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Hello HN, A friend released files for this 6" f/5 telescope conversion kit yesterday. It is a synthesis of a lot of telescope builds he, I and a few friends m

Hello HN, A friend released files for this 6" f/5 telescope conversion kit yesterday. It is a synthesis of a lot of telescope builds he, I and a few friends made over the last years, as well as general ideas floating in the amateur telescope making community. It is compatible with most existing 6" f/5 newtonian optics kits. I've tried his model IRL and was pleased with both the movements and the focuser, which is often lacking on commercial offerings (which are also heavier and bulkier). Unmounted, it forms a quite compact package to hike with or take camping. It is licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA as he would like to sell parts kit at some point, but the files found on Printables are fully functional.

addandsubtract 1y ago
Do you have any recommendations which optics kits to get and where to get them (preferably available to the EU)? What about a good budget entry eyepiece?
- chantepierre 1y ago
  6" f/5 kits sold by GSO are okay, but the best choice is to find any second-hand skywatcher 6" f/5 tube on your leboncoin/craigslist equivalent and scavenge the optics. For industrial optics, they are on average exceptionnally smooth and have a good shape with few defects. The 6" f/5 optics kit are a bit of an oddity, those we test with our interferometers are consistently good, whereas smaller or bigger diameters are subject to a lot more vatiations.
  - addandsubtract 1y ago
    If buying a used skywatcher dobson is the best way to get good optics, wouldn't I, as a beginner, be better off just using that dobson instead of going the DIY route? Is the DIY telescope only better for portability, or are there other advantages to building it?
    - chantepierre 1y ago
      The 6" f/5 can often be found cheap and without a mount, but if you are beginning, absolutely find some secondhand dobson before going DIY. Or better : attend a few nights at a nearby astronomy club, that will allow you to get a feel of the practice, what you can see, what you should expect... Depending on your location (city? middle of nowhere?) and willingness to drive to darker skies some types of instruments and targets are better than others. This kind of kit is focused on being compact and lightweight, but that can be an advantage or a non-goal depending on what you want to do.
- chantepierre 1y ago
  For budget entry eyepieces, the generic "goldline" eyepieces have pretty good bang for their buck, especially the 9mm/6mm ones. You can find them unbranded online, or the "redline" equivalents. I'd recommend a quality 20/25mm plossl rather than the gold/red line 15/20mm that display a lot of issues. For better eyepieces, at f/5, the rubber-top generic eyepieces with color bands sometimes branded as "artesky" are great for their prices too. If you have a bit more budget, Explore Scientific is generally the overall best quality/price ratio. Avoid baader hyperions, except for the 13mm which hits above its price (second-hand)
dylan604 1y ago
Since this is hand tracked, how's the feel of the movement while tracking or slewing in general?
- chantepierre 1y ago
  Dobsonian mounts are made to feel great and work with friction between (here) plastic and teflon pads, both in the altitude and azimuth axis. The goal is to have your telescope properly balanced so there is no need to apply force to hold it in position, nor need more force to start a movement than to keep moving, which would lead to jerky motion. Properly balanced, everything must feel smooth and easy.

addandsubtract 1y ago

Do you have any recommendations which optics kits to get and where to get them (preferably available to the EU)? What about a good budget entry eyepiece?

chantepierre 1y ago
6" f/5 kits sold by GSO are okay, but the best choice is to find any second-hand skywatcher 6" f/5 tube on your leboncoin/craigslist equivalent and scavenge the optics. For industrial optics, they are on average exceptionnally smooth and have a good shape with few defects. The 6" f/5 optics kit are a bit of an oddity, those we test with our interferometers are consistently good, whereas smaller or bigger diameters are subject to a lot more vatiations.
- addandsubtract 1y ago
  If buying a used skywatcher dobson is the best way to get good optics, wouldn't I, as a beginner, be better off just using that dobson instead of going the DIY route? Is the DIY telescope only better for portability, or are there other advantages to building it?
  - chantepierre 1y ago
    The 6" f/5 can often be found cheap and without a mount, but if you are beginning, absolutely find some secondhand dobson before going DIY. Or better : attend a few nights at a nearby astronomy club, that will allow you to get a feel of the practice, what you can see, what you should expect... Depending on your location (city? middle of nowhere?) and willingness to drive to darker skies some types of instruments and targets are better than others. This kind of kit is focused on being compact and lightweight, but that can be an advantage or a non-goal depending on what you want to do.
chantepierre 1y ago
For budget entry eyepieces, the generic "goldline" eyepieces have pretty good bang for their buck, especially the 9mm/6mm ones. You can find them unbranded online, or the "redline" equivalents. I'd recommend a quality 20/25mm plossl rather than the gold/red line 15/20mm that display a lot of issues. For better eyepieces, at f/5, the rubber-top generic eyepieces with color bands sometimes branded as "artesky" are great for their prices too. If you have a bit more budget, Explore Scientific is generally the overall best quality/price ratio. Avoid baader hyperions, except for the 13mm which hits above its price (second-hand)

dylan604 1y ago

Since this is hand tracked, how's the feel of the movement while tracking or slewing in general?

chantepierre 1y ago
Dobsonian mounts are made to feel great and work with friction between (here) plastic and teflon pads, both in the altitude and azimuth axis. The goal is to have your telescope properly balanced so there is no need to apply force to hold it in position, nor need more force to start a movement than to keep moving, which would lead to jerky motion. Properly balanced, everything must feel smooth and easy.