All change..... well sort of.

[Moonshane]

Some of you may have noticed that I have been selling and buying a lot of stuff recently. I am not a millionaire by the way just recycling gear mainly.

My self inflicted paltry astro budget per month means I have to save for a long time or sell gear to buy more.

I still have the bulk of my kit including my 16" f4 dob, 12" f4 dob and 6" f11 dob as well as my Tal/PST mod but have sold my 80mm f11 Vixen achromat, my 120mm f5 achromat, one of my own truss dob builds that I have not had time to finish, a zoom eyepiece I didn't really get on with, two BGOs, a WO diagonal, and a few other small bits and bobs.

With the booty I have bought a well used but optically excellent Skywatcher 120ED refractor, a 7mm type one Nagler, a 9mm Type one Nagler (I prefer the older designs for some bizarre reason) and as another purchase did not come off a replacement WO diagonal. Now my wife is a bit happier (one less scope in the house), I have a couple more wider fields (I seem to be preferring the wider Nagler field to the BGO field these days) and I still have a bit left for maybe a 4.8mm type one Nagler or some tube rings/lLunt zoom (would like to try one for solar against the Seben zoom).

The point of this thread I suppose is to 'prove' that even if you don't have much actual spare cash, if you look after gear, buy good quality used and act quickly, you can swap your kit about on a regular basis and with gradual progress toward your final goals (yeah......final goals - I reckon to get everything I still 'need' I could spend £600).

[Fozzie]

I've done something very similar with my mounts, should recover 2/3rds of what I've just spent selling and consolidating, add a few EP's in to the equation and i'm neutral costs...

You know that ENS have a type 1 4.8mm Nagler on Flee bay at the moment, can't imagine they come up that often.. £99.99 though...

Ta

Fozzie

[Moonshane]

Cheers Fozzie, yes, I have seen that. I prefer the older versions with rubber bits though to the smoothsides - must be getting old, preferring warmer eye sockets!

[Fozzie]

I figured you might have seen it.. happy hunting for the a "warmer" nagler.

[ollypenrice]

What I've discovered is that I really (as in really really really ) like doing is not changing my kit. This is an imager speaking, though. Oh what bliss to know that it will more than likely do what it did last time, that I know how to work it, know how to get the best out of it etc etc. The last thing I now want to do is change any of it at all.

Visual astronomy is a bit different because you're always wondering what it would look like with this EP or that increase in aperture.

But I'm very much into buying used. All my present scopes came second hand. EPs too. I bought an excellent 13 Ethos from a nice chap on here last year.   

Olly

[Moonshane]

Very true Olly about.......me being a nice chap.

Seriously though, I agree that visual observing is not necessarily the cheap option often suggested.

[Caldwell14]

What I've discovered is that I really (as in really really really ) like doing is not changing my kit. This is an imager speaking, though. Oh what bliss to know that it will more than likely do what it did last time, that I know how to work it, know how to get the best out of it etc etc. The last thing I now want to do is change any of it at all.

Visual astronomy is a bit different because you're always wondering what it would look like with this EP or that increase in aperture.

But I'm very much into buying used. All my present scopes came second hand. EPs too. I bought an excellent 13 Ethos from a nice chap on here last year.   

Olly

What I've discovered is that I really (as in really really really ) like doing is not changing my kit. This is an imager speaking, though. Oh what bliss to know that it will more than likely do what it did last time, that I know how to work it, know how to get the best out of it etc etc. The last thing I now want to do is change any of it at all.

Visual astronomy is a bit different because you're always wondering what it would look like with this EP or that increase in aperture.

But I'm very much into buying used. All my present scopes came second hand. EPs too. I bought an excellent 13 Ethos from a nice chap on here last year.   

Olly

I am no fan of changing kit either. I have the kit that suits my needs and my life, and I am sticking with it. I know some folk find shopping for astro kit a pastime in its self, I actually find it quite stressful to be honest

[Caldwell14]

On a different topic the sky is clear and blue here in Norway, an ED100 would have made for a decent piece of hand luggage

[wuthton]

I wouldn't rush to upgrade a brace of Taks and Atik 11000s.

