Stu1smartcookie

Another update !!!!!

So , after buying the Altair Starwave , tomorrow will see the arrival of the SkyTee + Tripod 

The wife doesn't know yet , so i will keep the box , just in case i need somewhere to live !!! 🤣 ( i really dont know why i am laughing )

Well, I bought the scope!!!!  It was too good to miss..or so I hope. 

15 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

Hi Stu. Lots of good advice & suggestions from all of us. Major brain overload. Here comes some more.😲

Knowing how you like to try different scopes, and knowing your storage situation has influenced my two pennorth.

You need choices. Don't buy to just fit the new scope. Keep payload in hand.
Consider the tripod and mount as separate purchases.

When buying a tripod go for the heaviest/strongest you can manage to handle. The wallet has a say as well!
If you store it in the shed, there are no stairs to consider so weight is not an issue.
Even a tripod from an EQ6 type mount is not that much bigger than a flimsy tripod.
If you buy used with tarnished chrome, what does it matter? Provided the legs aren't wobbly and fixings aren't rusted, it is OK.
This helps your wallet.

A similar sizing comment goes for the mount. A used Skytee2 is a good choice at £200 downwards.
Not as elegantly engineered as (for example) a Giro, but quite good enough.
It will even let you fit two scopes!

Don't worry about 3/8" to M10 adapters and whatever to fit an incompatible mount & tripod together.
You can quickly make something temporary using a block of wood and a few screws/bolts.
If you like the package, then you can spend on a ready made adapter.
Or approach someone who has the metalworking tools if an off the peg adapter is not available.

Something like the setup described above would let you (for example) hang your little Mak alongside the new frac.
Or trial a new purchase against your long frac.

Just don't get carried away like I have. The pics show a CG5 (Celestron like EQ5) sitting on top of the D6 (in the handset holder) for a size comparison.
Yes they both look the same size on web pages😁
However, the D6 load capacity lets you get carried away with scopes. 8" & 10" newts for a side by side comparison🤔

Brilliant post David. Thanks. I've bought a sturdy tripod so I'm getting there lol

Thank you all for the Input  guys I have decided to put on hold the purchase of the scope, which I am sorry to the seller on SGL , but you all raised some important points about the mount which made total sense. As someone who prefers smaller scopes, generally it was an ambitious plan by me. @badhexI am on a very similar path to you so I especially was interested to read that the ed80 was too heavy for your gti . 

Thanks guys. 

No need to apologise 

The SkyTee looks a great  mount

3 minutes ago, badhex said:

So I am a brand-new-as-of-this-week Skytee owner... and I have to give a plus one for it. I don't have a frac that long but can see that the sturdiness of this mount would be great for the scope you are suggesting.

Just one problem , costs outweigh desire ... I am sure you are right about the mount but it means buying the mount,tripod and the scope. Not something which was in my plans . Can't believe I'm being so sensible for once.  Thanks for the input though . Really appreciate it

lol yeah , to be shared equally between 2 families !!! 

3 minutes ago, Stu said:

es, it’s tricky. I bought and sold a SkyTee II recently for £150.

lol Stu , thats like telling someone how good a cake was , but its been eaten so you can't have any 🤣 🤣

Thanks for the input though . A bit "caught between the devil and the deep blue see " at the moment with this .

All about timing though isnt it ?... @Franklin

its a bit oif a mare as i saw a couple of those mounts come up recently , ce la vie ...

Thanks guys , really good advice on here,  as always ... although not what i wanted to read lol ... might have to rethink my whole strategy here which won't please the seller of the scope  . I have a budget ( like most ) to work with and the scope and mounts suggested put me over that line . Got to be practical and realistic . 

Hi Vlaiv ... i really dont want another EQ mount if i can help it , i prefer the simplicity of Alt-Az for viewing . Its a bit of a void isnt it , not too many options for just putting a scope on a manual mount .

Hi 

I am about to buy a long 100mm refractor, F11,  which i will use on a manual mount . I have two choices in mind , an AZ5 or an AZ4 . 

I have to say that i already have a steel tripod ,3/8" Skywatcher , so the AZ5 mount head will be placed on this ,giving extra stability ( apparently with this tripod the AZ5 can accept upto 9kgs ..,the scope i am getting is around 4kgs )

Or i can buy the AZ4 with steel/aluminium tripod ( with the included steel tripod the mount can take up to 8kgs ) 

The only other  differences i see are that the AZ4 has no slow motion controls , but has useful degree markings on the mount head . oh and i can alter the fitment angle on the AZ5 to help with longer scopes 

So , i am leaning towards an AZ5 , but does anyone else know of any other reason one way or the other . 

Please note that i am set on either of these two mounts .

Stu

12 minutes ago, Steve Clay said:

Az 5 is 3/8 photo thread eq5 is M10. You would need the 3/8 version of the tripod

or an eq5 adapter that fits onto the EQ5 tripod basically covering the Pin 

Agree with above comments ... but , to answer your question about the recessed head of the mount , i bought a long 3/8" threaded bolt and it worked fine ( bolt was sawn down to a usable size ) i then was able to attach a weight to the bolt which gives added stability . It might help you until you get a stronger tripod 

Welcome to SGL , John . Don't forget to point that scope at our moon    its a brilliant watch through a scope . 

