Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice
Jay, I've had a bad back for years but I've handled my 15" Obsession for 12.5 years. Of course, my problem is in my neck and shoulders, but I use my wheel-barrel handles from the house to the Jeep. I still have good arm strength so it isn't a bad lift into the front seat of the Jeep. Of course, sometimes I have help when I am with other people. The mirror box weighs 60 lbs but if you have a van or a truck, you can wheel it in the vehicle without lifting the mirror box. In the future, I may get a van and a ramp. That is probably the best way to handle a big dob. As far as performance, I love my Obsession and will keep it the rest of my life. When the weather gets too warm, I think I'll bring it up north. In St George, I have to observe up in the mountains in the summertime because it is way to hot down here. I'm planning on doing some galaxy observing in early May as the weather permits. I'll give a report as soon as I can do some observing. Debbie On Thu Apr 22 8:05 , JayLEads <jayleads@gmail.com> sent:
Ok, now's the time. I am beginning the process to upgrade to what I hope is the first of second major purchases over the next five years in the hobby. This one will be a dob, and I'm looking for a truss design. I have a bad back, deteriorating disc at L5/S1 so weight is an issue. I know Ron Ford has Bill Cowles Coulter Dob for sale and I'll be sending him email to take a look at it, but is there any other recommendations (thoughts on Bill Cowles Dob)?
Here is where I am leaning. I have a 10 inch so I think upgrading to a 12.5 won't give me much bang for my buck. So I'm thinking a 15 inch and I am willing to go used or new (probably prefer used). A used Starmaster or Teledit comes to mind. An Obsession 15 inch comes to mind but they do have a rep for the upper cage to be small causing in some scopes a vignetting issue. I have also thought of a used Discovery, I won't go new with them because of what is going on with that company lately or the Orion XXi14. The XXi14 I like because of the intelliscope feature, if I don't want to star hop I can simply input and go. So I would love input into these or other choices others may have:
15 inch Obsession 15 inch used Starmaster 15 inch Teeter (see Teeter Telescopes, they are back east) XXi14
Thougths? Thanks for the input ahead of time.
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Jay, I would watch out with the Orion XX14i. These are very similar to the Lightbrige from Meade and are pretty heavy. Because of the shape of the mount and telescope, they are pretty difficult to put any wheels on so that you can get them in and out of the car. I have a homemade 16" truss tube dob. I have wheelbarrow handles on it so that I can wheel it in and out of my Expedition. This makes it easy to set up. The Obsessions have similar boxes and mounts so that you can rig something up to move them. I have seen great images through every Obsession that I have looked in so I wouldn't be afraid to purchase one. Debbie's 15" puts out really good images at really high power. You can easily put any one of the available digit setting circles on it. Both the Teeter and Starmaster appear to be similar in design to the Obsession and I am sure they would work good as well. The Dobsonian Telescope by Kriege and Berry is a good reference for how to make these portable as well as how to build one from scratch. Thanks. Dave -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Debbie Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:56 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice Jay, I've had a bad back for years but I've handled my 15" Obsession for 12.5 years. Of course, my problem is in my neck and shoulders, but I use my wheel-barrel handles from the house to the Jeep. I still have good arm strength so it isn't a bad lift into the front seat of the Jeep. Of course, sometimes I have help when I am with other people. The mirror box weighs 60 lbs but if you have a van or a truck, you can wheel it in the vehicle without lifting the mirror box. In the future, I may get a van and a ramp. That is probably the best way to handle a big dob. As far as performance, I love my Obsession and will keep it the rest of my life. When the weather gets too warm, I think I'll bring it up north. In St George, I have to observe up in the mountains in the summertime because it is way to hot down here. I'm planning on doing some galaxy observing in early May as the weather permits. I'll give a report as soon as I can do some observing. Debbie On Thu Apr 22 8:05 , JayLEads <jayleads@gmail.com> sent:
Ok, now's the time. I am beginning the process to upgrade to what I hope is the first of second major purchases over the next five years in the hobby. This one will be a dob, and I'm looking for a truss design. I have a bad back, deteriorating disc at L5/S1 so weight is an issue. I know Ron Ford has Bill Cowles Coulter Dob for sale and I'll be sending him email to take a look at it, but is there any other recommendations (thoughts on Bill Cowles Dob)?
