Orion XT12i - first week

I purchased an Orion XT12i in the Cupertino, CA retail store last Sunday. Since then I have been outside with it every night.

Night one was impressive - I particularly enjoyed the detail of M13. No longer a fuzzy cotton ball, and now like a detailed scattering of salt on black paper.

I did not try the Intelliscope functions until the 2nd, 3rd and 4th nights, and had trouble getting it to work. Finally I just took the base apart and noticed too wide of a gap under the azimuth encoder and too tight a fit on the azimuth bushing. 2 washers later and some delicate filing with a 1/4" round file and the gap was gone and the bushing is turning freely.

While I have been taking great pride in star hopping and knowing the stars without the assistance of a computer, the properly functioning Intelliscope hand controller lead me to M51, M81, M82, M57, M8, and many others. I got a little "manic" as I toured through so many objects within minutes of each observation.

My goal was to get a scope with enough aperture so I would not outgrow it quickly, and the detail and size of these objects with the 25mm eyepiece is stunning. As Jupiter, Pleiades and Capella rose near midnight I took my last few observations and packed up the scope.

It is not as hard to lift as in the reports. I would say it is more awkward than heavy. It fits nicely in the back of my Ford Explorer with one seat folded down and the set up and put away takes only about 5 minutes.

If anyone would like more detail about the modifications I did to make the Intelliscope work better, I can respond here with more detail.

Jim,
Do you get a "warp factor" with your computer? If so, what is it?

I've enjoyed seeing your posts as a thoughtful beginner. You really seem like you've soaked up the expertise/opinions on the forums and elsewhere and are now enjoying the ride.

I'm a manual starhopper after doing GOTO, Push-To and everything in between but I definitely keep eyeing a DSC system again. I think you made a good choice with a 12". I use a 14" and probably will never go bigger. I like the fact (like you mention) that I can handle it easily by myself and its fast to setup. Before buying my current scope, I had ordered an 18" and I'm glad I changed. The physical "massiveness" really seems to go up fast after about 12". My 14" next to an 18" looks crazy small.

Word of advice, don't start looking at eyepieces and filters here on Astromart. Your wallet, credit cards and significant other all my hate yout!

I just got my XX12i and so far have had two nights of decent observing (we are in the middle of the monsoon season here in Denver - clouds roll in about 4 pm and stay until about 4 am EVERY (beep) day!).

I've not have the intellescope really "zeroed in" yet but it seemed to work OK even with a rough setup (hope to get it better as I get more time out there). I have run through the diagnostics to check the encoders and they are all fine with no slippage. The optics seem very good and the larger light gathering aperture blow away my old 8 inch SCT. I also like the truss system as it breaks down into easy pieces that don't weigh more than 36 lbs. You do need to consider that set up a bit more time though.

I think your right about the 12 inch size, in my case it's defiantly my upper range but still a good performer and a real steal for the bucks. I doubt that I will ever get anything bigger however.

A photo of my observing site while setting up

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