GSO lack of manuals

[Popeye (Bert)]

Late June this year I bought an 8" GSO dob from Andrews Communications. I have since found out - like a lot of others - that GSO expects you to know what to do in assembling the thing, collimating etc. In other words no manual to refer to and not even one on-line. Well I found one site that someone had set up that got me through the assembly bit and another for collimation (but not too sure which knobs access the collimation part and which are the locking screws) and even bought a laser collimator from someone in IIS. What is is with these people that they will sell a product and expect everyone to know how to operate it?
Once assembled I was left with a battery pack to accommodate 8 AA batteries but no idea where this pack goes. I suspect that it fits in the primary mirror assembly somehow but without instructions I'm reluctant to undo bolts to find out if I'm correct or not. (I have found the mirror cleaning instructions in IIS but simply 'remove the mirror assembly' is a bit vague for me.)
Anyone with some answers?
Popeye

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

Hi Popeye,
This should be the same as your 8".
I never worried about the fan but zhumell are rebasged gso, in America.

Hopefully the pdf shows where to put the battery pack.

Matt

http://www.telescopes.com/images/pdf/ZHUE024.pdf

[Steffen]

I suppose that's what you get when you pay rock-bottom prices.

Brands like GSO and retailers like Andrews are for people who know exactly what they need and how to use it. Their merchandise doesn't come with advice and guidance. To get that as well you buy the exact same scope from Bintel and pay $100 more.

That said, IIS is here to the rescue, just ask away

The battery pack plugs into the the socket on the bottom of the mirror assembly and drives the mirror cooling fan, as you have probably found out. The pack itself doesn't have a place, it just sits on the bottom of the rocker box.

For removing the mirror you first remove the screws around the bottom of the tube. Be careful not to let the mirror assembly fall out, it's quite heavy. EDIT: Also, secure the tube, otherwise it'll swing around and may hit something. Once you have it out and on the table you unscrew and remove the three rubber clips that hold the mirror down onto its cell. Then you roll the mirror down your driveway to hose it off

The two sets of three knobs on the bottom of the mirror assembly are easy to figure out. The ones that screw into the cell and have springs in between are the collimation screws. The ones that push against the cell are locking screws. The latter ones are considered harmful for collimation and your sanity. It's best to upgrade the springs on the collimation screws to something a bit stiffer and leave the locking screws in a drawer somewhere.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Popeye (Bert)]

Thanks folks. I used the site that Matt sent to assemble the base the day after the dob arrived, but it does not mention how to insert the battery pack or accessing the primary mirror.
Steffen I am aware of the difference in price between retailers but was unaware of the lack of any instructions. My choice was made because of the cost of shipping to WA. In fact because of my postcode it was going to cost $170 instead of $90. I got over that by having it delivered to a mate's place about a 20 minute drive from here (considered Perth) and thus saved $80.
Thank you for the extra info that I needed about access to the primary mirror and the collimating screws. Inserting stronger springs and removing the locking screws is above my pay grade. But as a member of ASWA I suppose someone else will be able to advise there.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Bert
I am a big fan of the GSO dobs but when I re commend them I try to point out the issues with lack of instructions.
Upgrading the springs is very easy, just take your time and a bit of common sense. From memory I just left the locking screws in place and unscrewed the collimation bolts, slipped in a the new spring and put it back together. Once you have the strong springs you can remove the locking screws and never let them blight your life again. The reason they are a pain is that onve you have collimated, tightening the locking screws throws it out again so you end up re-collimating using the locking screws!!
The thing to remeber is that a dob is actually a very simple piece of gear, not much to go wrong as long as you are careful.

Cheers

Malcolm

[Popeye (Bert)]

Thanks, Malcolm. A couple (or four?) years ago I had a LX90 (and a LX50 before that,) PST and an ETXEC with a Thousand Oaks solar filter along with all the bits and pieces EPs etc that one would accumulate over 10 years of astronomy but sold it all when moving back to WA from Tassie.
Now I am regrouping and have decided to make it simple this time thus the dob and from this site I found one of the original ETXs (RA) that were made in the US and I love it. Just tracks beautifully and great optics.
Due to the weather that we have had the last few weeks getting to use the dob has been a bit of a challenge and I now have to find my way around the sky again since the LX50. My wife downloaded a great app for me on her iPad and I find it better than the pro version that I have on my Mac. And as she allows me to take the iPad out it is going to be a great help in that endeavour. Something that I am looking forward to doing.
The advice has been great and when I muster the courage I will work on replacing the locking bolts.
I did have a bit of a problem over a week ago, I'm very pleased with the stellar views 47 Tuc, Jewel Box etc, but when I focused on Saturn the image was only sharp when I looked into the viewfinder in a special way. I checked with the an SCT near me and there was no distortion on that.
Cheers!
Bert

