Cosmic Geoff

Well done. I left the mount out and set the alarm for 4am but found that cloud had come over earlier than forecast. 🙁

And it wil be cloudy for the next few days.😧

The older handset is the Nexstar*.  I found that all three variants (Nexstar*, Nexstar+ and Starsense) workd with the C8 SE.

I have a Nexstar+ handset, now several years old, used with a SLT mount.  It was OK to begin with it, but the buttons have become less and less responsive in the top row, so that I have to mash the Align, Enter or Back buttons repeatedly to get any response, and it is becoming worse.  A couple of years ago I dismantled the handset and tried cleaning the button tracks, but it did not make much if any difference.

I have searched online and not found a similar case, much less any fix.

Last time I used the handset it was so bad on the Align button that I almost gave up. Now I am wondering what to do next - buy a new Nexstar+ handset, upgrade the whole mount to something else, or use the spare (older version) Nexstar handset I'm not using, that came with the C8 SE?

The auto two star is probably the one to try, unless you have no clue which alignment star is which - in which case use the sky align.  If you just want to observe, e.g. Venus, then use the solar system align.

Would it be easier if I was to connect a pc via ethernet cable!?  I doubt it. It doesn't connect via Ethernet, but by a combination of serial and USB, with adapter.

There are several motorising kits available:

RA only (6 volt) - cheapest.

RA + Dec (6 volt)

RA+Dec deluxe, with provision for guiding

Synscan GoTo upgrade kit. - most useful.

Your choice.

A dew shield. Essential in the UK climate.

An external power supply.

You should think of upgrading the 10mm eyepiece, as the kit eyepiece is usually of poor quality.

I recommend the Baader Skysurfer III - works well, looks smart and has not gone wrong yet (unlike the basic red-dot kit finders and the more expensive Celestron I tried).  Red dot finders will let you correct a wide misalignment, so complement optical finders well. I have never seen the point of using a laser.

6 hours ago, Thomas Burgess said:

I originally looked at the Celestron Nexstars and such, but wow, do they like to "nickel and dime" you on all the required extra's.

I don't think they are any worse than any other make in that respect. If a set of good eyepieces, an external power pack, a phone holder, etc were included it would put up the price to the point where customers would not buy or would go elsewhere.

BTW, if you buy the Mak it needs a dew shield. It's essential, not an optional extra, in our climate. 

7 minutes ago, Abhi178 said:

Hi ..its Equatorial Mount

Yes, we got that. But which one? There are scores of different equatorial mount models. A photo of yours might help us help you.

But if the mount axis is pointing at Polaris, you may have solved your problem.

If you are using the telescope visually, the adjustment is not critical anyway.

You do not need to search for a review of the 127mm Makusov - everybody here who has used one knows that these are fine instruments.

I have not seen a Viruoso mount, but I wonder if this is the most suitable mount for your circumstances. Young children tend to grab anything within reach, not least the eyepiece end of a telescope. With a GoTo scope, he last thing you want is anybody pulling at or jolting it after it has been set up, as this will upset the alignment, and you will have to take time out to set it up again.  It would seem better to put the scope on a heavy mount that is resistant to being pulled or knocked.

I took a 102mm f5 refractor + AZ4-2 mount to an outreach meeting a couple of months ago, and was surprised to find that this low-magnification setup (chosen more for robustness than anything else) gave various members of the public a "wow" factor when aimed at Jupiter and Saturn or the Moon. 

Inevitably some forum menbers will suggest getting a Dobsonian telescope, where the same money gets you a bigger telescope and a more basic mount, less easily knocked over if floor mounted, and this is certainly something to consider.

As for astrophotography, note that 1) it costs a lot of money, and 2) the kit bears little relation to what you would buy for visual use.  The 127 Mak + Virtuoso does not look suitable for imaging other than of the most basic sort.  For planetary imaging a dedicated planetary video camera attached to the scope,+ laptop will work much better (not child or dog proof?)

I suggest you check the Beginner Scopes from forum sponsor FLO, and then get back to us with any further questions. How far you have to carry the scope, how bad your skies are, and whether you like fancy tech may have a bearing on your final decision.

I would doubt that you need a 'back to the factory' to change an internal battery.  I read somwwhere about the characteristics of the Evolution internal battery, and it seemed rather small...

Having had to change a number of laptop batteries, I would not expect the Evolution battery to last longer than about 3 years.  So long as you get a battery of the same type (e.g. Li-ion) and the same number of cells, a replacement ought to work, even if you have to do some soldering.  Or just continue using an external battery/power pack, like the rest of us have to do.

With my latest laptop I had to unscrew and unclip the underside, and unscrew the battery, in order to exchange it. I wonder how many owners of ultraslim laptops just take it to a service agent if the battery starts failing.

Addendum: Have just read the Cloudynights post above, which details the battery and shows a picture - it has multiple wires going to it - just like laptop batteries have a multiway collector linking them to the charge circuit. Best of luck with changing that if it's wired in.

Addendum 2: A post in the Cloudynights thread mentions a battery connector, so looks like it can be unplugged. The battery is in the arm.

I should think that the more solid the mount (and a CGEM II should be pretty solid) the less useful an electric focuser becomes compared with manual focusing.

