Scope Upgrade

[astrogeek (Leon)]

Hi guys,
I'm looking to upgrade from my 8" dob to a 12" or larger dob for no more than $1500. Can anyone give some advise on what are my best options? I would prefer truss tube (The Meade Lightbridge definatly gets me going) but I will also consider solid OTA's. Any advice would be greatly appreciated .

Leon "astrogeek" Schreuder

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by astrogeek

Hi guys,
I'm looking to upgrade from my 8" dob to a 12" or larger dob for no more than $1500. Can anyone give some advise on what are my best options?

Well I think there is only one option on the market at the moment, that being the GSO dob available from Andrews or Bintel.
The lightbridge is yet to appear in Aussie stores, but shouldnt be far away.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Geoff is right Leon. For that kind of dollars your largest choice is the GS 12" Dob. I got mine from Andrews but Bintel sell them too.

They are a great scope! Lot's of light catching aperture.

The next step up is the new GS 16" Truss coming out in a few months but it is $2499 from memory.

[astrogeek (Leon)]

Yeah, the GSO 12" looks good. The only problem I have with it is the length. 1.5m long makes transporting it a bit more of a hassle. I like the truss tubes because they pack down so small and can fit in almost any car. But still, the price of the GSO is very good making it a difficult choice for me. The GSO, from BINTEL, also come with 3 eyepieces, so your getting more for less. Anyway, tough choice.

[hogly52 (Graeme)]

Hi Leon, Definitely a tough choice. No matter who the supplier, the 12" GSO dob is an excellent upgrade for the estimated budget. The apparent difference between the suppliers could be levelled out with a bit of haggling. However, as you correctly identified, the 12" dob is not entirely transport friendly.
I've been blessed, where I work, to have a company supplied vehicle which easily accommodates the 1.5m length. Unfortunately I won't be in this location forever, with this vehicle, and I will have to return to the family vehicle one day. So last week, I checked on the specs of the family vehicle and found out that unless I take 50mm out of the OTA it's not going to fit. My only way around this deficiency and keep the OTA inside the vehicle, assuming we keep the current vehicle, is a little mod I'd prefer to keep the Qld RTA unaware of. If I remove all together the fold-down rear seats of the Pajero there will be enough room. On the other-hand I could upgrade to a 16" truss dob, keep the un-modified Pajero, still travel with the scope and continue to feed my aperture habit.
In summary, if you can hold out and save a little more for the truss dob, you're need for more aperture and the ability to travel with it, can be satisfied for not much more than what you're prepared to spend now!

Good Luck,
Graeme

[astrogeek (Leon)]

Ok, I think I have decided to get the GSO simply because it is $400 cheaper. I just can't justify spending that much for no more aperture, no finder, no eyepieces, when the GSO comes with finder and 3 EP's. Okay, the EP's wont be great but when your getting more for less who's gonna complain. As for optical quality, both have identical optics so that one's a no-brainer. I have measured my car and with the passenger seat moved forward a bit the GSO should fit in the back (But I will try before I buy). The only reservation I have with the GSO's is the issue of rust. Some members have had issues with the OTA's rusting, and although this seems to be a rare issue I will take it up with the retailer and make sure that it is covered in the warranty. If I was richer I would save extra and go for the 16" GSO coming out in March, but that would mean almost 17 weeks of spending absolutly nothing, something I cannot do. Anyway 8" to 12" is a good upgrade in my mind, and seeing as the little 8" has served me well for 3 1/2 years I'm sure the 12" will keep me going for a long time. Thanks for all your advice guys, even though I may not have followed all of it, and I'll write a short post when I get the new scope telling you how happy I am with it .

Leon "astrogeek" Schreuder

[astrogeek (Leon)]

Aaaaahhhhhh,
Everytime I think I have made up my mind I start to doubt my choice. I am swinging back towards the Meade Lightbridge but there is a catch. I will only buy the Lightbridge if I can convince Roger (at mel bintel) to throw in the free eyepieces that come with the GSO dob. Firstly, I can't bring myself to spend more money but get less. Secondly, I have sold my old scope and my eyepieces with it, so if I don't get the free eyepieces I will have nothing to look through the scope with . Anyway, knowing me I'll change my mind again so don't be surprised if you see an update here soon

Leon

[mickoking]

Astrogeek mate,

I once owned a truss tubed scope a 350mm f5. Twas a fantastic scope and the truss made it more convenient to transport but setting it up all the time was a pain. My advice for wot its worth save your money and buy the GSO unless;

1. You have to travel a lot to get to a dark site.

2.your vehicle is too small to acommidate the GSO (which I think most cars would be).

If your scope is mainly for home use, go GSO.

[astrogeek (Leon)]

Yeah, I do a lot of traveling so a smaller footprint is always a bonus. My current car could maybe just fit the GSO but it would be a tight fit. I live in inner melbourne an as you can imagine the skys are crap, so I have to travel to get to good site. I almost never use my scope at home (Can't stand the light polluted skys) so yeah it makes the truss tube a lot more attractive.

[mickoking]

Inner Melbourne, Yeah you will have to travel. Maybe the truss is the better option. But if you can coveniently transport the GSO ? Its your call