Grab and go reflector

I am thinking of getting a reflector I can carry out in one piece and start observing and am thinking of an xt4.5 or possibly a DGM 4.0. The costs are quite different but has anyone compared these two or recommend something else?
I really like the simplicity of a dob and the comfort of sitting down and observing. I have a DSO 8" (8" f/6 Guan Shen dob) that is great and looking for something to complement it for quick views. I want to store the scope in my living room so something out of wood would be preferred but not necessary. Thanks.

Dave Adams

http://www.buytelescopes.com/product.asp?t=&pid=11698&m=105
How about the 6" so that you have a little more aperture at 34 lb weight? The 4.5 is fine, but light pollution will make everything fade and aperture helps a bit.
Of course Norman Fullman makes some furniture grade small scopes that are very elegant and would compliment your decor.

Dave,
If you already have an 8" Dob (I have one too, just like yours), I would actually vote for a short tube refractor, maybe in the 80mm class. There are many good brands to choose from, Orion, William Optics, Astro Tech, Stellarvue Nighthawk, etc and you can find one to fit your price budget. I keep my 80mm Nighthawk set up on a good photo tripod in a corner of my room, ready to set up in a minute. It makes an excellent compliment to my 8" Dobsonian and it even gives me some satisfactory views of the planets or the Moon when I don't have time for my Dob to cool down.

David E

I snagged a new old stock LOMO 102MN Mak-Newt for $300. It comes with tube rings (very good ones) on a dovetail base that is in a block that allows sliding the scope back and forth with no chance of falling off. It has a rotateable and removeable focuser and a cap for the focuser hole when it is removed. It has a front corrector cap and a removeable back cap for very quick cooling of the mirror. The finder is mounted concentricaly in the corrector and you rotate it 180 degrees to go from finder to main mirror. You can cradle the scope it your lap and view from any chair or set outside on the ground if you want. I use a Stellarvue M1 mount and tripod to mount the scope. This scope knocked the Nighthawk II off the mount as my favorite grab-n-go astro scope. Optics are guaranteed 1/6 wave minimum and it throws up excellent images. It split the double-double in Lyra at 62X this past summer. The NH II refractor is good, but the LOMO 102MN consistently beats it in the images it throws up. It has a very businesslike look and comes with a good 25mm Plossl EP for wide field scanning. The scope likes Siebert Optics Star Splitters and you get a sharp Airy disc across the entire FOV. Snag one if you find one, as they are a bit of a rarity and like nothing else out there due to the concentric internal finder. Where this scope really shines is as a lunar scope when the moon isn't too far above the horizon. It seems to cut through bad seeing better than my bigger scopes and I don't need a moon filter due to the 4" aperture when running mags over 200X. The scope does 300X no sweat. It's downright weird how small obstructed scopes gain contrast over a refractor at extremely high mags on lunar viewing. Crater shadows are jet black instead of very dark gray, and the shades of gray on the lunar surface exceed any other type of scope except my 6" LOMO Mak-Cass when the moon is higher in the sky and I can use it instead. Whites are really white as well as there is zero false color.

>>>I am thinking of getting a reflector I can carry out in one piece and start observing and am thinking of an xt4.5 or possibly a DGM 4.0. The costs are quite different but has anyone compared these two or recommend something else?
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Hi Dave:

My "Grab and Go" Reflector is a Orion Space Probe 130ST fit with a 2 inch focuser and mounted on an EQ-3 Tripod fit with a set of Super Polaris Wooden Legs. It is easy to carry out the door and across the obstacles in the patio, plot it down and be ready to go.

Collimated and cooled down, it does a wonderful job on all types of targets. With a Paracorr or without a Paracorr it is capable of better than a 3 degree TFoV and yet it provides some surprisingly good planetary views.

But... and this is the biggie and the reason why any reflector small or large doesn't make a good quick look scope...

It still takes real time for it to cool down. For the first half hour or more, the views, particularly the high power planetary views are just not up to snuff. Once the scope is thermally stable, then you get the good views and Saturn and Jupiter come into their own. But until then, a small refractor will provide better high power views.

Another issue is that it is not that much more portable than your 8 inch DOB. Two trips vs one, but you still need to make another trip for the eyepieces and chair so the time saved is not so much.

For that reason, I think the best "grab and go" scope is a small good quality refractor. It gives good views from the moment you walk out the door and is at its best in a few moments. If you are out trying to catch a shadow transit or Venus at dusk, it is ready to go. It is more versatile and is nice as a terrestial/birding scope.

I am a big fan of all types of Newtonians but I am also a big fan of small, relatively fast refractors. A larger Newtonian (or SCT/MAK) along with a compact refractor make great companions, they compliment each other very nicely.

Best wishes, clear skies ahead

Jon

Attached Image:

How about an Orion Starblast?

Vixen sell a 5" reflector on a porta mount for $399 plus shipping, I wanted the pota mount for some of the small refractors I own but getting a F5 5" reflector which looks like the orion 130ST but Vixen does the QC might be a better way to go. The Porta mount sellls for $399 by itself and you get a nice 5" scope as well for the same price is a no brainer. The mount does have slo mo controls which is a very nice perk plus its very portable. This package was a promo for xmas and not found on the old vixen site but the new inporter of vixen does have them listed on there web site. Good luck for what you may decide, Jim.

Stargazer Steve makes a handsome 6" f/5 that would look nice in the livingroom and be quite capable of giving good views also. You might try googling the name to get to his website.

Hugh Bartlett

Thanks to everyone for their advice and I have a lot of good ideas to pursue. Another option I ran across is a Starbuckets 6" or 8" scope. They look good and are lightweight for their apeture.

Dave Adams