Review of the Meade 16" Starfinder Dobsonian Telescope!

Review of "The Scope You Use Once" - Meade's "Tubby" 16" Dob!
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[@WW_Utah]

You're a legend, Ed!

[@edting]

Eh...I'm not sure about that!

[@BlueTrane2028]

@@edting regardless of your opinion of yourself, you have become one of the internet’s authorities on what is good in a telescope. Your content is well thought out and even better presented. Did I need to watch a video on a telescope that I know is too big for my needs right now? No. Did I want to anyways? Yes. New video from Ed Ting? Click watch, regardless if it applies to me or not.

[@williammatthews6465]

I bought a 10 inch Starfinder in 1994, just prior to the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts on Jupiter. I learned to collimate the mirror and never looked back. He is correct about both the good mirror quality and it being cheaply made, but I have seen so much with this telescope! I wouldn't begin to try to list them. It is now being used by my 8 year old granddaughter. I have moved on to other telescopes including the Meade 16 inch truss tube dob as well as smaller aperture rigs for imaging, but this scope has been a workhorse for 28 years and is still being used regularly.

[@ephjaymusic]

That's crazy! I was 6 years old at the time and I remember how desperately I wanted a telescope after seeing the documentary on Jupiter & SL-9 impacts. Still haven't got a practical scope yet but I hope I will one day. The planets are hanging around for a while...😎

[@floridagliderpilot4101]

Mee too! I had a 10" during hale bopp and that scope gave me the best view of Jupiter I have ever seen. Yea it was creaky and cheaply made but it worked. I just recently picked up a 10" starfinder equatorial. Always lusted after one in the 90s. I am a fan of these old clunkers.

[@CollabCrush]

I bought the 10 inch Starfinder in 1998, and I still have it and use it to this day. It's kind of silly for him to nitpick about the quality of the tube when some "tubes" are just made of fabric wrapped around a three or four trusses. That's all you need.... Either way, my tube and stand are still perfectly functional 24 years later.... and the optics are outstanding - a really great buy at $450 USD. His suggestion that people are just giving these away sounds like BS he made up just because he doesn't personally like the model.

[@cdh79]

I also bought the 10" in 1994 (my first scope when I was 15).. unfortunately I don't have it anymore and while I also agree with Ed about it being cheaply made, it was the best for me at that time, as it was the one model I was able to afford at that time.

[@johnkulczycki3021]

I had one of those, It was great. It was like dancing with a water heater.

[@lowellmccormick6991]

It was great hearing Jim Nadeau's name. The mirror in my 16" f4.5 dob started off in a 1998 Meade Starfinder. My dob was Jim Nadeau's first build and was the prototype for his line of Nightsky telescopes. I added a Sky Commander, a Servocat and a Feathertouch focuser. It's an excellent telescope. My best views have been the Mars opposition in the early 2000's under steady skies. AT New Mexico Skies in Mayfield, NM, M31 and M51 looked like the images of them in Stephen O'Meara book, "The Messier Objects". Incredible details.

[@edting]

Ah, Jim. I hope he is well.

[@michaeldanielson7446]

I remember viewing with that telescope.

[@lowellmccormick6991]

@@michaeldanielson7446 Mike from the Pontchartrain Astronomy Society? Mike, have you seen or heard from Jim Nadeau lately? Or maybe his neighbor, Jamie Wallis?

[@michaeldanielson7446]

I hear from Jamie. He attends some of our meetings on Zoom. I haven't heard from Jim.

[@michaelclose3166]

I have a Jim Nadeau truss with a meade 16 inch mirror. Great views through it . I use it much less these days bad eyes old body. Jim did great job with it! Not sure what happened with him or the business.

[@johnstanfield5136]

Great video! I bought one of these back in the early '90's after catching aperture fever from a 20" Obsession at the Oregon Star Party. I had forgotten the epic awfulness of these scopes in their stock form. I wound up rebuilding mine following the advice in Kriege and Berry's book and had many years of enjoyment out of it.

[@KylesAstrophotography]

Always enjoy your videos, Ed! Thanks for sharing.

[@Durkan34]

Omg Eds been shrrunk! Oh no it's just a giant telescope.

[@gabebalazsphoto]

I own the 12.5" version of this scope. That is what I consider the max an average person can still handle. I replaced the toy 2" focuser with a dual speed crayford, cut 3 3" holes at the bottom and installed small fans, reinforced the base, used Magic Sliders on the base. So far so good. Optics is really good I think. However, I haven't used the telescope much recently since I got more and more into astrophotography.

