[JoeBlow (Joe)]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone can give me advice for my next telescope purchase. Currently I have a 12" GSO dob which has served me for the past 7 years.

Recently my family acquired some land in rural NSW. It's blessed with the darkest skies that I have personally seen. To make the most of it I have decided in the near future to purchase a new dob with the largest aperture that I can handle/afford.

I've set the following strict criteria:

- 16" or greater diameter
- Total cost (incl shipping, tax, etc) for scope less than $10,000 (preferably much less!)
- Does not require a ladder to reach the eyepiece, however a small step stool is fine.

I would also favor something made from quality durable materials and construction as I expect this scope to last me for many years, maybe decades to come. And prefer that at most only minor modifications required to make it usable. However I totally understand that I wont be getting anything premium with my budget. Portability will not be a problem as the scope will permanently remain on the property.

So far I have considered the following scopes:

- Meade Lightbridge 16" $2200
- GSO 16" $2000
- Discovery 17.5" f/4.1 ~$5000 shipped from USA

Can you recommend any other brands from Australia or overseas?

Initially I was set on either the Lightbridge or the GSO, but I'm having concerns over their quality, especially the long term durability of their parts and mechanics. I also heard they can easily lose collimation during normal movement, particularly the GSO, is this a common problem?

I would prefer a scope that is a bit rugged and possibly last decades without needing to be rebuilt, hence why I'm considering a discovery, they seem much higher quality than Chinese manufactured scopes, though not premium either.

Also would you recommend a solid tube dob, such as the discovery Split-Tube PDHQ, over a truss design? I would believe they are more solid and hold collimation better. Do they have any other advantages/disadvantages over a truss type?

Thanks,

Joe