lightbridge 12?

[danny (Daniel)]

Hi all, After some feedback on Meade lightbridge 12', am looking at my next scope. This will progress me from an 8' which in turn had progressed from a 4'. Have read other threads concering apature and will be going 12 for my next scope. I am happy with a dob as my 8 is on a mount and tracking. One question is with the truss design does dew become more of a problem and will a shoud protect the mirror from moisture while observing? Any other comments about this scope welcome, positive or negitive. Thank All

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi Danny.

The 12" lightbridge is a fantastic scope and you won't be disappointed with the extra aperture from 8".

Dew can be a problem, but a shroud will help, and also if you get the deluxe version with a fan on the primary mirror, that all but eliminates chances of the primary dewing up.

[stephenmcnelley]

Some trussmen put a big black stretchy sock over the exposed frame bits to help ward of dew, stray light from getting to the mirror, and also to help prevent eyepiece filters and even eyepieces from falling through the trusses and onto the mirror when changing.
With assembly and dissasembly you might have to tweak your collimation more often than a solid OTA, but having said that i would have a 12" LB in a heartbeat and they look super attractive too.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Based on my exp with the 12" solid tube, I'd skip the factory/shop fitted fan and fit one myself: high power 120mm fan with a full baffle. That will help a lot with the dew. On heavy nights you would also need a dew shied for the secondary.

[rmcpb (Rob)]

The shroud would be a compulsory item in my book if only to stop the accidental bang when an eyepiece hits your primary.

[astro_nutt]

A friend of mine and 12" Lightbridge owner has had problems with dewing on his secondary and has gone for a fabric shroud covering the truss section..and for the eyepieces dewing up..try a foam stubby holder to cover the eyepiece whilst it's on the scope!
Cheers!

[ving (David)]

if you want to see how to battle dew with a 12 inch lightbridge have a look at John's (astronut). he has a thread on it and its in his avatar too

[stellarquest]

Hi Danny, Please feel free to check out the thread Decisions,decisions.

[Tamtarn]

Hi Danny

I'm sure you would enjoy the views of the 12" Lightbridge, the extra aperture of the 12" will prove a worthwhile investment.

We have a 12" GSO Dob, and are very happy with objects we are able to see. We have been discussing purchasing a scope, possibly a little smaller for traveling to various sites . Our conclusion to this is that we would not be happy with anything smaller and when the time comes, our next scope will be larger.

David

[spacezebra (Petra)]

Hi there

I am a big fan of the LB 12", for its portability, easy put together in the dark and easy to collimate features. Aperature is the next advantage - love the views. Astronut is the resident LB mod man and has brought the scope ahead in leaps and bounds.

There are a stack of reveiws on this scope, take the time to read and compare.

Cheers Petra

[sejanus (Gavin)]

I've never seen one - how long do they typically take to setup and be ready to go?

[circumpolar (Matt)]

Originally Posted by sejanus

I've never seen one - how long do they typically take to setup and be ready to go?

Mine takes about 4 mins. Extra 1 min when using the light shroud. Then a quick collimation about 1-2 mins.

And away you go!

The Argo Navis takes an extra 4 mins to plug in and allign if used.

Fast.