[@genogeno1234]

they can be good scopes with a little tweaking. I think Ed was a little off-base when he categorically states that the tube material is cheap because it's made of cardboard. This is not a correct statement. It is made of fiber-reinforced cardboard that holds-up quite well, and resists dewing-over of the secondary with its excellent thermal properties. I guess Ed and I's budget for astronomy is on a different order of magnitude haha, I think a person can get into this hobby without becoming a "telescope snob" and quite frankly, I tend to shy-away from others on the observing field who boast about their Zambuto mirrors, avert their eyes when they see my 14 inch Skywatcher dob made with Chinese optics, and the like (we all know the type). I had one of those Obsession "boutique" dobs for awhile and hated it. It was a love/hate relationship that I don't want to repeat. That being said, the 16 incher is a beast, and requires a ladder for anything other than viewing objects close to the horizon.

[@ADF_Cable]

Thanks Ed! Always entertaining and informative. Would love a 16" but working towards my first 10" GSO dob..... I think that will cover all my astro aspirations.... Cheers 👍

[@michaelsherck5099]

You're a great telescope reviewer but every time I watch one of your reviews I end up greatful for my 12 or 15 year old Zhumell 8" dob. "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down..." 😉 Re: the books. I have both. Berry's was my guide to my first homemade telescope, a 6" f/10 moon and planet buster on a polar ring mount from an article in Sky & Telescope, I think. The stars aligned for that mirror: it was the best mirror I've ever seen. I really, really wish my wife hadn't backed the car over it one night while it was cooling down...

[@clayhayes4323]

Absolutely hilarious video!!! I always looked at these on the Meade website and shook my head, thinking all the things you said!

[@wolfgangklein5549]

Watching from Vienna I am glad that I found your channel. Such a nice and entertaining man you are. Now I have to haul out my 30 years old Meade LX200 10'' more often again. Thanks Ed.

[@LiquidAudio]

Man, I love this channel! I used to love reading your reviews Ed, your channel is top notch 🙏

[@davel4724]

Great review Ed, many thanks, I nearly bought one of these back in the late 1990s not knowing its a project scope ! :o

[@ryanastroman9846]

My first dob was the 10" starfinder, got it dirt cheap but agree the mirror is very good. Once I swapped the focuser out and some minor work on the mount, it is actually a very good workhorse. Got my very first view of the Veil Nebula with a lumicon OIII filter and a APM 30mm UFF on it.

[@davidstaiti]

I have a 16" Teeter and i thought I'd seen all your large dob videos, but i somehow missed this gem! Thanks Ed!

[@freeman10000]

I had an 8" Starfinder back in the day and despite its limitations I loved the scope. I donated the instrument to a primary school when I up-graded to a larger telescope over 20 years ago. I do, to this day, miss my old Starfinder and the amazing views it produced.

[@Fatal_Inertia]

Nostalgia is a heck of a drug isn't it? haha

[@timtim4664]

Always great video's Ed!

[@TalGivoly]

Hi. Like your videos. Thx! My first 8” Dobsonian is the Meade Starfinder. Picked it up (very) cheaply. Probably 30-40 years old. All optics were very dirty. I cleaned it up nicely and it works very well. The focuser is certainly worth upgrading. But I got it collimated, and it holds collimation very well, even after several long car travels. Omega Centauri from Bortle 3 site was amazing. Motion isn’t perfect, especially for me on Alt. So I replaced the plastic pads with Teflon. That was terrible. It moved freely, but due to zero friction and imbalance, it just wouldn’t stay put. I reverted to original setting. It doesn’t move very smoothly, but it certainly stays in place. So better for wide field views than following an object at high magnification. I really like scope and if is so much more stable than most mounts. I have a few scopes on equatorial tracking mounts. And this is actually my grab and go because it takes 2 minutes from wanting to view, to viewing.

