Quacker64

Well this is my first week with the forum. Very friendly and advice/opinion galore. My only issue is the thing is huge. Mi keep getting lost and struggle to keep up or re-find things. (I'm going to make a fine stargazer he aren't I? Lol). That's not a criticism by the way, merely an observation. It might also be down to me and the way I use said forum. I guess the best thing for me is to suck it and see. I do miss the edit function though and often cringe at any little typo after I post. Quicker I get to 250 posts the better. If it doesn't exist, I'd like so see something like a scope finder for new people which asks a series of relevant questions to determine the best scope or setup for your needs depending on the answer. I know people can help out with this, but I mean like an automatic application sort of thing. Loads to learn and see - so little time. :-)

I make you right James! Another hobby - birding saw me agonise over my first scope. I now have several (five) spotting scopes with eyepieces ranging from around 16x to 75x from handheld in the woods to observing eagles on Mull and several,in between. I'm mentally already planning my next scope but will not know exactly what until I get the first one. Talk of getting ahead on oneself! Steve

My question was merely whether it could be done as I note with interest debate rages whether the GOTO system is useful to beginners or not. As a beginner myself I wondered whether it was possible to override or use manually. As was possible with the first fully automatic or semi-automatic SLR cameras which had full manual override for the traditionalists. On a personal level (i.e. Myself) it would be the first of several scopes as I would probably want different ones for different work from hone to mobile/portable. I don't mind the traditional type of scope and learning but have no problems with the technology either. Whichever oath I think will lead to some interesting experiences and learning.

May I ask what might seem a dumb question as a complete beginner as I am seriously considering the Skywatcher MAK 127 with the go to system (SKYMAX-127 SYNSCAN™ AZ GOTO) can the go to or auto feature not be disabled or over-ridden as I understand the scope is manually set up for 1st star alignment? Can the go to system not just be switched off and scope used manually? I appreciate I might be over-simplifying a more complex issue.