Is this a good telescope?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Quite you!
I may be getting a bigger scope, but my 8" is not going anywhere! It's still going to be my main scope at home. Cannot beat it for grab-n-go aperture.

[chunkylad (David)]

Hi Sheap

You can obtain to GSO 8" Dob from Andrews Comms in Sydney (Greystanes) via mail order. I had my 12" dob shipped to my home in Townsville - a little further from Syadney than you would be in Melbourne - for around $90; bargain. It arrived 3 days later, at my door, in perfect order. No trouble.

Andrews has the 8" standard version for $399, or the deluxe version for $449. This version has a 2" Crayford style focusser which will allow you to use 1.25" and 2" eyepieces. This is a superior focusser to the r&p type

Good luck

Dave
PS; you won't be dissapointed with a Dobsonian 'scope.

[rmcpb (Rob)]

The 8" dob would be a great choice and you will not be disappointed. You could easily put in on a trolley to move it to the park if it is within walking distance, make sure the trolley has large pneumatic wheels to absorb most of the bumps though.

[Dan31415]

I just purchased the 8 inch from Steve at myastroshop after recieving some great advice from the IIS forums. I had never dealth with this store before, all I can say is the service was great and the product arrived in a couple of days and was collimated!! - which is pretty amazing considering that it was sent to Darwin. It also came with two super plossl eyepieces a 10mm and a 25mm. I chose the Skywatcher over the GSO because the Skywatcher seems to be finished better and the shipping cost through Andrews was a lot more, $25 from myastroshop compared to $120 from Andrews. Myastroshop uses Star Track Express which means that you can track your parcel on-line.

[ving (David)]

hi sheap... everything said so i'll just welcome u

BAAA!

[Gargoyle_Steve (Steve)]

Hi Sheap ... about 2-3 weeks ago I was in exactly the position you are, same initial budget, looking at a similar kind of scope / mount. I asked questions here, plenty of great people gave me plenty of great advice (most of those same people have already posted to your thread here).

I had actually done up a comparison spreadsheet of 14 different Dobsonian models across 3 or 4 suppliers ranging from 6" @ $299 up to a 12" spec'ed up model at just under a grand. If you want a copy of my spreadsheet in Excel format message me. Looking at this I was sold on an 8" Dob @ $449 plus postage as very best value for money, this model had the Crayford (better) focuser for $449 but you can get the "basic" model for $399. If you can find the $50 extra do it!

From what I have now learned I can say for sure: if your budget is locked at that $300-ish range go for a 6" $299 or 8" $399 Dob. What did I eventually do?? I took the time to ring Andrew's Communications, and Bintel, and MyAstroShop, and 2-3 others here in Qld. I got a feel for all of these guys, I asked questions, I compared what you get in the package - how many eyepieces, etc. The result??

I am now the proud owner of the Andrew's Comms 10" GS-680 Deluxe Dob .... ok, I upped my budget somewhat to $699 plus postage (to Qld) and temporarily flattened my bank accounts but it is superb!!! I haven't had it a week yet, in fact last Saturday night was the first night I got it outside, and what a night!

If I couldn't have found the extra dollars I would still have bought an 8" Dob - just because they seem cheap don't be fooled .. they ARE inexpensive, but nothing will perform like that for anywhere near the same money!

Happy shopping!!
Steve

[Sheap]

I think the skywatcher 8" is the way to go, i dont think i would be able to up my budget as much as you did. This one seems about the highest my budget could stretch from my initial thoughts.

by the way, love the "my god... its full of stars" quote, great books/movies (havnt read 2063 or 3001 yet but the others are great.)

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by Gargoyle_Steve

.. they ARE inexpensive, but nothing will perform like that for anywhere near the same money!

And that folks is the reason the good folks here keep recommending them

[Gargoyle_Steve (Steve)]

Well Sheap you're the first person on here who has actually said they recognised my quote (from 2001: A Space Oddity for anyone who was not familiar with it) - it just seemed such a natural thing to say in this context!

Welcome to the ISS forums, by the way, and whatever you end up buying I wish you clear dark skies, excellent viewing, and a whole lot of fun.