[@acmelka]

Nothing like seeing things with your own eyes. Digital imaging for results is fine but seeing the real thing in realtime is life changing

[@dw6528]

Thank you so very much Ed!! You are totally awesome!!!! I bought a new Orion 10 Dob a few years ago - and I think I've outlived it. The views are just not very satisfying any more. If I were to go to a larger aperture I think it would have to be 16" to make the investment worth the effort. The Explorer Scientific 16" Truss Dob sells for around $3500 Interestingly enough - it appears that people wanting to sell used gear - are often wanting to get more for it than they paid for it! Go figure!! :-]

[@stevew321]

I bought my 16 inch Starfinder in 1994. I changed the rocker box, side bearings, focuser, mirror cell and spider within the first 3 months of ownership. I also cut the tube in half to make it easier to transport. I still use it to this day. I knew when I purchased it that it was a project scope. I believe Meade brought these out as competition to Coulter. But hey, for $1200 I got a decent large aperture mirror compared to the 1/2 wave Coulter Dobsonians.

[@genogeno1234]

I was a little disappointed in his categorical statement about "cardboard tubes". It isn't simple cardboard, but rather, fiber-reinforced cardboard with excellent thermal properties.

[@stevew321]

@@genogeno1234 I agree. I prefer the starfinder tubes over the metal tubes they make today. The starfinder tubes are much more rugged.

[@stevew321]

@@genogeno1234 I agree. I prefer the starfinder tubes over the metal tubes they make today. The starfinder tubes are much more rugged.

[@stevenemert837]

@@stevew321 And if you put a big nick in the tube, you can fill it with automotive body putty and spray paint over it and it's no worse for the wear!

[@jjs3287]

The mid 90s was the start of my Astronomy journey (since my first views of the moon in my fathers small refractor in the 1970s) and that Meade would have been a dream telescope for me. I had to make do with a Tal 1 (4 inch reflector) but I loved that telescope and made some great memories.

[@millenialfalcon8243]

Just picked up this 16in Dob for $500, replacing my red tube 13" Odyssey. It is big and heavy, and I say that as someone who lifts heavy at the gym (>315lb bench). It definitely needs to be modded.

[@stevenemert837]

Many years ago, in an episode of aperture fever, I bought a very used 16" Starfinder. The ground board had decayed and was replaced with a triangular piece of plywood with smaller chunks of plywood for the feet. The tube was spiral wrapped with black duct tape. It looked like a "Red Green Special". No matter, my objective was to rebuild it into a truss Dob. I actually used the particle board mirror cell as a pattern for a plywood mirror cell matching it exactly and reused the metal components (but had a hole for a cooling fan mounted in the outer piece), which worked out pretty well. I used a GSO 2" Crayford focuser, but reused the original spider and secondary. And I added a Sky Commander DSC with encoders. The scope worked pretty well, but I had built the base larger than I needed and eventually aperture fever gave way to back strain, so I sold it to another member of my club, and continue to use my home made 12.5" Obsession clone truss Dob. I just wish I would have kept the Sky Commander instead of selling it with the scope, so I could have retrofit it to my 12.5" scope. Anyway, Starfinders make great starting points for large truss Dobs!

[@Tomsgate101]

Thank you for this review! As an alternative to formica on the base, I suggest the thin Ikea kitchen cutting boards. Cost only a few bucks, have the perfect texture and work really well with teflon pads 😉 Did so on my 10'' dob and never looked back.

[@blablabliam]

TODAY I picked up a mirror set for free. It originally came from a 16" Starfinder, but the tube had been water damaged and the mount had completely disintegrated. "Can someone take this off my hands?" was the request of the man who gave it to me. If only you had published this yesterday! Thanks for the review, and helpful tips to put the mirror back into a telescope.

[@DP-qb1zw]

I bought the book over 20 yeats ago that he recommended and yransformed mine into an obsession clone with parts from Obsession company even. Works great to this day.

[@theoldar]

I had an Orion 16" solid tube from 1995. The mirror was great, so I put it in a custom made truss tube dob and loved it for 15 years before I donated it to a friend.

[@daveblackford6097]

I've gotta say, I got a Star finder 16 equatorial in 1995, and I'm happy with the eq mount, the optics, and the tube assembly except for the fact that a few years of wet Dewy nights and the tube needed time to dry out, and now I need to put in some fiberglass reinforcement around the attachment points for the spider. The focuser is the cheap plastic piece of trash you mentioned, and I'm quite surprised it's held up for 27 years now. I may as well just replace it anyway because I don't think this one will die on its own. My 10 inch Starfinder dob on the other hand has a rocker box that is slowly falling apart, the primary mirror cell moves around in the tube, and the focuser disintegrated as predicted after about a year.

