Stu1smartcookie

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

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 .

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 )

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 .

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 !

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

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

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 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

wow ... yep , just like here lol

Louis i can see you have no idea about the poor state of UK roads lol 🤣

hmmm not sure i like the analogy with cars ... my last 5 have been 3 x BMW and 2X Nissan ... i think the nissans take it for comfort 🤣

Thank you , i will take a look .

Louis ... lol... we will have an architect from St Petersburg for starters ...in Russia you just buy the floor space and design the interior right down to the size of each room so every flat can be different . The way i'm going we will just live in the floor space 🤣 ... but at least i will have my scopes there .

Hey ... lol ... i've got a new flat in Russia to design and furnish !!!! if i spend spend spend on expensive EP's i will be living in the box my next scope is delivered in ! 🤣

Yep a little bit more than i am willing to pay , but ,of course quality costs ... not sure my older eyes can discern minute details that lend themselves to top of the range EP's though .

Firstly , What a great gift you will be giving , whatever scope your sister receives will make her happy i am sure . I was definitely in the 100mm refractor camp on this one as travel is the key here . BUT Of course aperture is king when it comes to scopes but , reality has to play a big part in what we buy and more importantly what we use and how often its used . A refractor will be a really fast set up, and easy to transport ... of course an 8" Dob would be more beneficial under a dark sky ( think about all that lovely aperture ). The choice will come down to practicality . The dob would require collimation each time its moved in the car to site . ( but to be honest that is not a problemas it takes only 2 minutes, but factor in a collimation tool to the price ).

Back to the YouTube videos lol