Orion IntelliScopes - Opinions??

Hi All,

I am in the market for a new scope to supplement my aging collection! I have been looking at the Orion IntelliScope series ever since I narrowly missed out on buying Paul's ('lunartic) 12" IntelliScope last year. Anyone have any experience to offer quirks or highlight good and/or bad points about it, just to be sure?

I have also seen this online www.astroshop.eu/geoptik-dobson-telescop...r-300-kit-dob/p,8496 and it's messing with my frickin' head! If the price stands as it is, then it's a great bargain for a 14" truss Dob. However, having computerised tracking is also of benefit, especially on a 12" when I am only losing 2 inches of aperture. Don't forget, the IntelliScope is NOT GoTo but I believe it does offer tracking.

Or, if someone has another alternative for me to think about. Budget constraint? Around €1,000 as the upper limit.

Thoughts?

Seanie.

The Intelliscope does not have either go-to or tracking. What it has is "push-to". The set-up starts with the scope in a vertical position, two alignment stars are selected, and, after the second alignment is completed, a "warp Factor" is shown on the hand-set. If the warp factor is less than 0.5, either plus or minus, the telescope is ready.

Suppose you use Deneb as your second star, and want to find M57 after set-up. You enter M57 in the handpiece, and the handpiece shows two arrows, with a number beside each. One arrow is for Declination and the other for RA. Turn the scope in the direction each arrow points, and the number starts to get smaller, the closer you get to the object. The theory is, once both numbers are reduced to zero, the object will be in the eyepiece. If you leave the scope for a short while, the numbers will start to increase, so you just move the scope until the numbers return to zero again, and there's the object in the eyepiece again.

And here's the thing, it really works. The more accurate the initial setting, the more accurate the "push-to". However, I had to add a small red-dot finder to the scope to help the set-up. If you leave it too long between each star in the set-up routine, the accuracy is affected.

The optics in the scope itself are first class, and the finder is excellent (right-angle finder comes as standard). It is very easy to collimate (a major factor for me) with good-sized collimation knobs which are not set proud of the telescope tube. The supplied eyepieces are much better than those normally supplied with most scopes. although most people who would consider buying a scope like this would probably already own better quality eyepieces.
Because of the ease of collimation, I find I get much better views in my 10" Orion than I ever did in the 12" Lightbridge. Also, I would usually only use the push-to for finding obscure or very faint objects, It is just as quick to use the combination of red-dot finder and 9x50 finder to find most objects.

I got this scope last autumn and and I'm champing at the bit to get it to Monaghan and pointing at the Virgo-Coma cluster. I've already had excellent views of the Veil and Rossette nebulae using an O111 filter in the 17mm Hyperion.

The one minus point is the secondary mirror holding screw. On the first tube sent to me, the secondary had come completely loose, and had gouged a big scratch in the main mirror. However, Orion replaced it immediately with no quibbles. However, the secondary is very slightly loose in my current tube, and I have to tighten it regularly (only about 1/16 of a turn). I make a habit of checking it before and after every car journey.
The base took a while to put together, in order to get the wiring correct, but only needs to be done once, and there are very good instructions on the internet which explain every step.

In retrospect, I suppose that, for myself and for most of the guys on here, the "Intelliscope" part of the package is not strictly necessary, (the handpiece does cost extra). The first class optics and ease of collimation alone would justify the purchase price. The Orion's are available without the "intelliscope", but seem quite difficult to get, and may be being phased out.

Before I get onto the intelliscope Seanie I might be bursting your bubble first. That scope at astroshop you linked to is a 12" F5 truss and not a 14". Then I noticed it lacked a focuser in the picture. Then I noticed it was called a 'KIT'. ......Cogs start turning in my head..... Do you know, I have a feeling that €730 is for the scope structure alone without any optics or accessories like a focuser

Have to burst another bubble straight off the Intelliscope Bat. The Intelliscope is neither Goto nor Tracking. Its simply a DSC system. A very good one and it adds a fraction of the price of an aftermarket DSC system to the price of an Orion DOB over the non Intelliscope versions. ie. adds 300 to the price of a 10" for example whereas an aftermarket DSC KIT would set you back at least 500-600. However no Tracking nor GOTO.

I was the original owner of Pauls' (Lunartics) 12" Orion Intelliscope. It was a great scope and I modded it heavily. None of these mods were to fix deficiencies but to add functionality. I found the Intelliscope system a dream to use and found it very accurate. The only reason I sold it was because I got the deal of a lifetime on a brand new 16" Lightbridge from TelescopeHouse in the UK (€1100 instead of the price at the time of €2400. They are about €1900 now)

However, I can't recommend a new one at the moment. The simple reason is that the fall of the euro against the dollar means that Orions pricing has gone way out of whack with competing brands. Although Skywatcher is a Sister company of Orion under the Chinese Synta corporation umbrella, their pricing on this side of the pond is much better than Orions at the moment. They use a lot of the same parts as Orion so the Optics will be the same as well as things like focusers and mirror cells etc

Sticking with Astroshop.EU as the vendor and assuming you want DSC's at a minimum....

Now in terms of your budget you are either going to drop down to a 10" to keep close to budget or save a little longer and increase the budget a few hundred for a 12"

Heres a price comparison

10" Orion Solid Tube Dob with DSC (No Goto or Tracking) - €868
10" Orion Solid Tube Dob with Goto and Tracking - €1426
10" Skywatcher Collapsible Tube Dob with Goto and Tracking - €999
12" Orion Solid Tube Dob with DSC (No Goto or Tracking) - €1304
12" Orion Solid Tube Dob with Goto and Tracking - €2075
12" Skywatcher Collapsible Tube Dob with Goto and Tracking - €1747

You can already see what I am talking about with regard to Orions pricing. With a Skywatcher you are getting the same scope but with the much more managable/transportable collapsible strut system for hundreds of euros less.

Better yet. First Light Optics (FLO) in the UK have the 12" Skywatcher Goto for €1528, ie. 200 euro cheaper than Astroshop

IMHO, you'd be mad to pay 868 for a 10" Orion with DSC when for 999 you could have a collapsible strut Goto Skywatcher and likewise, if you decided to increase the budget, you'd be mad to pay 1300 for the Orion DSC when for 1528 you could have the Skywatcher Goto.

In other words, if you found a S/H 12" Orion intelliscope at a great price or indeed you ended up buying My/Pauls old one from the current owner for a great price, then I would say 'Buy It' without hesitation. However, if buying new, No I wouldn't be being a new Orion right now.

Regards

Keith

You see the reason why these forums are a great help?! Thanks for the indepth responses lads, very appreciated. I figured that the Intelliscope series was only push-to but I think having seen what must have been a modded version some months back, I mistook it for possible tracked Dob base. But that wouldn't sway my decision.

You got some good points there Keith. And I think you're right about the 'kit' aspect in that link. The photo on it is a bit misleading. I was at work when I saw it and was in a hurry, I think I got ahead of myself there!

The problem I have at the moment is that I am itching something fierce to get in to the backyard and do more observing. I moved house last summer in to the countryside with little (if any) light pollution and acres of space. Seeing the clarity of a clear night so easily when I get home late sometimes just makes me wish I had some real kit to use. That's why I am browsing with a budget. I have the parts for another 8" Newtonian but I haven't got the time to make another scope at the moment. Plus, I know the limitations of an 8", that's why I want something a little bigger.

I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the right bargain.

Thanks guys,

Seanie.