Guest Turtleboy Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) Well I was warned about aperture fever but 3 weeks to upgrade from a 4 inch Mak to a 10 inch dob must be some kind of record. Here's my new scope. It's a 10 inch Dark Star with a beastly 62 inch tube length, made with the highly respected David Hinds optics. I pick it up tomorrow evening and I can't wait. Expect more cloudy skies for the foreseeable future. Edited February 19, 2013 by Turtleboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfruit Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Nice Martin. That should be good down at Gibraltar point or Huttoft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) What is the focal ratio on that, around the F6 mark? Thats gonna be a bugger to transport, have you got a van? Edited February 19, 2013 by Daz Type-R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turtleboy Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 (edited) Hi Daz. I believe it's a 6.4 from what limited information I can find on the scope on the net as they're no longer made but seem to be (have been) fairly well regarded. I was speaking to the guy from Beacon Hill telescopes in Louth who's been building telescopes since before Newton and he couldn't speak highly enough of the Dark Stars which swung the decision towards this instead of a new 8" Skywatcher. Should be an interesting learning curve. Yeah I have a van. Edited February 20, 2013 by Turtleboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Hi Martin, That look s terriffic. In fact its just the dob!.. Congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Superb scope that, f6.4 will make it an excellent planetary scope, nice to see another classic. Do you know when it was built Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turtleboy Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Superb scope that, f6.4 will make it an excellent planetary scope, nice to see another classic. Do you know when it was built No, only that they are no longer trading. I may hopefully know a bit more when I pick it up this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 The Dave Hinds mirror will set you in good stead, I had a DH set in a 6" classic cassegrain / newtonian in the 80s and that was a superbly figured set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Nice scope there. Was it Barry that you spoke to? I have spoken to him in the past, and he's a really nice guy, and very helpful. Congrats on the new scope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 That's a beaut. Congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turtleboy Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Nice scope there. Was it Barry that you spoke to? I have spoken to him in the past, and he's a really nice guy, and very helpful. Congrats on the new scope. Yeah I think that was him although I don't recall actually getting his name but he was super helpful even though I wasn't buying anything from him. I rang him to ask about mirror recoating and although he doesn't do it himself he offered to send them off for me free of charge because he gets a trade discount. Very nice chap and really knows his stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turtleboy Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Well I've just got back from picking the scope up and it's an absolute monster. Very pleased with it and I can't wait to get out and have a go. The guy I bought it off has had it since new. It's about 10 years old and he's obviously looked after it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Yeah Barry is a nice guy, I remember talking to him on the phone for about an hour and I only wanted a 10 quid adaptor. Nice bloke loads of knowledge. Thats how dealers / suppliers should imho, no avoiding human contact hiding behind technology. But them Im old fashioned:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turtleboy Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 (edited) Another picture of the brute now I have it home. For scale purposes 1 Staffy = apprixamately 18 inches. Just need some clear skies,now. Edited February 23, 2013 by Turtleboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Very nice scope Martin, you will love the views through it. Yeah Barry is a nice guy, I remember talking to him on the phone for about an hour and I only wanted a 10 quid adaptor. Nice bloke loads of knowledge. Thats how dealers / suppliers should imho, no avoiding human contact hiding behind technology. But them Im old fashioned:-) Thoroughly agree. I had a similar experience on the phone to Barry just yesterday. He likes a chat and is very helpful with bags of enthusiasm. This was the first time I had spoken to him, but I had been aware of his scope building reputation for near on 40 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Turtleboy Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Yes I had a good chat with him too. He had great things to say about the Dark Star and David Hinds optics, and in the other side of the coin he (or rather Beacon Hill Telescopes) is even named on the David Hinds website as a scope maker of repute. Great to have someone with such experience on the doorstep. I thoroughly recommend contacting him if you need any parts, help or advice. The kind of customer service that is unfortunately thin on the ground in this day and age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T A WOW Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 That's pretty big! Bet you can't wait for some clear skies now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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