Dear shahgazer,
Thanks for the reply. I think I sudah kena racun-ed. Malam tadi mimpi ada banyak telescope, berpuluh-puluh SCT in various sizes, mostly orange in colour, being transported in some kind of conveyor. There are a lot of other people there too. I wonder what this all mean. Good I hope.
haha.. kalau dah sampai termimpi-mimpi ni, tak lama lagi ada la sebiji dua teleskop tu. BTW, call me Shah je..
A dob has always been a strong contender (again based on reading american articles and reviews) but I need to find out if it's true for our region too. Manalah tau tak sesuai for equatorial region and maybe our climate (humidity etc). Someone did mentioned about needing for re-coating for the mirror. How true is this?
I would say, material-wise, if we go observed at high humidity area, like Bukit Fraser ke, your scope will be soaking wet.. and at the exposed area around the tube, will become slight 'lembik' .. but so far I tengok it's not a big deal.
Mirror care is a must. And I must say myself pun is not too carefull about this thing, but it is still a must. Since we live in high humidity country, after observe make sure the scope is dry before covering it. Else you'll find it to be home-sweet-home for fungus, boleh ternak cendawan lagi tu..
. Oh yes, I learn the hard way. Recoating kena. Some say every 10 years(?), But I never re-coated mine. Maybe ada some degrade in quality, but then my Dob never had a side-by-side companion to compare with. So I assume ok je la..
My question now is would it be the 8" or 10"? Rasa 10" ni besar sangat tak? I'm keen on the collapsible version as it would help on the portability issue (ringan sikit and mengecil bila simpan) but I'm not sure about collimation issues. The Meade truss tube also looks really cool and high-tech, and lighter than the solid tube ala Orion XT. I purposely not wanting GoTo because I want to learn the skies the traditional way.
Collimation is an issue, but do not let it be the issue for putting you off from buying Dobs, like the truss-tube ones. Beli SCT pun akan ada collimation issue. Size can be the factor to choose either 8" or 10"... my 10" dulu masa guna Wira, boleh fit nicely inside the back boot. Now using Avanza, usually I put at the middle seat, all by itself. Sometimes, I stacked in behind along with my other boxes. 10" full tube Dob is bulky.. no excuse about that..
But kalau beli collapsible then, you will definitely save space.
I do have the budget and my car is big enough (a seven seater).
ahaa... then go for 16" , truss tube, can easily fit ...
(extra racun-mode)
What is a digital setting circle, the servo cat and the equatorial platform? I understand that we have to kejar the objects but is it really a big problem?
A digital setting circle is simply a device which reads out the position of your scope. It has 2 encoder that will be need to 'fix' onto your azimuth or altitude bearings. It works exactly like those GoTo scope, which is setup with North, 2-star alignment and that's it. Then, in the keypad, you select which object to find. 2 numbers or bar will indicate how 'far' the object is as compared to you current scope location. Just move or PushTo your scope until the reading descends to zero or the bar (macam signal bar dalam phone) dissappear. Very very easy. You need to set it up, install at the axis first before using it. And kena remove after observation. But from my experience guna Magellan tu, it's a snap.
ServoCAT is basically some servo motors installed on your telescope axis. Usually runs on 12V battery (I think). It will magically make your scope moves to desired location (when coupled with a DSC) and continue tracking the object. The object in the eyepiece will stay fix.
Equatorial platform's objective is the same as ServoCAT, that is to help your scope track and follow the objects. However, this is an extra piece of equipment. Your scope will be placed on top of the platform, switch on the motor and is move the scope with it.
Kejar-mengejar in Dobs is not a big issue, if you use low power eyepiece. But once you put on higher power, the field of view will be narrower, and the object will move 'faster'. If you're watching alone at high power, than no problem because you can continue fix your eye at the eyepiece will you hand slowly move the scope. Practise makes perfect. BUT, if you want to show someone else , then susah sikit, because the object moves very very fast, and usually 1 or 2 person je sempat tengok before object tu 'dah lari'...
From my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong, there is no all-purpose telescope. The SCT is a good compromise. Serious amateurs might eventually get a few to fulfill this need. The general set up might look like this:
1. A large dob (8" to 12") for deep-sky
2. A refractor (4' to 5" better if APO) or a a high f ratio Maksutov for planets
3. A mid-sized SCT, 8" to 11", for all-purpose, GPS, GoTo, photography and everything in
4. A small grab n go, travel
I appreciate your offer for the TT (what does it mean) session to show and educate me on these stuff. I live in the Lembah Kelang . How can I get in touch with you? I'm just so glad that I can talk to somebody about this astronomy and telescope thing which has been my interest since childhood.
True, there's no such thing as all-purpose telescope. But in my opinion la, the closest one can get is a 8 inch Dob with tracking. Can get good Deep Skies (wide angle) , planets are easily (boost up power), tracking say with ServoCAT ke.. for future endeavour in astrophotography.
TT = Teh Tarik session..
Myself and quiet a number of us here live in KL and around it as well. So boleh je we meetup. Myself is in Sri Damansara. Yang lain kena tuan punya diri beritau..
Check your PM, I've sent over my contact number there...
Sorry about the teh tarik and roti canai yang dah sejuk tu.
No problemo.
hati2 ada tiga kumpulan di FO;satu di sponsor satu lagi beli dengan wang sendiri dan satu lagi kedua2nya:-D
hahaha. pak aziz, how I wish I can get sponsored!!!
