It's in a slightly modified Dobstuff at the moment. It's good enough for the bush until the day a naked 16" SDM or equivalent pops up out of the blue and beckons me over. Dobstuff are closing down soon, if not already, which makes me sad as Dennis there provides a really great value product and service for the budget end of the premium Dob market.
I may eventually sell the 16" f4.5 Dobstuff without the mirror, focuser, ArgoNavis and secondary - just the Dobstuff body, to free up some space. It would suit someone already with a 16" f4.5 mirror.
You have had lots of fun with your scopes, which is what counts and having the passion going which you have in spades buddy.
Mel
Thanks Mel but I only have 7 scopes , biggest a 12"
You have well over double that including a 24" dream scope .
Your no newbe with your great knowledge of optics , it's wonderful to have you as a close friend , we must have spent hundreds of hour talking about scopes & its been super fun !
Hi Glen how are youbeen awile since we last spoke good to see you are looking for another Dob Barrys one looks nice and portable A must i think when contemplating using one of these , are you not using the 16" or just want to go larger which means heavier .we have just brought a 16" skywatcher dob what a great scope complete tracking on a dob of this size i had to build a special trailer to transport it and takes 2 to lift and set up the base heaviest part being collapsable helps and holds collamation well the views are brilliant.We have been granted a space at the new digital cube by LMCC under free contract its bright as you can see but the lake side is dark no lights and the DOB is in its element both for public and club viewing ultamatly the choice is up to you just remember getting there and setting up is 80% of the battle take care my friend and if you want come up to lake for some viewing
ALAN
Hi Glen how are youbeen awile since we last spoke good to see you are looking for another Dob Barrys one looks nice and portable A must i think when contemplating using one of these , are you not using the 16" or just want to go larger which means heavier .we have just brought a 16" skywatcher dob what a great scope complete tracking on a dob of this size i had to build a special trailer to transport it and takes 2 to lift and set up the base heaviest part being collapsable helps and holds collamation well the views are brilliant.We have been granted a space at the new digital cube by LMCC under free contract its bright as you can see but the lake side is dark no lights and the DOB is in its element both for public and club viewing ultamatly the choice is up to you just remember getting there and setting up is 80% of the battle take care my friend and if you want come up to lake for some viewing
ALAN
Gee Alan, that Dob reference was back in 2014 (see below). I sold that 16" GSO when I built my observatory in 2015. Age does weary one, and I just could not handle it anymore, particularly for trips and switched back to imaging with smaller scopes. Macular degeneration was ruining my visual ability anyway. I did get a chance to look through Allan W's 35" Black Widow out at Coolah in April 2018, at its unveiling. Impressive Dob for sure. These days I do EAA video out of my backyard observatory, with my ED150, and that meets my needs just fine. It is still pretty dark here, as I am on the Bush at the back fence, and have a great tall hedge of conifers blocking stray light. Travel for astronomy is probably not for me anymore, especially in the present infectious environment, and having underlying health issues; but best of luck with your outreach efforts. Cheers Glen
Well seeing how I started this, way back when, why not kick it off again. Hopefully there are new big Dob fans out there, considering taking the plunge. As I said just below, I did get to witness the sky through Alan D's 35" Black Widow, in April 2018. And yes it was very impressive but this was a scope with it's own roll out shed, so portability was not a feature. Perhaps discussion could kick off with limits of travelling size, probably directly proportional to owners age and fitness level. My GSO 16" did travel a fair bit, always broken down into components, with the mirrors in the back of my Jeep Cherokee. Ramps were required to get the bottom primary section in and out of the car safely. So any travelling Dob will need a suitable vehicle as well.
So who has the current largest travelling Dob?
I believe Mel, Alan and Chris Cox all have (or will have) +24" SDM scopes to lug about, which as mentioned require their own traveling circus. I believe a few of us on IIS have the 20" Skywatcher Stargate scopes. My wife got tired of me having mine in pieces stashed around the house, so I bought a 6' x 4' trailer to keep it in (disassembled), along with folding tables, chairs, and other knick-knacks required when traveling to dark sites. It can be done with one person, but you need to have a reasonable degree of upper body strength and a sound back, both of which I can imagine will start to desert me as I approach my golden years.
I believe Mel, Alan and Chris Cox all have (or will have) +24" SDM scopes to lug about, which as mentioned require their own traveling circus. I believe a few of us on IIS have the 20" Skywatcher Stargate scopes. My wife got tired of me having mine in pieces stashed around the house, so I bought a 6' x 4' trailer to keep it in (disassembled), along with folding tables, chairs, and other knick-knacks required when traveling to dark sites. It can be done with one person, but you need to have a reasonable degree of upper body strength and a sound back, both of which I can imagine will start to desert me as I approach my golden years.
I think alot of the owners have trailers to move the large scopes which I like to do as well. I have access to a van but even getting the scope to the van loading it is more a two person job for safety.
A more permanent setup would be ideal at a dark country property which also has other factors like cost and safety.
I have all my scopes fully assembled at home so I can roll them straight out to use.
I reckon go as big as you are willing to handle and have the scope generally fully assembled for ease of use.
I am seriously looking at a 30"/32" scope but need time to save for one.