New Skywatcher 'goto' Dobs

[Raybot (Ray) (Ray)]

Hi all,

thought it was time to introduce myself as I have been lurking in the forum since january , picking up lots of good advice.
Have been interested in astronomy since a boy (a long time ago) when my uncle took me to watch Skylab on it's final orbit + scouring some star groups (probably the Plaeides) with his ex WW2 binoculars.
Fast forward to this January, and I am now the proud owner of a Skywatcher 8" dob (thnx to the advice here).
I live in a semi-rural location and the skies are reasonably dark, managed to find the sombrero galaxy on my first night ! I was sold ! (even if it was quite faint)
So, I am now considering a larger scope (I dare to dream). As I am primarily interested in visual astronomy I am considering a move to either a Lightbridge 16" or possibly the new range goto skywatchers ( I understand they are releasing a fully goto 14"). Here's a link to a UK review site discussing their 12" model:

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipmen...ob-review.html

So I am busily saving cash for an upgrade that will allow me to se more DSOs, however I am torn between the aperture of the Lightbridge (at 16"), and the features and convenience of the 14" Skywatcher Synscan.

So (eventually) here's my question: Is the extra 2" aperture worth the trade-off of the goto functionality ?
Is there a similar 'goto' system I could apply to a Lightbridge that I should start researching ? (is this what Argo Navis does?)

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for you advice past, and hopefully, future,

cheers,

Ray

[Louwai (Bryan)]

Ray,
First of all, welcome to IIS.......

I see you are not far from me & a few other members who also live in the valley. I myself am in Toowong, but I go to a dark site in the valley.

If you are wanting to look through some larger scopes as part of your decision making process, I'm happy to bring mine out one night.
I have an SDM 20" GO-TO & a Skywatcher 12" GO-TO.

The latter courtesey of the winning raffle ticket at Qld Astrofest.

The SW is the standard proprietry system. These units do not have a releasable clutches, so you cannot "push-to". It can only ever be driven by the motors. To be totally honest I think this is a bit of a pain, but hey, who am I to complain......

The SDM is guided by an Argo Navis unit which tells the Servo-cat drive system where to drive to. The SDM can either "Push-to" or GO-TO so you can have a go at pushing with the aid of the Argo Navis.



In answer to your question, I'd go SDM all the way. http://www.sdmtelescopes.com.au/
But I am a little bias..

[gary]

Originally Posted by Raybot (Ray)

Is there a similar 'goto' system I could apply to a Lightbridge that I should start researching ? (is this what Argo Navis does?)

Hi Ray,

Welcome to IceInSpace and great to hear you have aperture fever.

Gary Kopff here from Wildcard Innovations in Sydney, manufacturers of the
Argo Navis. Just wanted to answer your question regarding the Argo Navis.

Argo Navis does not directly drive stepper or servo motors. Instead, one fits
a pair of devices known as optical encoders to each axis of the mount.
As the mount rotates around each axis, the encoders emit electrical pulses which
the Argo Navis keeps track of. After aligning on a couple of objects, typically
a pair of bright stars, Argo Navis "knows" where the scope is pointing.
The user can then, for example, dial up an object by name out of the catalog
and the Argo Navis display will show how much you need to rotate the scope
in each axis. As the scope moves, the display updates in real-time allowing you
to zero-in on the target. Some refer to this as PUSHTO and prefer it for its
speed, quietness and reliability.

Argo Navis will also interface to some third party servo motor controllers, such
as the ServoCAT and the SiTech. Argo Navis then performs all the object offset
and tracking rate calculations on behalf of the servo controllers and this turns
the system into a full slew and track system.

Argo Navis also works on a LightBridge fitted with JMI's TNT (Train-n-Track)
product.

We also supply a range of encoder installation kits to fit just about every commercial
Dob.

As is often recommended, if you have not done so already, you might consider
joining a local astronomy club which will then give you an opportunity to talk to the
owners of a large variety of scopes and to see and use them first hand.
The primary considerations of a good Dob are good optics and good movement
of the mount. If you need to transport a scope to a dark sky site, whether it
will fit into your vehicle and the weight of it when lifting should also be given
careful consideration and when you get to the site, you want to ensure that it
will assemble and operate reliably every time.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Raybot (Ray) (Ray)]

Originally Posted by Louwai

Ray,
If you are wanting to look through some larger scopes as part of your decision making process, I'm happy to bring mine out one night.
I have an SDM 20" GO-TO & a Skywatcher 12" GO-TO.

Hi Bryan,

thanks for your post, am currently pretty busy with work, but would like to take you up on your offer. Will PM you when available,

cheers,

Ray

[Raybot (Ray) (Ray)]

Hi Gary,

thanks for the explanation,

cheers,

Ray

[DRCORTEX (Lance)]

Hi,

I was also interested in these.

I spoke to Gary from Argo, and there is no encoder for the auto tracking dobs ( issues with the engineering. as the autotrack is NOT your standard dob ).

Exactly how accurate it is, no idea. It will be at least 2 months before the GOTO versions are available, and then, there have been some discomforting stories about these as well. Taken off the market, virtually as soon as released last time, and could be the same issues causing this release to be delayed.

How true is that ? Don't know, just my 20c worth.

Cheers
DOC