[DobDobDob (Ron)]

Thanks Steve,

Very good advice indeed and I appreciate it. I have a 6" refractor which is baby sitting me at the moment, so I am not in a screaming hurry, but then again....I'm not getting any younger either

I have a catch 22 situation in that I make good money as long as I work crazy and long hours, this means I can go buy a scope but can't go to Star Parties or even regular observing nights with my society. I'm sort of stuck

I looked through a blokes 10" Dob last month, for a minute and could instantly see that I am wasting my time with a 6". My tiny brain tells me that I need bigger, so I was hoping that someone had a telescope that matched me and they were no longer using it as much because of the size. I am still quite strong and able bodied but I realise someone perhaps 10 to 20 years older than me would have Buckley's using their 16", 18" or 20" Dob.

I fully appreciate your comments regarding custom built and mass produced, I take it on board and really honestly agree. I still maintain that there could be a privately made, high quality scope, under a tarpaulin in someone's garage that has not been used in quite a while, and despite it may have cost considerably more, they might consider 4K to 5K not so much for the money (not to be sneezed at), but more so the scope went to a good home.

Despite owing a 6" refractor, I am sorry but I don't consider this as a 'real' scope, it was something to ease me in. I do consider the Dob I am trying to buy as my first 'real' scope and to be honest fully expect to sell it in a couple of years to upgrade when I know more about them from personal use.

I can't gain the experience I crave and need from my 6" as good as it is for what it is. My real learning curve will begin when I get the Dob, It certainly won't be the last scope I ever get, I wouldn't imagine.

Putting my top end of what I would want to spend at about 5k because it's a nice neat amount, I 'Honestly' believe that is more than enough for my first real telescope. I didn't pay for the 6" refractor so that doesn't count.

Spending 5k for a first scope seems more than fair to me, and wanting the biggest and best I can possibly get for my buck, might not seem practical but it certainly is normal

Assuming I get something reasonably good I can use it for a couple of years, learn the sky develop my own tastes and then think about something more expensive and more permanent. Spending 20K to 30K is from all I have read and my own instincts, a silly thing to do straight up as a rank beginner.

So there you have it, I am not in a hurry but I am by nature impatient, I don't expect the Earth but would like the best telescope I could get within my budget. The factor that the telescope is used has not been mentioned in this or the other thread and it makes me wonder if the same rules of buying and selling that apply in the real world also apply in the astronomy world.

For example, drive a 40k car out the drive way and once around the block and go back and try to sell it you would be lucky to get 20k, 25k if the dealer felt sorry for you.

There is by-and-large a natural reduction in price (quality notwithstanding) from used to new goods, however in astronomy, so far as I can tell, the price of largish Dobs anyway, doesn't seem to come down. Is this a fair summation or is it that dob owners are particularly resistant to sell their telescopes or are they unreasonable in their estimation of their equipments worth?

It is interesting to me how this works, anyway, once again thank you for your very well worded advice, I am going to heed it. In saying that I will need to do a little research on who makes the best mirrors, who grinds them well and so on. I assume this will be a little difficult to get the actual truth because a good deal of marketing hype and rhetoric may well abound, as usually does in other industries.

Back to the old drawing board I guess. It might even pay to schedule some holidays (I don't get holidays, I work for myself), to coincide with a Star Party, because from all I have read, seen (photo's) and heard, they are the place to go and see the widest range of gear, working all at the same time, so this would be good for comparative purposes.

Once again thanks.