After the completion of my 17.5-inch Dobsonian, the "Backnang Stargazers"—a group of seven people at the time—were sitting together comfortably over beers in Reiner’s living room. We talked about recent observing experiences and discussed the fact that other members of our group would also like to have a 16 or 19 inch Dobsonian.

I, on the other hand, thought it would be better to build a really large telescope together. 

No sooner had the fuse been lit than we began dreaming up just how large such a community telescope might be. The round mirror in Reiner’s dressing room measured 28 inch in diameter. It had to be at least that big—or so we agreed, fueled by the beer.

Days later, research was conducted into what the market had to offer and at what prices. Zeiss wanted 100,000 DM for a 28 Inch optic set, the Coulter Optical Company came up again, offering a 29-inch f/4.5 mirror set for just under 3,000 USD.

Unfortunately, that mirror turned out not to be available—which was a stroke of luck! I later learned that only two units were produced, and both were said to be of poor quality.

A better alternative was the company Star Instruments from Flagstaff, Arizona. They offered a 30-inch f/4.0 mirror set for 6,000 US dollars.

John Vogt, an amateur astronomer from New York, reported in *Sky & Telescope* magazine on his 30-inch f/4.0 Dobsonian telescope featuring optics from Star Instruments.

We made contact with John Vogt via letter. Weeks later, he replied with a recommendation for optics from Star Instruments. That was the only reference we received from the American ATM scene.

Next came the task of financing the project. We entered into a private agreement requiring each of the seven members to contribute 30 DM per month. This fund still exists today, with each owner continuing to pay in 15 Euros monthly. The saving-up phase lasted several years.

Fortunately, we quickly found a sponsor! The Foundation for the Promotion of Youth in Baden-Württemberg was willing to pay the necessary 20,000 DM for the mirror set.

In return, we made ourselves available over an agreed period of several years to conduct astronomy tours for children and young people. The order for the optics was placed with Star Instruments in 1991, and—hard to believe—a 30-inch f/4.0 mirror set arrived in a large wooden crate in the summer of 1992!

Between 1991 and 1993, three skilled ATM enthusiasts from our group began building the 30-inch "monster telescope" out of aluminum, steel, and brass. Over the course of many hours, parts for the instrument were fabricated on Saturdays in a machine shop.

There was no exchange of information like the astronomy forums we have today; consequently, due to a lack of experience in building telescopes of this scale, many components were deliberately made somewhat more robust. Ultimately, the total weight came to over 700 pounds. The primary mirror alone weighs 120 pounds! The flat elliptical secondary mirror measures 6.5 inches in diameter along its minor axis.

The completed telescope tube was exhibited at our astronomy exhibition at the Backnang Sparkassen bank in April 1993.

Unimaginable today, this telescope was transported to the International Telescope Meeting in Carinthia in the autumn of 1993 using two station wagons (Ford Sierras). One car carried the truss-tube poles on its roof rack, while the other carried a 3-meter-long observing ladder. Before that, there was a detour to the Rettenbach Glacier—specifically to the highest parking lot, located at an altitude of 2,780 meters (9000feet) above sea level. A night with a 30-inch aperture at an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters—it was absolutely incredible!

Acquiring a used trailer made transporting the 30-inch Dobsonian much easier. Reiner devised an ingenious plug-in rail system to roll the Dobsonian off the trailer, eliminating the need for heavy lifting. We now had a 800-pounds telescope sitting on the trailer.

For several years, we repeatedly put our heads together to improve the handling of the aluminum Dobsonian. Improvements were gradually incorporated. However, we eventually decided we no longer wanted to deal with removing tiny 5/32 inch screws—using tools while perched on a ladder 10 feet up—in twighlight at 20 Fahrenheit.

After 14 years of observation and extensive use for guided viewing sessions, we undertook the complete reconstruction of our 30-inch Dobsonian telescope.

From 2007 to 2021, two 30-inch Dobsonian telescopes sat side by side in our garage in Backnang. Then, at the end of 2021, we tidied things up and scrapped 600 pounds of aluminum, steel, and brass.

While dismantling the old 30-inch telescope, I was once again struck by the immense effort and meticulousness with which our ATM (Amateur Telescope Maker) colleagues—Reiner, Norbert, and Peter—had gone about their work back in 1991–93. It was a truly pioneering achievement!

The proceeds from the local scrap dealer went into our club fund. The story continues with an account of the construction of the new 30-inch Dobsonian telescope in 2007.