After nights of cloud and rain, boredom and desire to improve on my set-up, I started going through the classifieds, astrobuysell and preloved for a bargain EQ3-2 mount, to compliment my refractor. After seeing that they are £170 brand new for that price, I could get a whole newtonian set-up of decent aperture second hand.

And so, I now have my eye on a couple of SkyWatcher 150mm on EQ5 or better ads. Coincidentally, I have noticed a hell of an influx of RAW newbies enquiring about first time scope set-ups (must be the Cox effect lol!), and to my surprise, a fair few of them are either going for the 150, or a 200 - just what I'm looking at for a step up second scope (makes me feel a bit sad and stupid).

Its quite interesting having new newbies (ha!) asking my opinion on scopes for their first time that I want as my second! I have even gone so far as to give someone my shopping list because they are going to go for the same set-up, could be interesting to compare first lights, if they do get the same scope and mount!

So, payday is coming ever closer, still no clear nights for going out with my camera or scope, and that frustration itself, is making me chomp at the bit even more to get my hands on a bigger, more capable scope than my beloved 90mm refractor. Patience Natalie, patience.

So, I have decided to take the plunge, and shall be the proud owner of a Helios (which I believe is what SkyWatcher used to be called) 150mm reflector on a EQ5 mount for £200 in a fortnight. Plus £55 (including VAT) for a collection from the lovely lady in Hastings via Parcelforce, and then I can my paws on my new toy. I will be buying the dual motor drive for the mount for £90, and a polar scope for £32, and I'll be readily armed for combat!

After those purchases, I'm thinking of buying a Skywatcher LPR filter, Cheshire collimator, Photoshop or similar software, a celestron powertank (for laptop, phone and charging camera batteries whilst out observing) and might get a second flight case for the reflector eyepieces and collimator, as my current one is rather chok a blok.

My poor bank balance......