I grabbed a bargain.

[smith-the-dog]

I have been reading reviews and asking folk for advice about the best scopes,for new the astronomer for a while now.

And I am grateful for all the advice I have received from everyone on this site and elsewhere✌,It was second to none.

I actually had my heart set on an orion xt8i dob, but I just couldn't justify spending £500 plus. It was tearing me apart ,I wanted a dob..but needed help finding stuff.. (having used binoculars for 6/8 month's, I knew how hard the night sky can be) the orion ticked all the boxes.

.....anyway whilst searching for second hand bargains in the usual places,I came across A skymax 127 goto,I quickly did some research and decided to purchase ..

It was £200 and only use a couple of times and had extra eye pieces too.

When I picked the scope up, it truly was in immaculate condition.

I ve had the scope over a week now, but unfortunately have not been able to use it as of yet..this is no way due to the dreaded new scope curse ..... lol

(More to the fact of ripping the bathroom out on the day of purchase)

Haha..

Still not sure if I've made the right decision....But hopefully will by the end of the week.

I would be grateful for any tips and tricks anyone has for this scope..

regards

Tony

[damnut]

Hi Tony,

That's a great scope in an easy to transport package. These maks have a great reputation as planet killers. My first accessory would be a dew shield as the meniscus attracts dew like doggy door attracts flies. Else get to know your scope with what it came with and you can make some considered choices.

Congrats on the new scope wondered why it started raining as it went dark....

[ecuador]

These maks have a great reputation as planet killers. 

To clarify, damnut means it will show you good detail on planets. Not "planet killer" as in "death star death ray".

[Sirius Starwatcher]

Hi Smith the dog. If you've already ripped the bathroom out. I'd say its too late to ask if you've made  the right decision or not.

As for the scope. A good decision enjoy.

[sbooder]

I have 1 tip.  Use it in the garden not the bathroom, now you can use it straight away!

[cotterless45]

Be ok , if you ripped the bathroom wall as well.

[Peter Drew]

Give the optics plenty of time to "cool down" for best results. 

[RLWP]

To clarify, damnut means it will show you good detail on planets. Not "planet killer" as in "death star death ray".

Having said that, never point a collimating laser down a scope when it is aligned with a planet. We haven't got many left since someone downgraded Pluto this way by knocking a lump off

Richard

[ecuador]

Yeah, all we need is another comedy thread. Who starts these things?

[xtreemchaos]

nice scope mate, you going to see some amazing stuff with it,but you def need a dew shield  if your using in the bath.all the best.

[ecuador]

One serious advice, apart from the dew shield, if you are missing the wide-field views of open clusters that the Mak cannot provide you with, forget about trying reducers etc - they won't work (the maximum field you can get from this scope is simply with a 52˚ 32mm plossl), the only solution is to pick up a cheap second hand refractor OTA (like the StarTravel 80 or the StarTravel 102) and swap it in when you want to see something big.  But depending on what you like to observe, it might not even come up. Also, if you had good binoculars, they might be enough for the wide-field views anyway.

Also, to stabilize the tripod a bit, tighten every bolt (without cracking them), then vibration pads plus a weight on the accessory tray seem to work (among other tricks).

Anyway, we're all looking forward for the first pics.

Of the new tile that is...

[bitnick]

What eyepieces did it come with?

[smith-the-dog]

Good reply Ecuador. ..and thanks.

I like the weight on the tray tip

[ecuador]

I like the weight on the tray tip.

Remember, it does not work that great if your tripod sits directly on a hard surface. So apart from the weight (I used a 7kg gym weight disk) try to add something for dampening if you are on a hard surface  - I used Celestron Vibration Suppression Pads, but they are expensive so I've heard other people having luck with other similar plastic & rubber materials.