I see plenty of young people building all manner of projects.
The difference these days is the cost. It used to be that if you built yourself you could put together an 8" reflector for a small fraction of the cost of a commercial scope, so there was much more impetus to get into DIY. Also, the commercial scopes didn't have heaps of advantages over home made (in the days before goto etc.)
Now when you can pick up a second hand C8 for under $500, the DIY route isn't as attractive to the starving students as it once was.
Having said that though, I'd love to see more beginner articles, and more DIY in the magazines.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thercman
Stephen,
I have always been a builder. I built my own 375 gallon acrylic aquarium, tear drop trailer, and telescope to name just a few. One thing I have noticed with younger people is they lack the desire to build. It seems as though they would rather just buy something that looks like it might involve a bit of research and work. In the states there is a serious lack of engineers and scientists which seems to validate me a bit. 
With that said I agree with you guys. I mostly pick up the magazines looking for DIY articles and reviews of equipment that I can actually afford without having to open up a line of credit. Don't get me wrong some good astrophysical articles are great also. Maybe some good DIY articles will help bring new people into the hobby. You know the sono-tube Dobsonian type of builds that are easy to do and easy to acquire parts for. However, the later statement is becoming more difficult... Ultimately, I have no idea what articles best drive the astronomy magazine's sales. I would assume what is being printed is what the majority are looking for. All I can do is suggest what would get me to subscribe.
Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention. With DIY articles especially I like pictures, lots of them, and big ones too. No point in having a DIY article with three or four small pictures of somebodies beautiful build with great design features you cannot see..... |