[@WilliamBlakers]

Nice video Ed. You make me feel a liitle bit better about passing on the opportunity to buy a 16" lightbridge a couple of weeks ago for Aussie $500. Though the mirror had started to go cloudy i really wanted it, but mirror recoating services are on the other side of the country to me and with postage would have added $1000 to the "bargain".

[@robertdavenport7802]

I bought a 16" version used twenty years ago. It was the first big aperture instrument I ever owned. The views were good when I managed to find anything. We called it the water heater and it was definitely a two person carry. Eventually, the mount and tube fell apart and I sold the mirror alone for close to what I paid for the original scope. My second big aperture scope was a Litebox 15" which was far, far above the Meade in terms of portability and usability.

[@richiewitkowski7142]

I saw the snow on the ground and was a bit confused for a second! That thing is huge you could literally climb inside that thing and make a good hiding spot xD

[@petset77]

...just studying aperture here, Ed. ...still a newbie, still leaning toward the 8" Dob you suggested. ...I'm in the Rocky Mountains, so whatever beast I eventually decide on in the spring won't have the travel/weight issues. Plummeting night temperatures limit present 4.5 viewing to the early evening hours in the southeast. It was 17 last night, so morning viewing wasn't going to happen. I appreciate your videos as I slowly learn. Thank you Sir.

[@peter7624]

I have to agree those early Meade reflectors on the German equatorial mountings look just like a telescope should! I've never owned a Newtonian reflector but I'm beginning to get curious and I'm thinking I might just get myself a 10 or 12 inch Dobsonian, or maybe a truss-tube type. Great video Ed, thanks for posting.

[@TheStarHound]

In circa 1997 I bought the 8" version of the Meade Starfinder. It was pretty bad. Optics were OK but balancing it to maintain a steady view on an object was usually a chore. due to its bottom heaviness. But it was good enough that it rekindled a then dormant interest in astronomy, and I've been an active stargazer ever since. I enjoy your reviews Ed. Always interesting, informative, entertaining, and refreshingly honest.

[@k.h.1587]

I had a friend who had one and converted it to a split tune. It had a turned edge so he had to blacken out the outer 1/4". So as a 15.75", it performed pretty well. Of course on a nicer homemade apple ply base

[@photogazer]

The laminate that is most recommended for telescopes was manufactured by WilsonArt, called Ebony Star. It is no longer made, but I still have some in my guitar shop. It was the texture of the laminate and the semigloss finish that mated so well with the Teflon for the proper stiction. Since Ebony Star is no longer available, most builders have move to a pebbled surface sheet call FRP, or Fiber Reinforced Plastic. It is available in 4x8 sheets at most home improvement stores. I am in the process of converting an Explore Scientific 20" Truss Dobsonian into a tracking and GoTo telescope, and decided to use the FRP in the rebuild since it was the product used by Bresser in the original build of the telescope. It seems to be working well so far.

[@stevenemert837]

I miss WilsonArt Ebony Star. Now, I just make do with whatever bumpy Formica I can find at the home store.

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

Well Ed , I have a unbuilt 12.5” Astro System kit and 12.5” Carl Zambuto Mirror . It was an ultimate dob project for someone and it stay in his basement for 6 years or more . Then he sold it to me . And guess what . That kit still stay in my basement for 3 or 4 years now 🤣 I sometimes want to motivate myself to built it . But I hardly find time to observes thru my 8” dob, Orion 80mm ED and my questar . I found your KZbin channel last week. It is refreshing to hear from you . After many many years reading your writing in various forum . Maybe I’ll find an inspiration somewhere to observe more . And maybe built that Astrosystem with Zambuto mirror . Or sell it 😂

[@gy9326]

Excellent review per always! Any feelings on the Pentax j80? I’m picking one up today.

[@i8yourbike]

Love your video been watching a long time . The only thing I wish is that u would show a couple images using the scope you are reviewing or talking about.

[@ZZstaff]

Thank you.

[@kellytaylor3915]

I used a Lazy Susan Bearing on the bottom it worked great. I updated tube to a Parallax tube and mirror cell. Then updated focuser to a Moonlight focuser. I plan to put it on an EQ mount soon.

