but I don't have experience with these particular dobs, so I couldn't offer an opinion.

However, on reading your last post, would you consider a 5" to 8" SCT or Mak instead? I realise they are a little more expensive, but on the second hand market not so. These are much more compact than a dob, solid or collapsible, and can offer sensational images of the Moon and planets.

I've got various scopes, from 2" to 17.5", but my weapon of choice with the Moon and planets is my 30year old C8. Just has an RA clock drive, and doesn't make me coffee, but the image quality is sensational. I can also stick an astro video camera into it and a fantastic colour image appears on a monitor. COLOUR in Eta Carina from my home in Sydney!

I suggest to consider a different optical system for a second scope. You've already got the grunt in your 12" dob. Consider an SCT for home. They are very powerful instruments used correctly.

Mental.

[Poita]

A second hand C8 on a wedge can be had for around $400, makes a great little setup for home for planets and moon work, and with a reducer can look at wider targets easily.
With the wedge you get the option of doing some photography as well.
They make a great daytime scope as well if there is anything terrestrial to look at from your balcony.

[andrew2008]

Thanks guys. I have had some experience with an 8" SCT. Nice and compact and it is easy to get tracking but the expense vs aperture for the setup i'd like and along with the longer cool times and dew issues, i'd rather avoid Cats. I did look at the SCT for sale you PM'd Alex, the dob has a smaller footprint and will take up less space. It's likely i'd be pulling the OTA off the tripod to reduce the space it took up and increasing setup time.

Bought a 10" collapsible dob. Already having the AN helped lean me this way as i can easily get another encoder system. For less money than a 100ED OTA alone i got the 10" dob and will be able to add encoders. I have no plans for AP and aperture rules.

[mental4astro]

Good on ya Andrew! :thumbsup: A 10" dobbie for home!

I totally understand where you are coming from, and it to occured to me that you could also get encoders as you mentioned for it.

Now, you just wait until a 16" or larger starts pestering...

[andrew2008]

Mmmm.... i could sell the 12 and get a 16 for the dark spot:question: