SKYWATCHER SKYLINER-400P FLEXTUBE SYNSCAN GO-TO

Telescope service have the Skywatcher 400P Goto for €2700.

www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_inf...-GoTo-Dobsonian.html

The Orion XX16 has been delivered to no one yet, even in the states so it will probably be another month or two before it filters out to the retailers in Europe.

For me the extra 2 hundred or so premium it will likely command over the Skywatcher would be worth it. The only advantage I see in the Skywatchers implementation of the Flextube is if you have it in a roll off roof observatory or in a shed but on castors. ie. Roll roof off and extend UTA or roll out of shed and extend UTA.

It would be a nightmare to carry the OTA to the other end of your garden or to the car. The reason?? Apparently the UTA cannot be easily removed from Lower OTA !! You can collapse it alright but have to carry Lower OTA and UTA as one unit. This also means when trying to fit it in the car you cant remove the UTA and nest that in/on the rockerbox saving space.

ie over all, the Orion XX16 isn't that much lighter than the 400P but its constituent parts are lighter and smaller. Could be the difference between fitting it in the car or not.

Don't get me wrong, I see the benefits of the flextube idea and it works wonderfully in terms of holding collimation and ease and speed of setup..........in the smaller apetures.......but the design is stretched to breaking point with the 16" version.

In fact I liked the idea so much I decided to mod my 16" Lightbridge to become a flextube. First off I will be replacing my base with a smaller lighter plywood rockerbox. ie. saving weight with the Lighter stiffer wood over the chipboard the current one is made from, but also squaring off the round groundboard which serves no purpose other than to make these chinese dobs look more stable to the un-initiated. I'll also be able to reduce its height by a few inches. ie. From about 24" to about 22". Contrast that with the 3 foot height of the Skywatchers Rocker!! The Orion is probably somehwere between the LB and the SW. I'll be using Moonlite Truss clamps to connect the 3 struts to the UTA and LOTA. These will allow me to telescope/collapse the OTA like a flextube for storage inside the house but make for very quick setup when I roll it outside. However it also allows me to easily separate the UTA from LOTA for transport. If you were paying attention you will now know that long struts like I would be using flex which is bad for collimation. I'll be adapting the string scope concept using bicycle brake/gear cable to create a virtual truss to give me back the rigidity I had with the Lightbridges original Truss poles. I've come up with a way to put the strings under tension simply by twisting the struts.

Heres someone who converted a Solid tube 12" to the flextube concept:

www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat...odyprev=#Post5028683

I'll end up with a scope that can be wheeled out to the yard and ready to go in literally 1 minute and yet can be wheeled out to the car and broken down enough that it will fit in the back of an Audi TT still leaving room for 2 passengers

The problem is..............

I've had this plan in my head for years now. My Lightbridge has been in pieces for years now.

I haven't had the time to do these mods......for years now !"

One of these days

Hey Keith, the James Webb Telescope is not taking as long as your scope. :evil:

Paul

Thats fair going Keith to fit a 16" lightbridge into an Audi TT with space left for 2 passengers :bigshock:
You must be good at tetris.

Thats fair going Keith to fit a 16" lightbridge into an Audi TT with space left for 2 passengers

Yeah, Ken and Barbie. :whistle:

Paul

lunartic wrote:

Thats fair going Keith to fit a 16" lightbridge into an Audi TT with space left for 2 passengers

Yeah, Ken and Barbie. :whistle:

Paul

You wont be laughing when I finish the scope Paul .........in about 3 years time

Just realised. Its almost exactly 3 years since I bought the servocat Goto drive system for the scope. Must install that one of these days

I'd just like to point out to newer members of IFAS that my middle name is not 'Mitty'. I've just had a very busy 3 years! Like the man said, "it'll be done when its done!"