[@DP-qb1zw]

I actually like the dobsoniam mount for a large reflector more than an equatorial one. It keeps the tube and eyepiece lower and is very stable. I had a 12" on an equatorial mount on the 70's and now have a 16" obsession clone and a 17.5" Discovery truss tube dob . Both dobs are easy to use ,even at high powers, and very stable. They are just large and take a while to set up if you transport to a remote site. It is definitely worth the effort if the sky is very dark and you are camping for more than one night.

[@pstanyer1]

Fantastic as usual. I must find one.....

[@edting]

You should know I was really really happy to get this in my garage...for about 3 days. Then I couldn't wait to get rid of it.

[@Yoda2]

The funniest quip I've ever read about telescopes below by John Kulczycki, I'm still laughing! (1 day ago) I had one of those, It was great. It was like dancing with a water heater.

[@davidianmusic4869]

I’m handy, I want one. But what I really want is a review of all those old equatorial newtonians behind you in every video. Bunch of great old Meades I imagine. Do they get much use???

[@fredaw61]

Very interesting information. Do you think the Orion 8” would benefit from the Velcro and furniture sliders? Especially the platform seems to stick a bit too much and it becomes jumpy when trying to track.

[@billhaleyrock2471]

Ein sehr Beeindruckendes Teleskop.

[@jeremygalloway1348]

Jeez...that things a monster. Couldn't imagine rolling that,thing out. Would be a great feeling. Would want to have it's own shed with retractable roof

[@markbuxton2368]

yup, mine was a freebie its sitting in the garage waiting for some tlc (16" EQ)

[@darkwood777]

How much would you want for it?

[@KingLoopie1]

Nice score!

[@woodamsclark]

@@darkwood777 if you’re still looking, this exact scope from the video appeared in my FB marketplace today. They’re asking $300

[@k.h.1587]

I have looked through 16eqs, they are bobbleheads, not very stable

[@poggergen1937]

I remember finding the white pieces of plastic when assembling my Orion XT10… Maybe I should replace them with teflon and that flooring you were speaking of.

[@gjb49]

In 1992 I had a 'terminal' illness called Twoinchitis, i.e. I had a 8" telescope and I wanted a 10" (disease is similar to Twofootitis of boat owners). I ended up with a 17.5" Coulter I found near Cleveland (I lived NW of Chicago at the time). I used it quite a lot as built until I got brave and tore it apart and remade it as a truss tube dob. I took it all over the place, including Central New Mexico a couple of times. I really wish I still had it. The views were unbelievable. Once in New Mexico I was viewing Saturn and saw 11 Saturnian moons. (My friend had a 20" Obsession and I saw 13 moons thru it). It was really popular at public star parties too. And using a ladder was never a problem. BTW when I first brought it home it was hazy that night with only the full moon showing. Aimed at the full moon the light coming from the eyepiece looked like a light saber.

[@kevchard5214]

WOW I thought my 10" dobsonian was big. I need to try your suggestions of teflon on the base mine really sucks. Thanks

[@DP-qb1zw]

I turned my 16" Meade into an Obsession clone over 20 years ago and still going strong with the original mirror coating.

[@sandraslutz9489]

Darn it. You made me want one all over again.

[@edting]

I had that feeling too when I first got it. One hour of actually using the scope cured this.

[@rodsmolter5046]

If you can find one cheap enough, it's a good project for a truss dob. Just remove the primary mirror and ditch the rest. My 16 truss actually has a starfinder mirror and it tested pretty good - .86 strehl, 1/6 wave, smooth and no edge issues. I chose not to have it refigured but these mirror have good pyrex glass so they can be refigured if it isn't up to par. Astrosystems sells outstanding kits that you can put together yourself.

[@GrnXnham]

I have the 12.5 Meade Starfinder dobsonian. I have upgraded nearly everything on the scope at this point. About the only thing that is original is the sonotube that says "Meade" on it. I rebuilt the base and trunnions so that movement is buttery smooth. I replaced the finder with a telrad and a 50mm finder. The focuser and the mirror cell were both replaced and I moved the trunnions to account for the change in the balance point. I have spent many hours enjoying the scope. At this point I would say that the only downside is the weight!

[@offraed6156]

Wow, that's an oldie. Remember those Dobs that were advertised in Sky and Telescope back in the 80s? They were silhouettes in the adverts. What were they called? More toilet rolls with a mirror wedged into the tube.

