Hi again
Just to answer some questions, the light shroud is from Astrozap bought from Scopestuff and is designed for the Lightbridge. It fits the GSO really well with the ridged bands assisting in keeping the material from falling inwards. I don't need the shroud at the dark site for errant photons but to keep as much dust and ash as possible from collecting on the mirror. It's my baby so I'm trying to be gentle with it. It however is a little rough on me with it pinching my pinky between the base and a side knob. That's why it's a bad boy.
I don't know why it would need additional strengthening but I have seen other GSO 16"s with cables to add rigidity but they appear to be home dobs that don't get transported as much. The last time I assembled it the collimation lazer had the red dot just outside of the donut on the primary. A half turn of one screw and quarter turn of another and she was spot on.
I am down $300 for freight however Mental as the GOTO I was considering was with free delivery. I was surprised when delivery only took a week, usually we have to wait a lot longer for the camel train to arrive up here
Below is a pic of one of the 3 boxes when it arrived. As you can see they are packed well.
http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/v...f/SAM_1724.jpg
As for new eyepieces, I can wait for now but if a good deal or 2nd hand TV should beg to come live with me and the bad-boy.... well, I can only resist so much.
Besides I just read on cloudy-nights that the Delos series wont make an appearance until August now.
Even though the mirror has a fan attached I don't think I need to use it. I did however last week but there didn't appear to be any difference from the week before when I didn't. The house isn't heated and I usually pull it out from an air-conditioned car so I guess it's cool already. Besides there isn't a lot of variation in temperature up here.... it's hot nearly always!
Anyway thanks for the warm welcomes, I know every week on here several newbies (like me) introduce themselves yet people still take the time to say hi. I hope to be a regular contributer here once I have anything to genuinely to contribute. At the moment it's just relating a layman's experience with a new hobby and new toy. I'm taking the bad boy out again tomorrow so will take some additional pics of it sans shroud and how it's secured in the x-trail for transport (should anyone be interested).
Cheers
Gino