Sky Watcher - Flex Tube 350P - 14 inch Dobsonian Telescope Unboxing

[@vince6219]

loved your video, did find it funny in places, thought you were going to pop a kidney at one stage🤣🤣. this scope is bigger and looks heavier than i thought it would be, I think i will have a re-think with this monster. I know aperture is king but i think this dobs would do me in . great bang for your money though and i would really love this. I bet the views are great!. happy sky watching from the UK 😊

[@lotsofhobbies]

Yes, it is quite large. I made a wheeled base with three outriggers to level the scope, works beautifully. I have taken my setup time from and hour to about 15 minutes. After that, it is amazing how clear and large you can see with the human eye and the aid of a telescope. Jupiter and Saturn never disappoint. Saw my first nebula by accident trying to find the Pleiades. I bought a camera now, so hopefully pics will be coming soon. Clear Skies my friend! From the US.

[@vince6219]

@@lotsofhobbies good to hear you're enjoying it 😊. You can't beat a dob for viewing when it comes to aperture v cost. I used to have a c11 which was great but I still wanted a big dob. pleiades is a beautiful cluster... Funny how we are drawn to it when we look up 🤗. Have you looked to the east at the beehive cluster in Gemini on low power lens?, that's a real treat. When you get your camera you'll have to capture the Andromeda galaxy. Happy sky watching 😊

[@lotsofhobbies]

Having a blast! The setup is now becoming efficient. 15 minutes and I can be up and running, pointing at a target and electronically pretty close. I will post pics as soon as I get the camera stuff figure out. The pleiades were a joy to find. just looking at that part of the sky, you don't notice it, but with the extra light from this 14", the group and neighboring stars are like a crisp bold font (for lack of a better term). I can't wait to see the Andromeda Galaxy like you say. :D

[@robOzwrld]

What a beast! I have the 8 inch version of this scope and I absolutely love it! Have you had a chance to take it out yet?

[@lotsofhobbies]

The 8 inch is the best size all in all. I had a temporary lack of judgement. Twice so far I have taken it out, but still learning how to drive these things. Looking for a quick setup routine, so many ways to calibrate the synscan. Which way is correct. Saw a video kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5eoqXuphalnosk clever idea.

[@Dartheomus]

Jesus, that thing is huge! I had no idea from the pictures. I want to see some images!

[@lotsofhobbies]

Lol! I need an astral photography camera next. 2 different kinds of cameras for planets and deep sky object. I will probably start with the planet video camera and a guide camera. That will give me the best bang fort the buck. The deep sky cameras are expensive, but not far behind.

[@Dartheomus]

@@lotsofhobbies yeah typically I think they modify the camera sensor to allow you to capture all the way down into the infrared range. (Remove the IR filter.) Then use a combination of filters so that you capture frequencies for each element individually. Then you combine those images and use false color on each element individually to get those crazy deep space pictures that you see. The filters get quite expensive.

[@lotsofhobbies]

@@Dartheomus We are first trying "El Natural" including colors and not through a camera, but actual viewing pleasure. It would have been cheaper to view the James Webb telescope online, but it's just not the same. Eventually, I will have to do the astral photography for sure.

[@Dartheomus]

@@lotsofhobbies Yeah that's probably the better way to go anyway. Astrophotography seems like a rabbit hole of cost. It seems like you will always need one more filter, one more camera, one more piece of software. Also, I don't know how much you have to baby sit it when you are doing a 10-hour capture!

[@richardmetcalfjr.1552]

😢now I know what I have to look forward too😆🥴. Imagine if cars came like this 😆.

[@lotsofhobbies]

As long as we are all having a good time!

[@yetanotherplatypus]

Thanks for the video!! Just got myself the same model but a 16inch one (400p) and you've helped me a lot with the assembly. Could you please tell me if the distance/spacing between sides is the same at the top and at the bottom? Mine is like 1.5mm off and I'm not sure if it's OK or should I return it. Also I saw your comment about leveling cart you've made yourself. Would love to see a video about it!

[@lotsofhobbies]

Hi Plat, mine is off by 1/16” closer at the top than the bottom. I would have to do conversions to get the exact comparison to your 1.5mm. But I think they are pretty close. That’s for the two main upright sides. I hope this is what you were asking. I don’t know of any tolerances for this, but I haven’t had any trouble, so I’m gonna say mine is good. As for your 16” goliath, that is awesome! I’ll make a video of the leveling cart very soon.