[glend (Glen)]

The GSO battery pack can be attached to the base, there is plenty of wire for it to be located there. Why should it go inside the tube? I have mine mounted to the base with velco and its no probkem at all, and is easily accessed to change the batteries. I also use a 12v jump start battery to run the fan, as it came with a plug that fits the dob fan power connector.

GSO assembly instructions have been provided via pdf for some time now and is available through Andrews Communications, and they should have sent it to you.

I agree with the comment that the GSO's from Andrews are something of a wholesale item and there is a certain level of knowledge that might be required or at least some previous newtonian experience with smaller scopes, but that said dobs are very simple instruments. They do present the best aperature size for the $ and the optics are very good value. Yes you may get more TLC from Bintel but that shows up in the price differential.

I have had no problems with my eyepieces or focusing is very sharp. You may be out of collimation due to shipping shocks, it did travel a long way to reach you, and as Malcolm has pointed out the stock spring are a weakness. I have put the Farpoint springs in mine.

[Popeye (Bert)]

Aha! So the manual should have been provided. Thanks for that. I never thought to look on the Andrews' site.
I have collimated the scope since arrival and check it before each use with the laser collimator. The secondary has not needed attention but the primary needs to be tweaked a bit.
I was tempted to go for a 10" but as I am now on the wrong side of 73 I wondered if it might be prudent for me to stick with what I may be able to handle in the near future.
Cheers!
Bert

[glend (Glen)]

Bert I'm 63 myself and can managed my 12" ok (so far) so I don't think the 8" is necessarily beyond you. It's true a dob can be hard to move around for us seniors but there are ways to do it, I built a leveling base for mine and that is also where my handtruck fits to move it around as a single assembly and it does not have to be taken apart to move from the shed to the observation points in my yard.

As to the dob manual, ask Andrews to email it to you, I am not aware that it's sitting on their website, they sent it to me via email.

The GSO dobs are abit like the old Detroit B' body muscle cars, a basic shell but with a big engine - that's what you get a basic dob but with good optics and aperature size for your $. It's a starting point, and many of us like fiddling around with them and modifying them, as Malcolm pointed out with the spring upgrade.

I recommend you look at getting some azimuth setting circles printed out and attached to your ground board so that aiming the scope gets much easier. Also a digitial incline meter (just an electronic protractor) with a magnetic base can sit on the top of the tube to give you the Altitude figure. My eyes are pretty ordinary these days so the finderscope is hard for me to use but with a good star chart software package that gives you the azimuth and altitude figures (and with the scope aligned to true north) it's pretty easy to get right to the target.

If you need some help I am happy to assist on the phone, just send me a private message and we can get in touch.

[Popeye (Bert)]

Glen, I live in a strata titled free standing unit. I have a 1.5x1.5m storeroom for storage as well as telescopes and other tools. My backyard is about the size of a large handkerchief and the blazing street lights add to my problems especially if the woman in the unit at the back turns on her back light!
So I need to go places, meaning being portable. (Lumping the LX90 with battery packs for the scope and dew heater - for Tassie - was a bit of a trial.) With ASWA I have found a dark sky place and a group of us use that once a month.
I have e-mailed Andrews and asked for the manual after getting the news that one is available. I do have a digital inclinometer that I use for getting latitude for the ETX. The setting circles sound fine but I am partial to star hopping and used to be a whizz at it when I had the LX50, and I don't think it will take me long to master it again. (Recently I found the sombrero galaxy without any trouble by star hopping.)
Thanks for the invitation to call and I will take advantage of it if needs be.
I depart for Sydney on the 2nd September to see my family in NSW (my wife is going to the UK to see her mob - I have two children, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren in various parts of my home state as well as two siblings -) with a sister living in Blacksmiths and will be visiting her for a few days, as well as another member of the Defence Force Welfare Association in The Entrance, and a friend in Newcastle. Might find time to say hello while I'm in the area.
Cheers!
Bert