[Deeno]

Hello and Merry Christmas to all.

Congrats on one of the most informative and fascinating forums that grace the net.
It’s funny how preconceived ideas stick for so long. My father had, what was obviously, a cheap refractor that at best was complete rubbish. And this impression of cheap telescopes has stayed with me for most of my adult life. I've always had a interest in all things astronomical (from NASA, Star Trek to Doctor Who) and it took a trip to Koolang Observatory followed by a doco that was stumbled upon late one night on John Dobson and finding this forum not long after, that has sparked an interest that goes beyond my basic knowledge of our solar system and beyond.
So, tomorrow I'm off to invest in my first real telescope. Probably an 8" dob with a 10:1 2" fine focuser and colimator. On a bit of a budget so it will be interesting to see what I end up with. The good news is that "she who must be obeyed" has had her Christmas end of work drinks tonight and won't be making the trek to the big smoke with me in the morning so, maybe things can be stretched to a 10".
Thanks for all the info and look forward to meeting you lot in the new year.

Deeno