My flip mirror has a limited range focus on the eyepiece port. I suggest you look up helical focusers to see what they look like. I have two, from Svbony - with T2 or other threads one end of a barrel about 40cm long, and a 1.25" fitting for an eyepiece (etc) at the other.  By rotating a sleeve they give a focus range of 10cm which does not rotate the eyepiece, camera or other device attached to the oiter end.  These can be very useful but do remember that it inserts an extra 40 cm or so into the optical path.

Binoculars in general have a tendency to go out of collimation with time, usage or knocks (mine did.) Combine this with a zoom mechanism, expect it to stay collimated at all zoom levels, and you have a recipe for trouble. Also note that zoom eyepieces have a smaller field of view at low powers than the equivalent fixed eyepiece.

In short, cheap zoom binoculars should be avoided like Covid-19.

Looking to the future, and maybe out of your present budget, but if you have the EQ5 with the Synscan GoTo, and a camera and laptop that allow you to platesolve, instead of struggling to get the (possibly invisible) object that you want to image into the field, you can platesolve and then tell the system to re-sync, placing the object dead centre in the image field.  I have only used this a few times, but it's brilliant. 😀

(Actually, this should work with any Synscan or Nexstar GoTo mount.)

If you choose another mount and use the dovetail bar fixed to the tube, beware of where the eyepiece etc end up.  Choosing an alt-azimuth mount with the arm on the same side as with the Dob base is least likely to result in a 'Gotcha'.

On 24/11/2021 at 12:10, Sullivan1 said:

I'm most interested in the planets, the moon and double stars, though would definitely like the ability to explore other things,

A Maksutov telescope would do all this very well.  Maks are generally of excellent optical quality, compact and in most cases never require collimation.  I have one and still use it regularly despite having a larger telescope.  I bought a Startravel 102mm achro to complement it for widefield, but found that I was using the Mak far more.   Buying one telescope (or mount)  in hopes that it will do everything is a futile endeavour.

Anything is possible. The question is, what solutions are within your budget, or your technical ability?  If you de-mount the optical tube, you could fit it with tube rings and a dovetail bar, and buy a mount with the standard Vixen dovetail clamp (alt-azimuth, equatorial, GoTo - your choice).

Or you could buy a steel tripod with a flat top, and figure out how to attach the Dob base to the flat top of the tripod.

Or you could make something out of wood and stand the Dob on top of it.

Or you could fix a sturdy wooden post in your garden, fix a board on top, and stand the Dob on that.

1 hour ago, DhamR said:

One question I can't get much info on is whether the Virtuoso GTI will track objects at all.   I can't seem to find whether the terminology for "tracking" is what I think it is.  I.e. if it (or we) find something, can I hit a button and it try to track it?

This is a variant of a question other newbies have posed. Be assured, if it is a GoTo mount, it WILL track. ALL GoTo mounts track.

2 hours ago, Deepblue12 said:

What additional eye pieces would you suggest?

That is a frequently asked question here, and the answer depends to some extent on what telescope you ultimately buy. The point is, that it is desirable to have a set of three or more eyepieces, and the eyepieces normally bundled with a new scope are designed to get you started without deterring you from buying by adding significantly to the selling price. 🙁  The 9mm and 10mm bundled eyepieces are notoriously poor.

The Nexstar 130 SLT is probably an adequate starter scope.  You should budget in addition for a set of decent eyepieces and a proper +12 volt power supply.

The SLT mount is mechanically similar to a mount from Skywatcher, and both manufacturers seem to offer 130mm Newtonians and 127mm Maksutov scopes.  Note that the Nexstar software is easier to use and more user-friendly than the Sky-watcher Synscan software, despite the ubiquity of the Skywatcher mounts. I have used both, so I should know...

14 minutes ago, keora said:

Thanks for the question. I thought of buying a small refractor which should be easy to transport. I prefer an Alt Az mount and I don’t want a Go To set up. I got advice on a new scope from this forum in early April but there still seems to be some shortages. 

The weight for a given telescope or mount can generally be found on the WWW somewhere if you search around a bit. Why do you need the weight? Have you portability in mind? Note that if you are buying a bundle, the manufacturers often include the lightest and most wobbly mount they can get away with.  If it's for back garden use, you would be happier with a sturdy mount like an AZ4-2 with steel legs.

What exactly do you want the widefield refractor for? The CA may not matter on some targets. I have a Startravel 102 and use it mainly for dabbling in EEVA imaging and imaging of DSOs.  The focuser is not that bad for visual use, and I added a low-cost helical focuser accessory for imaging.  I have used it on a SLT mount (probably the same mechaincs as your 127mm Mak mount)

Of course, if you spend more money, you can buy a better instrument. 🙂 

I would suspect the 9mm eyepiece, if it came bundled with the telescope. The 9 or 10mm eyepieces I got bundled with new telescopes were not much good and spending £50 or so on a replacement worked wonders.

There seems to be no difference between the C6 OTAs supplied with various mounts (except maybe the colour).   I have the SLT mount, so can confirm most of the rude things written about it. 🙂

I have seen some of the C6 SLT deals - they are best read as "Good price for great OTA + a free mount you can use till you get a proper mount, and then use the SLT mount for something else."