StreamerBean ^lt;/streamerbean_at_earthlink.net/> said:
> Exactly what Jane said. It's easy enough to say one can schlep a big
> scope around, but honestly at one or two o' clock in the morning and you
> have to break the scope down into smaller pieces when you are a little
> bleary eyed, tired, and cold that's tough. Some people can do it, I
> honestly say I cannot which is another reason why I don't get out as
> much with my scope at the various observing sites short of the star
> parties.
Streamerbean?
What matters most IMNSHO is a getting a scope the size of which you can
transport easily. Period. The rest is fluff.
I don't care so much about the weight, but that's me. I have an 18"
Obsession, compared to other similar size Dobs it is heavy, but I've
seen heavier. But when there is a breeze, well, heavy can be good. The
Obsession is easy to assemble. There are other designs, brilliantly
executed, that are more complex to assemble and break down. I like
simplicity, it is easy to deal with at 3 a.m. My friends usually help
me lift the mirror box into my truck, and that makes it easy. Other
times, I just consider lifting it myself the only exercise I get
observing (other than a lot of back and forth walking and doing "steps"
on the ladder).
Get out, see the scopes firsthand. See if the owners will allow you to
lift it so you can get a real idea of what you're going to deal with.
Watch the setup, how long it takes, how complex or finicky the whole
thing is to deal with. Push the scope around at night, use it a bit,
get a feel for the "touch"... how it moves. See what its like in a bit
of a breeze. Bottom line, talk to owners and test drive before making a
purchase.
Mark
-- What TAC Is About. http://www.observers.org/Join.shtml Webcam, DSLR, CCD Imaging use NorCal AI. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/norcal_ai/ Designing and improving TAC's website. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/tac-ops/ Sub-scribe or Unsub-scribe from TAC http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/sf-bay-tacReceived on Wed Nov 29 17:16:54 2006