[@yetanotherplatypus]

@@lotsofhobbies Thank you so much! I'm much less worried now. Although when mounting a mirror I noticed that it easily rotates inside the cell and people from the show where I bought it don't know if it's natural or not :D

[@Astronurd]

I have the 12" and they are relatively simple to set up and use. You will need to collimate it before using. Mine came with the hand controller as well as WiFi.

[@lotsofhobbies]

I found a collimating tool and got that done. Do you know where to get replacement thumb screws for the secondary mirror? Collimating with a swiss army type allen wrench set is a pain. My hand controller and the WiFi dongle were missing from my package. They sent me a new WiFi dongle, but I never did get the hand controller. The WiFi app works good, but I really should ask them about the hand controller.

[@robertwilson6918]

Hi there can you please tell me how tall the telescope is in the base when it's collapsed I'm getting one of them soon and I'm Building a shed for outside on my decking thanks

[@lotsofhobbies]

The 14” Sky Watcher Flex Tube 350P telescope is 48” tall when collapsed with the tube in the upright position.

[@drawntoview]

I can tell he's very excited but I was scratching my head when he was going to put the boxes on the dolly with that car in the way. I wanted to shout at the screen go for the small boxes first and then you can lift the large box from the side that the car isn't on. But sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious LOL

[@lotsofhobbies]

lol, agreed

[@martinwaterhouse6883]

I have the 10inch version and thats heavy enough, can't imagine trying to carry this one around!

[@lotsofhobbies]

10 is definitely more portable. I have not tried to travel with this one yet.

[@axnyslie]

Do you know the weight of the two halves of the base when they are separated? I know combined it's 94lbs I just sold my C14 and looking for a replacement.

[@lotsofhobbies]

I can check. Gimme about few days to take my scope apart and weigh the two halves.

[@lotsofhobbies]

OK, that was tough! I'm not in a position to take the bad boy apart so, I had some high density 1" MDF with similar dimensions as the circle. My educated guess is each Circle (two in total) weighs ~30 lbs. The two uprights are ~10 lbs each. The motors are what is left over ~7 lbs per drive motor, to make 94 lbs.. Please don't quote me, these are just an educated guess.

[@axnyslie]

@@lotsofhobbies Thanks I just acquired the 12" version Flextube 300p this week because I got one used at a huge bargain.

[@viergarcia]

Make sure you get back to us with a video after you’ve put sometime in with that setup.

[@lotsofhobbies]

Will do!

[@pdeclerck]

Is this your first scope? I think you need a smaller scope otherwise you wont be getting out to observe much being the 14 inch is so tall and heavy.

[@lotsofhobbies]

Hi clerck, I appreciate your comment. this is my 4th scope. It’s my first try at photography, so that is taking some learning. Have you been enjoying astronomy for a long time, sounds like you have some experience.

[@MrB-OK]

11 months on, are you still enjoying the scope ?

[@lotsofhobbies]

Hi Carl, the scope is amazing! I found another hole to throw money into, lol. It is worth it. Built a cart with a triangular manual leveling system. Simple but effective. Bought planetary and DSO cameras. My wife and I got some expensive 2" glass and are learning more, I think I'm forgetting other important things. So, in the works "the digital setup". PROTIP - It's nice to have someone to bounce ideas. Met a real nice guy south of me (J - same scope but outfitted to the Nth degree). This guy makes a lot of his own stuff, like dew shields and an amazing primary mirror fan shroud. Also prints his own wiring cable management supplies. He is quite inspiring.

[@MrB-OK]

@@lotsofhobbies Cheers Oliver. I'm thinking of upgrading my 10" manual to something similar 🙂

[@jbreezy3146]

got the same scope not far from you on the border MD

[@lotsofhobbies]

Awesome, they are very nice scopes! We have been enjoying ours! Did you have any troubles?

[@Real-Tecnica]

@@lotsofhobbies It has not arrived yet from High Point Scientific I did end up getting the Neptune 664c camera so eager to test that out when it gets here. sorry for the late response I do not get youtube notifications for some reason.

[@lotsofhobbies]

@@Real-Tecnica Very nice combination! I'm still trying to decide on a camera, so many choices, it's mind boggling. I am looking at dew protection. The struggle is real. As is proper optics cleaning.

[@Real-Tecnica]

So it arrived but the instructions literally stopped on Page 6 hopefully I have assembled this base correctly

[@lotsofhobbies]

@@Real-Tecnica here is the link inter-static.skywatcher.com/upfiles/en_download_caty01335568752.pdf

[@hossman7432]

Funny😂

[@lotsofhobbies]

Thanks!