[@eggtastic3555]

i was legit just about to buy this telescope this summer and couldn't find good reviews on it, thank you so so much Eddie, this helps alot! Do you know the best telescope i can buy for around $2000-$3000? I was going to buy this but now i see why i shouldn't, i am new to astronomy and want to start big, i also want to know what the best overall eye piece you recommend is.

[@scuba5k]

Wow a solid tube more then 12”

[@StarlancerAstro]

Nice!

[@MartyInLa]

That thing looks like a siege mortar! I can't imagine moving that thing around, my 8" is about my max, and even that is too much for the older head of my sidewalk astronomy group. I'd also love to store that in an apartment. Still, it looks pretty dang impressive.

[@jamesbielaga8488]

You can take mirror out or make wheel barrel handles to wheel it out of the garage or JMI sells wheeley bars to put base one. Best part about dobs two pieces set up is base then tube. No polar alignment just needs a telrad.

[@stevenemert837]

I remember hearing a story of another person taking his 16" Starfinder with him on vacation in a cabin. He had it set up, sitting vertical, inside near the door to the cabin. The housekeeper accused him of taking the water heater and attempting to steal it!

[@neiltonks]

I'd be interested in knowing what you think of the latest 16 Flexi tube from sky watcher

[@moedersin]

@edting, thanks for another useful video. I just had one of these pop up for sale in my area. He's asking $500 and it comes with a scope buggy. Seems like a good deal, the buggy is a couple hundred on its own. I would likely rebuild it as a truss tube Dob. Just not sure how to sneak this one past the wife. If I stuck a new 10in in the garage next to the other scopes she probably wouldnt notice, but this one...might stand out. I can picture me walking it in like you in the Q&A intros and trying to be like, "nothing to see here". Also I had to laugh because the FB Marketplace algorithm suggested similar items, I'm guessing based on image recognition, and most were used water heaters 🤣.

[@phakeacount2228]

Sonotube is an excellent material for Dobs. It is strong, dent-resistant, thermally stable, and non-conductive. I'm glad that I got my sonotube Discovery 8" when I did.

[@robertt9342]

And water resis… wait it’s not.

[@phakeacount2228]

@@robertt9342 It's sealed on the outside and painted on the inside. It doesn't rust, but I don't use it in the rain or underwater.

[@marcpopick248]

The problem with sonotube is only that it is very heavy

[@Landjet]

Super❤

[@DP-qb1zw]

Instead of rollers, I use an appliance hand truck which has straps to securely hold it and easy to remove for observing.

[@Fatal_Inertia]

If I were to buy one of these, the first thing I would do is have a nice polished carbon fiber tube made to spec for the mirrors, make a metal or carbon dobson base with obsession style bearings. Yes it would cost more than double what the telescope costs originally, but think of how neat a 16" carbon fiber dobsonian would be. Everyone at a star party would stop to ask you what it is, and all of the original shortcomings would be dealt with.

[@longlakeshore]

I store and move mine on a dedicated heavy duty two wheel inflatable tire dolly which has two smaller solid rubber wheels up underneath the handle. Two adjustable furniture bands hold it to the dolly. I store it horizontally to minimize dust settling on the mirror. I never have to lift it except to place it in the mount and usually have help doing that. I keep the opening covered with two large plastic trash bags I call telescope condoms (practicing safe amateur astronomy, lol) pulled down over the tube as far as they will go and held in place with string tied around them to hold them tightly to the tube. The base has it's own dedicated two wheel dolly to which it always remains strapped when stored or moved. I use two 2X6 studs with ramp adapters to load both in and out of vehicles. A pick-up, van or station wagon is best. I consider it a specialty telescope for deep sky viewing. I rarely use it under city lights so it's a haul to get out to darker skies. In town I use a 10 inch dob which is much easier to manage. No one should ever attempt to lift these on their own. I store mine indoors in the spare room. Can't believe anyone would store a scope in a garage. Accessorize? Yes. Good tips here but the added cost is still much lower than spending multiple thousands on something like an Obsession. Cheap and cheerful! That's my Beast.

[@neiltonks]

I was given an 8 inch starfinder . the mirrors were clouded and the focuser was beyond repair. had the mirrors recoated and replaced the focuser. Its ok. T even managed to mount it on my EQ6.

[@misaelescobarruiz1193]

Guao el meade de 16 es un jigante espectacular

[@mj1653]

Hey Ed, what do you think of celestron’s new dobs? On the surface they look nice but given today’s market I’m sure they tried to cut costs somewhere on the scope.

