A question for opinionated people...

RandomPillars wrote: Thanks again for all your replies guys- it's just a great forum!


Val- yeah, my wife has a passionate dislike for my two main loves, football and astronomy. Although the view I gave her of Saturn last year had her typing away on Facebook quite quickly after so I think she just feigns her non-interest. But football she really does hate. Anyway, any suggestion of me buying a €2000 scope will be met with the sort of scowl only reserved for my LFC jersey's.

Yes, getting permission from SWMBO is always tricky. Its usually "why do you need another telescope, you already have two !" and "why don't you use the money on a nice holiday for us both-it'll last longer" . All valid points of course.
I tried a different approach when obtaining permission for my last scope , the 12" Lightbridge which was my fourth scope. I treated her to a plate of fresh sashimi which she absolutely loves at the Sydney Fish Markets and plied half a bottle of nice white wine into her. The Bintel shop is just across the road from the Fish Market which I just had to pop into on the way home. She was in such a good mood she bought the scope for me.
Now, I'm not suggesting that you take your partner out for a fish dinner just to procure a new scope (or anything else for that matter). Perhaps she likes movies or theatre-then it is simple. Perhaps she is into photography and has always dreamed of that Canon 5D Mark 3-then you will be sorry you ever brought it up.
Definitely do not try the following approach prior to asking permission for a new scope.

www.flickr.com/photos/7703127@N07/15095186446/

Has anyone any other suggestions or experience in convincing ones partner that this new scope purchase is a good move? Could be an interesting thread.

RandomPillars wrote: I was just looking around the internet for MASSIVE dobs and they are just enormous.

well, you can get fairly fast F4-5 dobs that are 6-7 feet, you don't have to go for the behemoths unless you have a truck :laugh:

RandomPillars wrote: And can you imagine having to go up to the top of a sizable ladder every time you want to have a look/ just change the eyepiece?

well. my attitude is that I travel 40 miles to the Burren or wherever, whats another 2 steps on a ladder? I'm very rarely up any higher then that and spend alot of the time standing on the ground.

It is true though that the big dobs are not for everyone.

Ah actually Dave, I wouldn't lump yours into the group I was looking at yesterday. Yours looks more than manageable. I was talking about the ones that you need a ladder for anything above 10 degrees..

And your 20 inch looks to be about the biggest & baddest that someone can handle. Id love to see through it some day! But it would prob make me pine after one...

Hi Sean,
You're dead right about the transportability of it, its right on the limits of what I can transport without going for a different design cos the car is only so so big.
For me, the only way I could go bigger would be to get one of obsessions ultracompact designs and had it existed at the time I would have got a UC22, In a number of years time I might sell the one I have and get that instead, it has some very good portability aspects to it but there are some drawbacks.
There are some very nice lightbridges and other dobs out there also, a 12-16 inch scope would easily satisify alot of peoples needs.
This isnt to overlook all the great refractors out there, some of which are the best optics youre gonna find, it would be interesting to have a shoot out between a dob and a top end refractor on something like saturn to see what are the differances,

If I'm at one of the starparties over the coming months/year, you're more then welcome to have a look through the scope if you're around.
I'll be at the Burren starparty and will have it there and everyone is welcome to come have a look if they're interested. .

John- hahahaha- that video is brilliant. I can imagine it now- 10 litres of ice cold water on my wife, video it, post it on the internet, laughing uncontrollably in her face and then asking her can I splash out on a new scope. My inner forecast says that that would not go too well. In fact, i'm pretty sure i'd be just punched in the face and divorced!!

But, you should definitely start a thread about how peoples dealings with significant other went with regards to our (lets be honest) reasonably expensive hobby.

If you make it, i will post...

Dave,

I will be taking you up on that offer as soon as I possibly can. And yes, a straight shoot out would be good- with a dob like yours and one of the real top end refractors.