RT65CB-SWL

Very nice.

Astroboot ship from Sweden and have done for a few years now. The P&P is a bit high for low cost items. A few weeks ago I ordered an item and the P&P cost more than the item.

Hi @Stephenstargazer and welcome to SGL. That is an impressive collection. A word of caution about the dovetail on the WO. I had one like it snap on me a few years ago when it was attached to my ETX105 and it hit the ground. I think the cold weakened it when the temperature dropped to minus something Celsius and damaged the rear ABS plastic cell and two of the three mounting points. The rest of the OTA, meniscus cell and mirrors were undamaged and found a local engineering workshop to undertake and make a replacement backplate, (as shown below), once I had drawn up a rough sketch/plan of it. The Jubillee/hose rings are securing the dovetail bar to the OTA as I cannot find/obtain suitable dovetail/tube rings. There are CNC ones, but they cost £'00s/$'00's + shipping.

+1 same here too!

Though I do not own either the Skymax 127 or the AZ-GTI I too find there is a "...small incremental improvement..." with my C6 and ETX105. (image below).

I too was going to suggest a small catadioptric, (i.e. Maksutov or Schmitt-Cassegrain), in my original reply. note: a dew shield is a must have accessory. Youngsters and other newbies probably may or will not understand the reason that they need to be cooled down to acclimatise before putting in an eyepiece before use, as they can take up to sixty minutes*. Young children in particular are inquisitive and will want to look straight away through the eyepiece and whilst waiting may get bored and irritable. Binoculars or a small refractor maybe a better option, as they can be used for other outdoor activities too and can be mounted on a camera tripod with an appropriate mounting bracket/hardware. * I give my ETX105 {Mak.} and C6 [SCT] an minimum of 30-40 minutes.

Below is an image of Montes Apenninus I took several years ago with my Meade ETX105, Meade 26mm Plossl, Beacon Hill Telescopes eyepiece projection unit; (E.P.U. or EPU); and a 2.1M/pixel digital compact camera. <--- The E.P.U. or EPU is in the centre and in front of my 're-modded' ETX105.

See here... via SGL'er @Lockie

Hi @KateSheff (& son) and welcome to SGL. +1 as above. Also have a read here... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html if not already done so. BTW - FLO is the SGL sponsor.

For 'grab & go' or travelling light, I would go for the zoom e/p, unless you prefer fixed focal length e/p's. Having borrowed one for a hour from a fellow member of my local society/club, I was impressed by it. The Explore Scientific e/p, does have a wider FOV which maybe better suited for use with a 'scope mounted on an alt-az mount. UHC filters can make difference on nebula. It depends on which brand. I use the Explore Scientific My 'all purpose' filter is the Baader Neodymium; (a.k.a. my 'Swiss-Army knife' filter). The Baader Contrast is my next 'all purpose' filter.

As above. I use either of these 'beauties'... left: AOK-AYO - right: Tele-Optic Giro. The are not cheap... IMHO a better build quality than the SkyTee2. Apologies in advance to any SkyTee2 owner/user reading this. BTW - I am saving up for a Berlebach tripod! ...(or two)!!

It used be known or had been said, that if you lived near coastal locations that mirrors would need coating more often; than those of inland locations due to the 'salty' atmosphere.

Hi @JonnyT & friend and welcome to SGL. I am just up the A327 from you... between Reading and Wokingham.

Welcome back to SGL @Cuffbertt

I use the short (18cm) one, because it has the slotted holes.

Yes! ...the 'Astro Essentials' dovetail bar is flat so that would make it easier to slide along the OTA mounting plate. The 'SkyWatcher' dovetail bar will have the recess to accommodate the curvature of the OTA. You will need to check the holes align and that there are no loose captive nuts, etc., in the OTA if you do replace the mounting plate and fix permanently to the OTA.

Get the one I recommend. Then you are able slide up or down to balance. I use one with my ETX105 when the backplate is carrying a heavy load... i.e. 2" SCT star diagonal or 'Crayford' focuser.

Hi Thomas. I think you attach a dovetail to the 'inverted' one. If "yes!" then I would get this type... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/astro-essentials-dovetail-bars.html https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/astro-essentials-dovetail-bars.html#about_this_product I also think the the purpose was originally designed for use with the SkyWatcher AZ3 mount, hence the 'inverted' dovetail.

Looking @Moonshed's image, I had the 'earworm' of Richard Burton & Liam Neeson intro of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds...

Sorry to read about your friends circumstances. I hope life and everything, improves for her in the future. New ETX90's are nearly £500GBP... I think £350GBP maybe a realistic value as it is a 2004 model. The downside maybe the mechanics. Meade used nylon/plastic gears and tend to be worn or with broken teeth within the drivetrain. Apologies in advance if I appear negative.

I think the BST's have an extra 2deg. For my low power with my C6/SCT-xlt or ETX105, I use either the SkyWatcher 2"/28mm LET|LER Apex or the Meade 1.25"/26mm series Plossl. Of the two, I prefer the SkyWatcher.

I have both the Baader Planetarium contrast booster and neodymium. The neodymium gets more use than the contrast booster and the reason I refer to it as my 'Swiss-army knife' filter.

Hi @khalexa and welcome to SGL. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and others during these challenging times; i.e. wildfires, global pandemic, etc.

At present, I am quite happy with what I have, though I wish I had a got C8 or C9.25 SCT instead of the C6. My other two 'scopes are a TeleVue Ranger and Meade ETX105. Unfortunately all cost >€150 My 'best' bargain find to date was this e/p... my SkyWatcher 2"/28mm LET|LER Apex for £7.50GBP

I had a look at Mars with my ETX105 last night too, under very disappointing conditions. Manged to view the southern polar ice cap, but very little surface detail visible. Best view to date was during the opposition of July 2003 with my TeleVue Ranger.