Steve

[nightsky]

Hi, Just came across this web page and it's in your neck of the woods
http://www.telescopeshed.com.au/

DOB around your price range
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=30>
</TD><TD vAlign=top>150mm (6in) FL 1200mm (f8) on Dobsonian mount, complete with 25 and 10 mm (1.25in) <CITE>Plossl</CITE> eyepieces, 9x50 finder and 2in adapter. White powder-coated metal tube, white melamine base (requires assembly). Friction control springs on altitude bearings, providing optimal tube balance, carry handle on base and eyepiece rack.

$ 450.00 Incl. GST

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Well worth a look.
Good Luck

[acropolite (Phil)]

For the same dollars at Andrews you will get an 8 inch which has almost 80% more light gathering area than the abovementioned 6 inch. A 2 inch jump in aperture may not seem much but in surface area it's a huge step. Add to that the fact that the $449 GS Dob on offer at Andrews has a deluxe crayford focusser and right angle viewfinder. The tube length on the 6 inch is just as long as the 8 inch so there's little space saving in the 6 inch as well.

[nightsky]

The only reason I posted that DOB, was it's in the same state where he lives, how much would Andrews charge for postage to Victoria?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Ditto myastroshop for the skywatcher (no crayford but better finish). But if the Telescope Shed is not far from where you are, it might be worth giving them a ring too, and ask if they can match prices.

[ThunderChild (Chris)]

Originally Posted by nightsky

The only reason I posted that DOB, was it's in the same state where he lives, how much would Andrews charge for postage to Victoria?

$40.
Hi Sheap. Everything all have said is good advice.
Noting that you want to keep the price down, I'll just pipe in with my 5 cents worth : I had a 6" GSO Dob shipped to Melbourne from Andrews comms ($299 + $40 shipping).

Have been very happy with it.
That $299 included some binos too, which come in very handy indeed.
Having said that, that is one piece of common advice I haven't seen here yet - don't be afraid to make your first purchase some binoculars. You'll be needing them anyway (even with a telescope), so buy and use them while you save for your scope.

[nightsky]

Silly me I would have thought he would have had binoculars,that was
the first thing I ever looked at the night sky with, but then thats me.

piece of common advice I haven't seen here yet - don't be afraid to make your first purchase some binoculars. You'll be needing them anyway (even with a telescope), so buy and use them while you save for your scope.

[Sheap]

I do have some of my dad's old 10x50 binoculars, i havnt used them to look up yet, ive just fished them out and its been overcast the last few nights.

looking at all these stores im thinking the 8" skywatcher from myastroshop or the 8" Guang shen from andrews com. its cheaper, but is that for a reason? are the mirrors not as good quality or something? Skywatcher seems to be proud of the quality of their mirrors. Anyone looked through both that can compare?

Im not going to spend $440 to get a guan sheng if i can get an even slightly better image from the skywather at $475 (both including postage)

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Optically they are probably the same. The SW has two advantages over the

GS: 1. Ease of use: The tensioner handle vs the springs. Both these are there to create friction in the altitude bearing to stop the scope tipping over when out of balance. But the tensioner on the SW is continuously adjustable and its easy to quickly lock and unlock while changing eyepieces or other accessories.

2. Finish of the tube. GS has a thin single layer coating on the steel. Sometimes they rust quickly sometimes not (luck of draw it would seem from reports from members here). The finish on the SW is a lot tougher. More like the enamel on new whitegoods.

[ThunderChild (Chris)]

Originally Posted by nightsky

Silly me I would have thought he would have had binoculars,that was
the first thing I ever looked at the night sky with, but then thats me.

Wow - you even came out of the womb with binos attached to your eyes?!
I am very impressed!

[Sheap]

had a short period of no cloud cover, took out the binoculars and looked at the moon and orion nebula, the two largest things i could think of. Jupiter was too low. I cant believe how much better it is with just the binoculars, the moon sudenly looks more real.
I also have a small tabletop refracting scope for when i do tarket shooting that had a little more power than the binos. in short, i can't wait to get a big telescope.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Great that you are rediscovering your old binos. They will come in very handy for finding things to point your telescope at too. Mount them on a camera tripod for nice widefield views of the Milky Way (works better from a dark site of course).