[@edting]

I'm in the same boat as everyone else - it's hard to get my hands on this newer stuff, as everything is out of stock. I'm sure I'll see one at some point...

[@rodenreyes6320]

How about the 12.5" f/10 of old like Tom Cave's?How did they use that,when the stars are just a little higher than the user up the ladder?

[@floridagliderpilot4101]

I scored a 16" lightbridge for $150. It uses a needle bearing lazy susan for az and its smooth as butter. Teflon on alt. I love the scope! I dont think I could manage a 16" solid tube!

[@edting]

You stole that!

[@scottmerrill2416]

Astrosystems is still in business as far as I know. If you can score one of those mirrors cheap you can build a fully functional Dob for a very reasonable cost.

[@RadgeCanary]

Imagine trying to sneak that into the house without the missus noticing!

[@edting]

I'm sure the enterprising collector could figure something out...

[@petset77]

Hey, she bought our first 4.5eq a couple of months ago for a hundred bucks. Just remind her that it was her fault we're diving into the hobby (they ALWAYS go for that one!!). 😁

[@jackfrost4033]

Hello did you have a problem of wood from the rock that swells with humidity?

[@actros_l8567]

Ooh, nice A few days ago I was wondering "Why doesn't he have a review of any 16 inch dobsonian?

[@SackyX]

I found a 10" Starfinder and the German equatorial mount (without the keypad thingy though) at a garage sale and picked it up for $100.00 bucks. The focuser is horrible and plan to upgrade it but I'm a amateur and not sure what will work any suggestions would be great. The mount is a beast to move around so I barely use the scope until I reduce the weight and tried to find the keypad for it online to no avail, so if you can advise me on finding one I would be grateful.

[@simonchung9813]

I don't know which is the bigger sin committed by Meade: Putting a 16" mirror in a SONOTUBE or using a 1.25" focuser. (I suspect the latter but I'd like to hear what you think)

[@edting]

To be fair, Orion also had a Sonotube 16" Dob, and Celestron/Discovery even sold a 17.5" version.

[@Star_Geezer]

I was given one of these for free a couple of months ago. A friend from my astro club is rebuilding it because he says “friends don’t let friends use particle board mounts” lol.

[@genogeno1234]

We have one of these at our DSS, and I would agree with many of your points concerning this behemoth of a scope. However, the sonotube is not simple cardboard. It is fiber-reinforced and holds-up quite well. John Dobson used this material in all of his designs. Our club 16 incher has been sitting in a humid, un-air-conditioned building for about 20 years, and the tube is not the issue. In fact, many would argue that sonotube makes the ideal material for its thermal properties, and telescopes made from this material tend to resist dewing of the secondary as opposed to other tube-types. I know of no tube or mirror box material that would hold-up to a basement flooding, so perhaps a person should think twice about storing it there. As far as the bearing issue, I would agree they need to be bigger (according to John Dobson, they should be about 60% the diameter of the primary or around 10 inches in this case, assuming the pivot point is located at around 38 percent up the tube). Obsessions are forced to make their bearings huge because the pivot point in those designs is so low to the ground. In this case, the Meade 16 incher's pivot point is located about 29 percent up the tube, thus making the situation worse because it is incorrectly designed. So to make this work, a person would need to increase the pivot point height to about 38 percent up the tube, build a taller rocker box, install 10 inch bearings, and perform all the other tweaks you have mentioned here. As far as the secondary spider issue is concerned, a person could mimic the wooden spider design and secondary holder design pioneered by Dobson. Lastly, the rocker box is too thin in my opinion. I have no issue with fiberboard, but for a scope of this size, the thickness is too narrow. By the way, the images in our club 16 incher are outstanding if you can manage standing on a ladder all night.

[@bk3720]

A 16 inch scope with a 5x24 finder, wonder if that finder was stopped down? The scope definitely deserves a 50-70mm finder. If only I had space and dark skies for such a monster.

[@marcpopick6684]

I am thinking to get 16 inch dob. Is it better to get shorter f ratio like f4 or even shorter? I read that long f ratio is better quality and no coma corrector is used.

[@logiticalresponse9574]

Is there any good darksky spots around laconia ?