5 hours ago, Louis D said:

I bought an ST80 back in 2000 when they first came out.  After having used 8" and 15" Dobs for a few years before it, it was a huge let down.  All sorts of chromatic and spherical aberrations vastly limited contrast and ability to magnify the image.  It didn't even make a decent spotting scope.  Everything looked hazy.  It has sat at the bottom back of the closet unused for the majority of the past 20 years.

13 years later, I thought I'd give small fracs a second try with a 72ED and fell in love with it.  Sharp and color free at low to mid powers, high contrast, and the ability to use 2" eyepieces to get down to binocular level fields of view.  It's a great scope to complement a larger reflector.  However, I would never get a small frac of any quality level first.  Views of planets, planetary nebula, and globular clusters are just so lacking in resolution compared to a decently sized reflector.  The small frac excels at large open clusters and large nebula under dark skies that are out of reach of most large reflectors.  However, are they alone enough to keep a beginner interested?  Yes, you can make out Jupiter's moons and possibly some banding along with Saturn's rings, but not much more.

You can also view the moon and the sun (with a solar filter) fairly well with a small frac.  However, picking out Mercury during the most recent transit was a real challenge with the ST80 compared to the 8" Dob.  I couldn't get off work that day, so I had to bring a scope to work and use it in the parking lot on breaks.  I wasn't comfortable bringing my better gear to work because I work near a high crime area, so the ST80 was my choice for the day since it was stowed in the car between uses.

Basically, I skew heavily toward decently sized reflectors for beginners because they're more likely to keep them hooked on the hobby, but YMMV.

Agree with the ST80 ... to a point .. but , as you said you were using 8" and 15" dobs before it ... Quelle Surprise ?  I also have a 72ED and i find the views of the planets more than good , when using the right magnification . 

But 

I find the whole "getting into astronomy "a confused mess , i will tell you why . Experienced people quite rightly have their own views that are sort after by complete beginners , nothing wrong with that . But the Scope suppliers aim certain scopes at beginners . Most beginners scopes tend to be at the cheaper end of the scale and , lets face it , there are some real dogs out there! i had the misfortune to briefly use a few . Not only were they cheaply constructed , the actual quality of image was poor . If those scopes are intended to enthuse beginners and draw them into the hobby , it won't work ! 

To be honest , Ed Ting has it right ... he ALWAYS suggests either a 150mm or a 200mm Dob as a great starter scope ... and as most of us have found , those scopes tend to stick around under our ownership or get bought again and again ( in my case ) as i realise they truly are scopes for everyone ( unless you live on the 8th floor of an apartment block) 

So , i , on refelection ( no pun intended ) would go along with your reflector selection . 

Now , i wonder what dobs are in stock ... i can see another dent in that credit card coming

Good  selection from Louis , just to add as you mentioned planets a  little 102 Mak  would be lightweight and show good views ( although tbh i would go with the heritage as it offer a bit of everything and of course comes with a mount ) 

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Just so long as they don’t open a McDonalds on Mars someday. 🤬🤬🤬

Other Fast Food outlets are available !  ... although catching cows on mars as they take advantage of minimal gravity would make burgers more expensive ... come to think of it god only knows what they would graze on up there . 

49 minutes ago, DaveS said:

And remember, not so long ago emigrating to the antipodes was pretty much regarded as a one-way trip

Agree ... what was an impossible trip or reverse trip is now regarded as normal .. ( regarding other long haul destinations ) . Human nature to explore and create and , yes , to destroy makes the impossible , possible . Only the restraints of finance make things seem unlikely where solar system travel is concerned ... oh and cleaning up the space junk that is circling the planet like a galactic waste paper bin . Maybe we can organise a waste collection , ... every other week of course ! 

14 minutes ago, Ags said:

We don't need megawatt mobile phones,

We don't need powerful cars or balistic missiles or bananas or telescopes that are shipped half way round the world ! 

Its a bit rich commenting on what we don't need when , without " what we don't need" ie space telescopes and rockets that have actually enhanced technology in development of science and life saving tech in hospitals . i'm sorry but this "clean energy " thing is a complete non starter imo . The wind "didn't blow enough" in the UK last month .. we would all have been in a blackout if we were reliant on wind .  

Sorry , on my soap box ... honestly nothing personal  

Actually the more I look at it the more I like it 

8 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Stu, is that predictive text for stable , or will Mrs smartcookie need to be worried ? 🙂

Heather

Lol What a flirt I am lol , just edited ... Heather

9 hours ago, going-supernova said:

Using a tripod is the setup I have settled on (I had a tripod already for my camera).  I find it gives me the ideal height and portability 

Reckon that looks good... Tell me is it nice and stable on that tripod?

A lovely surprise  delivered today instead of Monday , thank you @Dean Hale

Unfortunately Dean you forgot to take the clouds out of the box 🤣

Just now, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

however those cheaper units like BSTs don't spoil the observing experience at all.

just seen an 8mm up for sale . I have just purchased an EP from another SGL member ( Baader 17mm ) so when it arrives i expect to hide my sub par poor EPs in a drawer lol