Here is where I am leaning. I have a 10 inch so I think upgrading to a 12.5 won't give me much bang for my buck. So I'm thinking a 15 inch and I am willing to go used or new (probably prefer used). A used Starmaster or Teledit comes to mind. An Obsession 15 inch comes to mind but they do have a rep for the upper cage to be small causing in some scopes a vignetting issue. I have also thought of a used Discovery, I won't go new with them because of what is going on with that company lately or the Orion XXi14. The XXi14 I like because of the intelliscope feature, if I don't want to star hop I can simply input and go. So I would love input into these or other choices others may have:
15 inch Obsession 15 inch used Starmaster 15 inch Teeter (see Teeter Telescopes, they are back east) XXi14
Thougths? Thanks for the input ahead of time.
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What kind of ramps do you all have for wheeling these scopes in and out of a car? It seems like it would take a pretty long (and heavy) ramp to be at a decent enough angle for large SUVs/trucks. Craig -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Dunn, David Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:28 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice Jay, I would watch out with the Orion XX14i. These are very similar to the Lightbrige from Meade and are pretty heavy. Because of the shape of the mount and telescope, they are pretty difficult to put any wheels on so that you can get them in and out of the car. I have a homemade 16" truss tube dob. I have wheelbarrow handles on it so that I can wheel it in and out of my Expedition. This makes it easy to set up. The Obsessions have similar boxes and mounts so that you can rig something up to move them. I have seen great images through every Obsession that I have looked in so I wouldn't be afraid to purchase one. Debbie's 15" puts out really good images at really high power. You can easily put any one of the available digit setting circles on it. Both the Teeter and Starmaster appear to be similar in design to the Obsession and I am sure they would work good as well. The Dobsonian Telescope by Kriege and Berry is a good reference for how to make these portable as well as how to build one from scratch. Thanks. Dave -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Debbie Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:56 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice Jay, I've had a bad back for years but I've handled my 15" Obsession for 12.5 years. Of course, my problem is in my neck and shoulders, but I use my wheel-barrel handles from the house to the Jeep. I still have good arm strength so it isn't a bad lift into the front seat of the Jeep. Of course, sometimes I have help when I am with other people. The mirror box weighs 60 lbs but if you have a van or a truck, you can wheel it in the vehicle without lifting the mirror box. In the future, I may get a van and a ramp. That is probably the best way to handle a big dob. As far as performance, I love my Obsession and will keep it the rest of my life. When the weather gets too warm, I think I'll bring it up north. In St George, I have to observe up in the mountains in the summertime because it is way to hot down here. I'm planning on doing some galaxy observing in early May as the weather permits. I'll give a report as soon as I can do some observing. Debbie On Thu Apr 22 8:05 , JayLEads <jayleads@gmail.com> sent:
Ok, now's the time. I am beginning the process to upgrade to what I hope is the first of second major purchases over the next five years in the hobby. This one will be a dob, and I'm looking for a truss design. I have a bad back, deteriorating disc at L5/S1 so weight is an issue. I know Ron Ford has Bill Cowles Coulter Dob for sale and I'll be sending him email to take a look at it, but is there any other recommendations (thoughts on Bill Cowles Dob)?
Here is where I am leaning. I have a 10 inch so I think upgrading to a 12.5 won't give me much bang for my buck. So I'm thinking a 15 inch and I am willing to go used or new (probably prefer used). A used Starmaster or Teledit comes to mind. An Obsession 15 inch comes to mind but they do have a rep for the upper cage to be small causing in some scopes a vignetting issue. I have also thought of a used Discovery, I won't go new with them because of what is going on with that company lately or the Orion XXi14. The XXi14 I like because of the intelliscope feature, if I don't want to star hop I can simply input and go. So I would love input into these or other choices others may have:
15 inch Obsession 15 inch used Starmaster 15 inch Teeter (see Teeter Telescopes, they are back east) XXi14
Thougths? Thanks for the input ahead of time.
