Peter and I are having regular phone calls working out placements, heights etc. that suit me and my observing style. We are getting into the final stretch. Maybe first light in a few weeks.
The problem with the compact versions is they are very time consuming to build, compared to the classic Obsession style scope. With the market being what it is in Australia it would be cost prohibitive to charge "the right price", reflecting the labour component that goes into building an ultra compact scope. Charging the same price as a classic style scope, which is what Peter does, he is working for about $5 an hour, if that. On top of that, making the ultra compact style scopes significantly affects Peter's available time and hence his ability to supply the classic style scopes on a timely basis to meet customers needs.
OK, here are some. The UTA "in the raw". Peter is experimenting as he builds. He has described the experience as fun
He has completed the UTA to get a weight so he can design the mirror/rocker box to a desired altitude pivot height.
Isn't that a lovely sight? Red () Moonlite focusser with filter slide which he has located out of the light path. Moonlite now provide a heater for the filter slide so that is going on.
How about that curved spider!
It turns out there was no easy way to fit the GSO holder to the spider, so Peter will put in a Galaxy secondary. Looks like the primary mirror and the finderscope dovetail foot will be the only things that carry over from the original GSO 12" dob.
(So there will be a GSO secondary in holder already fitted with a DG-1 heater coming to the IIS Classifieds soon!)
Total UTA weight, all fitted out and with 17mm Nagler - 5Kg.
I'm also going to get his new Delrin pole blocks (see his home page for details).
Should be a lot easier than lugging a 12" solid tube plus base around!
Interesting to hear about Peter not continuing with the Compact style. I found the 22" compact less time consuming than the 16" Tridob, but it did require a lot of shaped steel components that had to be laser cut, welded, bent at specific angles, drilled and tapped etc.
His were an excellent design too I thought - not having the fold-over altitude bearings would have simplified construction as well.
Anyway, at a 12" size the classic design would be plenty portable enough.
Not my build Norm - I can only saw up pine chunks!
Peter Read (SDM Telescopes) is building it. The photos are in the raw state. He'll stain, then put several layers of something (two pack polyurethane?) on it.
Looking good Eric. Am positively green with envy
I can imagine the anticipation on getting the beastie is worse than a kid's excitement before Christmas
Let me tell a bit more about my scope. I've been quite fortunate, knowing the workload Peter has on as he does his best to deliver to his customers.
I cannot remember exactly when I first contacted Peter, but I took my GSO for a visit to his place later in January 2009. My earliest email on file is Peter giving me directions in early January. On the evening, after inspection, he told me that he believed the mirror to be worth placing into a better telescope. We agreed to talk later on in the year, if I was in a position to proceed.
I contacted Peter late July and he was happy to proceed. I gathered a 12" was an experiment for him, a much smaller aperture that his usual scopes. It is interesting therefore to see that he is working on a 10" for John. I honestly don't know whether these small apertures are a worthwhile proposition for Peter - his labour/materials don't go down as a linear function of aperture size- we shall see what he advertises to do in future, I expect.
So we have been working since then with Peter fitting mine around his other commitments. If I take delivery this year, I will consider myself fortunate - an SDM from conception, through build, to delivery in about 12 months - yes, fortunate.
I gathered a 12" was an experiment for him, a much smaller aperture that his usual scopes. It is interesting therefore to see that he is working on a 10" for John.
Hi Erick,
The 12" will be an experiment for him because he has only done a small part of my scope to date. Peter did the mirror cell and split blocks about 18 mths ago and it hasn't progressed from there because he doesn't have the mirror. The mirror weight will determine some of the design parameters for the mirror box, rocker box and UCA. Consequently your mirror box, rocker box and UCA will be the first he has done in this size class.
Quote:
I honestly don't know whether these small apertures are a worthwhile proposition for Peter - his labour/materials don't go down as a linear function of aperture size- we shall see what he advertises to do in future, I expect.
Clearly they are not because as you correctly point out the costs are not a linear function of aperture. It takes almost as long to build a small truss scope as it does a big one. Peter however is trying to build his business in a very small Australian market, by having as many of his scopes "out in the field" as he possibly can. Consequently he is happy to "build what the customer wants", notwithstanding that some jobs are not very profitable. Further he is just a very obliging accomodating person and wants every customer to be happy. While he doesn't advertise scopes under 14" on his website he will build them as a one off, if his workload and timeframe allows.
Nice one Eric. We want plenty of pix when it arrives.
) Moonlite focusser with filter slide which he has located out of the light path. Moonlite now provide a heater for the filter slide so that is going on.
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