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

The craziest one would be Coulter 17.5 OMG our local planetarium has one that was rebuilt into semi truss tube dobs . With all the double plywood to reduce flexure . It is a BEAST to move . Last time I saw it . That rebuilt Coulter 17.5 was in the lobby of Richmond Kentucky , Eastern Kentucky University Planetarium lobby The view thru the moon probably would blind you 🤣

[@edting]

Those Coulters were...amazing. In their own way.

[@ToddHurney]

Back in the day when Coulter was still making decent optics, I was tempted to purchase the 17.5, but I then realized that I was barely able to load and set up my Coulter 13.1 inch Dob!!! I talked to an owner of the 17.5 at a star party and he brought his son along for loading and unloading. It provided wonderful views of the night sky.

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

@@ToddHurney yeah 17.5 is a beast

[@han-shan]

thinking about buying of Meade LIGHTBRIDGE DOBSON 10inch primary for watching globular clusters , is it good choice? Thnx in advance

[@carsteneckhardt6572]

I knew that the moment you said " I had one of these" and only showed pictures, you would follow that up by "then someone asked me if I sell it and I said yes out of habit" ^^

[@actudoran]

Love your honesty! What about Hubble Optics? I got my eye on their 16 inch dob. I know it's not cheap 😔 but at least it's light ... Did you ever get to play with any model they are offering?

[@marcpopick248]

Look on KZbin title of Unboxing Hubble 24”. All reviews from owners on Hubble mirrors praise the mirror. The 24” is big of course but it is lighter than monolith mirrors. The structure of Hubble telescopes they use to require a lot of work, but the owner in the video says they have improved.

[@actudoran]

@@marcpopick248 thanks for the heads up! happy new year! :)

[@Blayzn18]

I'll admit I wasn't quite ready for the real honest review!

[@MikeLikesChannel]

And my wife says my 10” Dob is big. She doesn’t even realize how deep the rabbit hole goes 😆

[@KingLoopie1]

Man, I'd love to have the eq version! But.... The house is too small and I have trouble humping the 10" Dob and the 10" lx200 around... Gettin old, I guess... 🙄

[@Sharpless2]

Im so jealous right now. Still stuck with my 8" dob, cant seem to save enough for the 16"...

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Get some 1/4" thick PTFE block in 6x6". Cut three pieces to 1x1.5" and mount to top of lower base with two 1/2" countersunk screws per piece. Long axis aligning to circumference. File off edges and corners slightly on the riding surface.

[@scblue01]

Ed, just where do you live? Glaciers still receding, terminal moraine, enormous erratics. More geo than astro. Many thanks for another great vid.

[@gjb49]

Teflon substitute is UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) Polyethylene

[@davehennessy2895]

Wow what timing! I was looking at the equatorial version of this scope two days ago in a local telescope shop, it was painted blue and had handles at both ends of it along with pneumatic tires on the mount. I thought it was home made given the cardboard tube construction but the tech assured me that it was indeed a true Meade scope.

[@astrodad656]

Brutal, but honest.☺️

[@brian1395]

pleas forgive my question if it is stupid cause i am new but what eq mount would be able to handle this big boy and would it be ok for Ap?

[@abrarahmed3987]

Celestron have come up with Dobsonian 8" and 10" with starsense technology. What's your opinion on it, please advise

[@edting]

Buy it for the Dob, not for the StarSense. My experiences with the StarSense is the system is a little flaky. That technology isn't quite here yet.

[@eottoe2001]

If they are sonatubes, just add handles to move them around. (I've looked at these before and thought it would be nice to make a square 1/8" to 1/4" plywood tube like the old Edmond Scientific Sam Brown telescopes. They'd be strong and easier to carry around. That is a lot of telescope to deal with regardless.) Thanks for the post. Is that snow?

[@darkwood777]

Building a square tube sounds easy, but it is much more unstable than a round tube, plus plywood would be far too heavy to lift or carry. Just take the sonotube and paint it inside and out with waterglass, then maybe add an epoxy paint coating on the outside to resist scuff marks.

[@eottoe2001]

@@darkwood777 that makes sense.

[@w3vjp568]

Back in the 90’s, Meade was trying to deal with competition from Coulter optics, who were making dirt-cheap Dobs that were becoming all the rage at the time. Ironically Coulter went bankrupt, right around the time that people were realizing that they were basically junk anyway. A lot of early buyers got OK optics but popularity made them promise more than they could deliver. Like the SCT’s of the mid-80’s (Halley’s Comet era) a lot of junk was pushed out without a second thought for quality.