I built mine out of wood. They are long however I put a hinge in them so that they fold. They are probably 7' long and made out of 1X4. I also put a 1X2 on the sides so that I would strengthen the 1X4 and have a curb so that I don't drive off the ramp. I think my telescope weighs about 80lbs. I did drill two holes in the Expedition so that I can stick a bolt in and the ramps don't slip while I am using them. One additional detail. I used post hole digger handles because they are straight and square down where you are mounting to the telescope. Thanks. Dave -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Craig Smith Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:18 PM To: 'Utah Astronomy' Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice What kind of ramps do you all have for wheeling these scopes in and out of a car? It seems like it would take a pretty long (and heavy) ramp to be at a decent enough angle for large SUVs/trucks. Craig -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Dunn, David Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:28 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice Jay, I would watch out with the Orion XX14i. These are very similar to the Lightbrige from Meade and are pretty heavy. Because of the shape of the mount and telescope, they are pretty difficult to put any wheels on so that you can get them in and out of the car. I have a homemade 16" truss tube dob. I have wheelbarrow handles on it so that I can wheel it in and out of my Expedition. This makes it easy to set up. The Obsessions have similar boxes and mounts so that you can rig something up to move them. I have seen great images through every Obsession that I have looked in so I wouldn't be afraid to purchase one. Debbie's 15" puts out really good images at really high power. You can easily put any one of the available digit setting circles on it. Both the Teeter and Starmaster appear to be similar in design to the Obsession and I am sure they would work good as well. The Dobsonian Telescope by Kriege and Berry is a good reference for how to make these portable as well as how to build one from scratch. Thanks. Dave -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Debbie Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:56 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Scope Upgrade Advice Jay, I've had a bad back for years but I've handled my 15" Obsession for 12.5 years. Of course, my problem is in my neck and shoulders, but I use my wheel-barrel handles from the house to the Jeep. I still have good arm strength so it isn't a bad lift into the front seat of the Jeep. Of course, sometimes I have help when I am with other people. The mirror box weighs 60 lbs but if you have a van or a truck, you can wheel it in the vehicle without lifting the mirror box. In the future, I may get a van and a ramp. That is probably the best way to handle a big dob. As far as performance, I love my Obsession and will keep it the rest of my life. When the weather gets too warm, I think I'll bring it up north. In St George, I have to observe up in the mountains in the summertime because it is way to hot down here. I'm planning on doing some galaxy observing in early May as the weather permits. I'll give a report as soon as I can do some observing. Debbie On Thu Apr 22 8:05 , JayLEads <jayleads@gmail.com> sent:
Ok, now's the time. I am beginning the process to upgrade to what I hope is the first of second major purchases over the next five years in
the hobby. This one will be a dob, and I'm looking for a truss design. I have a bad back, deteriorating disc at L5/S1 so weight is an issue. I
know Ron Ford has Bill Cowles Coulter Dob for sale and I'll be sending him email to take a look at it, but is there any other recommendations (thoughts on Bill Cowles Dob)?
Here is where I am leaning. I have a 10 inch so I think upgrading to a
12.5 won't give me much bang for my buck. So I'm thinking a 15 inch and I am willing to go used or new (probably prefer used). A used Starmaster or Teledit comes to mind. An Obsession 15 inch comes to mind
but they do have a rep for the upper cage to be small causing in some scopes a vignetting issue. I have also thought of a used Discovery, I won't go new with them because of what is going on with that company lately or the Orion XXi14. The XXi14 I like because of the intelliscope
feature, if I don't want to star hop I can simply input and go. So I would love input into these or other choices others may have:
15 inch Obsession 15 inch used Starmaster 15 inch Teeter (see Teeter Telescopes, they are back east) XXi14
Thougths? Thanks for the input ahead of time.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Debbie, Thanks for confirming on the 15 inch Obsession. I also REALLY like the Astrosystems kits a lot and am going to look there. I have a NIssan Pathfinder I'll use to transport it. I guess it comes down to the views are the most important and for the month or so each year the back acts up, I can put up with the pain during that time and use the 8 or 10 inch dob. Thanks everyone for your input. On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 9:56 AM, Debbie <astrodeb@beyondbb.com> wrote:
Jay,
I've had a bad back for years but I've handled my 15" Obsession for 12.5 years. Of course, my problem is in my neck and shoulders, but I use my wheel-barrel handles from the house to the Jeep. I still have good arm strength so it isn't a bad lift into the front seat of the Jeep. Of course, sometimes I have help when I am with other people. The mirror box weighs 60 lbs but if you have a van or a truck, you can wheel it in the vehicle without lifting the mirror box. In the future, I may get a van and a ramp. That is probably the best way to handle a big dob.
