Hi Wade...
Ive currently got a 12" GSO Dob, and LOVE it!!!
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Does the primary mirror have a centre spot for collimation?
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Mine does, however, i bought mine 2nd hand, so it may have been added by the previous owner.
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How well does it hold collimation?
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In short, VERY well!!!... I bought it from a woman in Canberra, and after sitting it in the back of the ute for the 3 hour drive home, it was still alligned... I have only had to collimate it a few times since... (Most advise collimating every time it's moved, but it seems to stay in collimation, and i think if it aint broke, dont fix it...
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What is the length of the OTA? Height/diameter of the base?
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Fully assembled, it stands approx 5.5 feet tall, the OTA alone would be approx 5 feet long...the base (without the OTA) stands about 1.5-2 feettall, and would be approx 2 feet in diameter...(very rough measurements..cant find the measuring tape...
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I know they are impressive on DSO's, but what are views of the planets like in good seeing?
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They are VERY impressive with DSO's, as for planets, ive been able to faintly view the EQ bands on Jupiter, and with the help of barlows ive seen some very faint surface detail on mars. Saturn is always impressive...
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This may be a stupid question but would it be easy to attach a larger finderscope to the OTA, or will this upset the balance too much?
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Most of the GSO dobs come with a 8x50 right-angled finder, but i highly reccomend that if you purchase a dob, your next pruchase should be a Telrad finder, when used along with star maps, they are an invaluable tool and make star-hopping to the faint fuzzys a breeze...
... Along with the heavy EP's, Telrad and standard finder, there is a fair bit of weight to the top of the scope, but the weight of the primary mirror offsets it pretty well, and ive had no problems with balance...
Some things i would advise if and when you purchase it though; you might want to add some locking castor wheels to the base, it makes moving and transporting a lot easier; the azimuth axis can be a little 'sticky' at times, so consider adding extra teflon pads to the base to make the movement smoother; also adding a set of bobs knobs (
http://www.bobsknobs.com/) makes collimating a lot easier (not that ive had to do it often anyway)...
All in all, it is a GREAT scope, and i'd be happy to reccommend it to you or anyone else who is looking to upgrade...
Hope it helps
Davin