[John]

Good for you Shane

I follow a similar path. It might look as if I've spent a lot on eyepieces but it's been a process of years to gradually build to my current situation and they are all used, as are my scopes - the youngest of those is probably 5 years old now and the oldest around 15 years.

[ollypenrice]

I wouldn't rush to upgrade a brace of Taks and Atik 11000s.

 I guess not!

Olly

[spaceboy]

 I know some folk find shopping for astro kit a pastime in its self,

I think I might be one of those

In my defence it has allowed me to play with a fair bit of kit over the past couple years. The bits of kit I most enjoyed I have held on to and the rest has been an experience in what is available and hopefully gone to a home where it will see more use.

I agree buying used can be stressful as some peoples idea of excellent condition closely resembles

[nightfisher]

I have found myself in a similar situation, on a recent other thread a member suggested i should open a shop, but like you its a case of buying good used, hoping its what i want and need, but some times finding it does not fulfill its requirement or my "want" changes.

I am more than happy with my ep`s mainly my orthoscopics, though the 4mm is not likely to ever get used now, i got of to a rocky start with the starwave f11, but i am warming to it a great rate, i sold my HEQ5 as it just was not being used, and got the celestron SE mount, this also is not getting used but it will when i move house, i am trying to decide what "widefield" scope i might want to use with it, the on good thing is all of my kit has been bought by saving money in other area`s like not going to the pub, giving up smoking and such like

[Moonshane]

My main objective is does it do what I wanted it to do as well as I expected it to do. You can do all the reading you want but until you try it, you won't know.

I can only try it by taking a chance and selling kit (my£30 per month Astro budget does not go far) but consider it low risk as I but good quality used gear. Sometimes I have to trust people but on the whole people are decent and trustworthy.

[Charic]

Like you say, you`ll never know until you try it, and its only our eye-brain combination ( and wallet )  that  decides what's best for our needs and expectations.

I was awarded a large sum of money and had the option to just buy TeleVue EPs right from the start, a full set, and any telescope I wanted. Would I have been happy, knowing that I had the best?  ( in some folks perception ) I agree that TeleVue are a well known and trusted brand, but if owning the 'best', would I have been happy now? Could I have bought  an alternative that simply  did the same job. Its not all about branding and pricing, its about what suits you best!

As far as I'm concerned, once my plossl collection is completed, my set-up is final. I enjoy what I see, ( when I get the chance )  The only thing I could do now to improve my system is to have a bigger aperture. That is some way off for now.

[swamp thing]

 The only thing I could do now to improve my system is to have a bigger aperture. That is some way off for now.

Famous last words buddy

Once that big fast Dob arrives you'll be finding you want those big wide eyepieces after all. There is no way anyone wants to be limited to narrow plossls or orthos in a large scope.

[Charic]

Famous last words buddy

Once that big fast Dob arrives you'll be finding you want those big wide eyepieces after all. There is no way anyone wants to be limited to narrow plossls or orthos in a large scope.

I agree.

If/when I obtain the next telescope, a 12" ( or larger )  solid tube Dobsonian, I have already short-listed the 6mm Delos, 12mm NaglerT4 and a 35mm Panoptic and whatever to fill in the remaining gaps?  I have never tried those EPs. Its all on hearsay?

I haven't done bad so far, I have no regrets with any of the equipment in my signature, ( I still haven't been to the darkest site yet, so still plenty to  wow me)  I just know that a bigger hole in the end of my telescope should avail  more light capture, giving more detail. 

I  also don't see any need to keep the present telescope if I chose a larger Dobsonian, so this set-up could go as a complete system, and the new owner should not have any regrets.

An almost perfect  f/6 system for my needs at present, and maybe theirs too?