As far as performance, I love my Obsession and will keep it the rest of my life. When the weather gets too warm, I think I'll bring it up north. In St George, I have to observe up in the mountains in the summertime because it is way to hot down here. I'm planning on doing some galaxy observing in early May as the weather permits. I'll give a report as soon as I can do some observing.
Debbie
On Thu Apr 22 8:05 , JayLEads <jayleads@gmail.com> sent:
Ok, now's the time. I am beginning the process to upgrade to what I hope is the first of second major purchases over the next five years in the hobby. This one will be a dob, and I'm looking for a truss design. I have a bad back, deteriorating disc at L5/S1 so weight is an issue. I know Ron Ford has Bill Cowles Coulter Dob for sale and I'll be sending him email to take a look at it, but is there any other recommendations (thoughts on Bill Cowles Dob)?
Here is where I am leaning. I have a 10 inch so I think upgrading to a 12.5 won't give me much bang for my buck. So I'm thinking a 15 inch and I am willing to go used or new (probably prefer used). A used Starmaster or Teledit comes to mind. An Obsession 15 inch comes to mind but they do have a rep for the upper cage to be small causing in some scopes a vignetting issue. I have also thought of a used Discovery, I won't go new with them because of what is going on with that company lately or the Orion XXi14. The XXi14 I like because of the intelliscope feature, if I don't want to star hop I can simply input and go. So I would love input into these or other choices others may have:
15 inch Obsession 15 inch used Starmaster 15 inch Teeter (see Teeter Telescopes, they are back east) XXi14
Thougths? Thanks for the input ahead of time.
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So I guess there aren't any inflatable dobs ... :) On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> wrote:
Debbie,
Thanks for confirming on the 15 inch Obsession. I also REALLY like the Astrosystems kits a lot and am going to look there. I have a NIssan Pathfinder I'll use to transport it. I guess it comes down to the views are the most important and for the month or so each year the back acts up, I can put up with the pain during that time and use the 8 or 10 inch dob. Thanks everyone for your input.
On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 9:56 AM, Debbie <astrodeb@beyondbb.com> wrote:
Jay,
I've had a bad back for years but I've handled my 15" Obsession for 12.5 years. Of course, my problem is in my neck and shoulders, but I use my wheel-barrel handles from the house to the Jeep. I still have good arm strength so it isn't a bad lift into the front seat of the Jeep. Of course, sometimes I have help when I am with other people. The mirror box weighs 60 lbs but if you have a van or a truck, you can wheel it in the vehicle without lifting the mirror box. In the future, I may get a van and a ramp. That is probably the best way to handle a big dob.
As far as performance, I love my Obsession and will keep it the rest of my life. When the weather gets too warm, I think I'll bring it up north. In St George, I have to observe up in the mountains in the summertime because it is way to hot down here. I'm planning on doing some galaxy observing in early May as the weather permits. I'll give a report as soon as I can do some observing.
Debbie
On Thu Apr 22 8:05 , JayLEads <jayleads@gmail.com> sent:
Ok, now's the time. I am beginning the process to upgrade to what I hope is the first of second major purchases over the next five years in the hobby. This one will be a dob, and I'm looking for a truss design. I have a bad back, deteriorating disc at L5/S1 so weight is an issue. I know Ron Ford has Bill Cowles Coulter Dob for sale and I'll be sending him email to take a look at it, but is there any other recommendations (thoughts on Bill Cowles Dob)?
Here is where I am leaning. I have a 10 inch so I think upgrading to a 12.5 won't give me much bang for my buck. So I'm thinking a 15 inch and I am willing to go used or new (probably prefer used). A used Starmaster or Teledit comes to mind. An Obsession 15 inch comes to mind but they do have a rep for the upper cage to be small causing in some scopes a vignetting issue. I have also thought of a used Discovery, I won't go new with them because of what is going on with that company lately or the Orion XXi14. The XXi14 I like because of the intelliscope feature, if I don't want to star hop I can simply input and go. So I would love input into these or other choices others may have:
15 inch Obsession 15 inch used Starmaster 15 inch Teeter (see Teeter Telescopes, they are back east) XXi14
Thougths? Thanks for the input ahead of time.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
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participants (4)
-
Craig Smith -
Debbie -
Dunn, David -
Jay Eads