[spaceboy]

I always wanted a 12" dob and when one that fitted my needs came up I jumped at the chance. Sadly I can't get on with the thing for every day use as it is just so bulky and heavy to carry up and down the flight of stairs to my garden. In the year I've had it's been out once. There is a happy ending though, for what it cost me used I am happy to have it sat waiting for star parties and power cuts. Had I purchased it new my head would be spinning at the thought of dead money sat there not getting used and probably sold it at a huge loss and come star parties always wondered what I was missing out on.

I have to give full credit to Paul and the others for the Astro buy & sell site as well as the mods and FLO for keeping the classifieds going on SGL through some uncertain times as if it wasn't for them I doubt I would have been able to swap and change kit as much as I have if selling fees were to be accounted for every time. THANKS FLO/SGL AND UKB&S  

[John]

I can thoroughly reccommend the Orion Optics 12" dobsonian if you come across one on the used market. As well as having excellent optics they are lighter than Skywatcher / Meade / Revelation equivalents which makes them somewhat easier to handle. My 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics dob weighs around the same as a Skywatcher 10" F/4.7 dob and gets used more than any other of my scopes. I did have a Meade 12" Lightbridge but that was very heavy to move about and did not get used much.

[estwing]

Not sold an ep yet but did sell a 12" Dob once the Moonshane landed

[Moonshane]

I completely agree John. My 12" f4 is my most used scope too.

I agree with Nick re unused used Scopes which is slightly oxymoronic!

My 16" has not moved since I put it back in its place after SGL 9! I don't mind though as a) I have options and it's not eating anything.

[Luke]

Nice optics those SW fracs. I'm nearly there with the gear, just one more scope and I'm done. 8 inch frac

[Pig]

I totally agree with buying good quality as you do get the majority of your initial layout back and sometimes a bit more for second hand gear should you have got a bargain in the first place.

It also takes quite some time to find out exactly what suits you most, for me I love the wide field views of fracs and the narrow close ups an SCT delivers. At this stage in my astro apprenticeship I find interchangeability, portability and quality very important

[spaceboy]

I can thoroughly reccommend the Orion Optics 12" dobsonian if you come across one on the used market. As well as having excellent optics they are lighter than Skywatcher / Meade / Revelation equivalents which makes them somewhat easier to handle. My 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics dob weighs around the same as a Skywatcher 10" F/4.7 dob and gets used more than any other of my scopes. I did have a Meade 12" Lightbridge but that was very heavy to move about and did not get used much.

I always regretted not having Moonshanes 12" OO off him but at the time I didn't have the funds after lashing it all out on Naglers. If I only had the power of hindsight hey

TBH John if I didn't have a 10" permanently setup in an obs (a short drive away but not always worth going if the skies are not much good) the 12" would probably have seen more use. When the skies aren't up to much it's easier for me to go out with my fraks plus they don't seem to suffer seeing as bad as my newts anyway.

[Luke]

I can thoroughly reccommend the Orion Optics 12" dobsonian if you come across one on the used market. As well as having excellent optics they are lighter than Skywatcher / Meade / Revelation equivalents which makes them somewhat easier to handle. My 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics dob weighs around the same as a Skywatcher 10" F/4.7 dob and gets used more than any other of my scopes. I did have a Meade 12" Lightbridge but that was very heavy to move about and did not get used much.

Yes the temptation for me long term now is to up the quality a little bit, what I have is already very nice and covers my needs well, with most things having a clear purpose, but I can see my 10 inch GSO making way for the Orion Optics 12 inch. I find that weight close to max of what for me is a fair breeze to carry out. The Skywatcher 12 inch dobs, no, not bad, but they are some effort for me while the GSO 10's lighter weight somehow makes a difference for me to how often it will be put out.

My SW ED100 would be threatened by a Tele Vue 102, not that I am in any way disappointed with the SW, it's a very nice frac. But I think the TV102 would be a destination.

8 inch frac is for the lotto win Wonder what sort of goto mount one of those would need?