Stu1smartcookie

good idea

I can't believe its another foggy night ... only 25 miles away over london it looks clear ... zzzz still at least the motors are now fitted to my mount ... and they work and look nice ... even though i can't use them

I am getting new motors for my eq5 today (hopefully) and i'm really looking forward to using them ... have i just put the mockers on a clear sky ?

i agree with Mark ... i have posted some of my photos on Facebook and the positive responses gave me a lot of pleasure... my images were at best , ordinary compared to some of the wonderful images i see on here... but, they were MINE

Ashamed to say, i passed on an opportunity , it was clear for about an hour last night , but by the time i would have set my gear up i would have had to trawl the whole lot back inside ( not exactly but you know what i mean) . It really made me realise how good smaller set ups are .. a small(ish) scope on a lightweight mount , something i've had before and now i miss. I actually felt guilty in missing a date with the stars . Big chance to redeem myself on Saturday , hopefully .

Hi Gaz , welcome ... you could check the latitude angle of the scope by using a smartphone placed against the mount . Might confirm your suspicions .

A great little read ... reading posts inspire others as you have already stated . To be honest , Mars is past its best now. Although still high in our sky ( when we actually get a clear sky ) its a difficult planet to see much detail . Saturn and Jupiter are too low , at least for me , to see now so its the good old moon that really takes centre stage . And why not? There is ALWAYS something to see there , especially when it shows its phases . Congrats on your scope . Exciting is exactly the word i would use too. I think we , in Britain are the most enthusiastic and patient astronomers in the world as we have so few clear skies . Stu

Just to add to this thread ... some people are actually using the Sky-Watcher EvoGuide 50ED Guidescope as a portable scope !!! and why not ?.Anything that works for astronomy is worth looking through imo .

Hi , I've been "round the block" with scopes and have finally settled on a 200p on an eq5 mount , but already there is a yearning to add after market motors , and maybe an upgraded focuser oh and definitely a right angle finder ...etc etc . There is never enough money and always too many things to buy , so , i'm determined not to go crazy buying all sorts of accessories ( easy to write and say ) . Happy for you David that you now have your scope . I think the main accessory that we all need but doesn't cost anything are clear skies , which are at a premium in our country . There is only so many times one can look at YouTube vids and read Turn Left At Orion lol .

Hi , welcome back to the most frustrating and equally rewarding hobby in the universe .

It seems that this is a problem that has no definite conclusion , some say that the focuser should be directly opposite the dovetail bar , which I did try but as KP said the stars near the zenith require you to grow 0.5mtrs in height .. or stand on something .. not ideal . But , the positives outweigh the negatives , and at least I’m getting a work out whilst observing lol

So, my first light with my new set up was last night .. a very still , clear evening ( although cold) . I did all the preliminaries ie levelled the mount , did a polar alignment ( although the EQ 5 isn’t driven ) .. I then rather clumsily mounted my skywatcher 200p onto the mount ! I will put the rings on the mount first next time .... a lesson learnt straight away . I balanced and collimated the scope , just a few mins later it was ready to go ! So , everything was great .. nice views of the Plaides and the moon . But ( there is always one ) .. some of the positions the focusser ended up in were nothing short of bizarre . I ended up stretching, crouching ,bending , leaning .. a full work out in fact ! So I finally realised I can loosen the rings and swivel the tube . For viewing , with no tracking that’s no problem but what happens if I had a goto system or just after market motors installed .. would twisting the tube have an impact on polar alignment? sorry for the long post for just one question , but I do like to set the scene lol Stu

In a year that has had more downs than we care to remember I may have just experienced a mini miracle . A fellow SGL member aka Pixies gleaned that I was looking for a mount for my new 200p newt and spied an EQ 5 for sale at FLO . I ordered it on Tuesday night ... about 8pm ... it was delivered today , Xmas eve at 11:30 . So of course I’m really happy .. but the main reason for this post is to say a big thanks to FLO for the amazing service . And a big thanks to Pixies ! So in a country devoid of stock I have had a mini miracle ! Now all I need is a clear night I hope all of you have the best possible Christmas 🎄 Stu

Thanks for the advice.. the next issue is to actually find a mount lol ... I think I might have to wait a month or two

ahhh yes i see

Hi John , the scope has a long black dovetail . Not sure if thats what they used to put on them .

Lenscap , this is what i thought ... ie an EQ5 ( wish me luck finding one lol) with aftermarket motors ... or even an EQ5 with goto although to be honest im not too concerned about that side of it .

Yes its now safely packed away in my wardrobe . I am normally the type who loses a fiver but finds a pound so i am really happy about this . A little less happy that stock is really short at the moment , but ces la vie . As for the az mount ... i was maybe lookng at an az5 . Scouring the second hand ads now .. lol . I still have my little starquest 102r to use ... but as its raining , on conjunction day not much chance to see anything

So , today , despite the general gloom around at the moment I went to buy a skywatcher 150p newt ( brand new .. still had the white tissue paper wrapped around ) .. a guy was selling this and a few other scopes , all without mounts .. my scope cost me £125 .. which I thought was a bargain . Er , well actually it turned out to be more of a bargain , as the scope is actually a 200p !! So a new 8”scope for £125 . Despite my euphoria it has presented me with a little issue .. I was set to buy an eq3 to put my supposed 150p on , but I don’t think it will take the weight of this 200p. I will be using the scope for visual although I will inevitably stick a dslr on there at some point ! So are there any recommendations regarding alt az mounts and could I possibly use an EQ5 ? I really don’t have masses of money to spend so spare me the heq5 + mounts please . ( maybe in a year or so for one of those ) . I look forward to your comments .. oh , the only thing wrong with my purchase was one of the nylon adjuster screws on the finder scope was missing .. can you buy them separately? cheers Stu

Well done on your purchase .. for me the sky is clear tonight I hope it’s the same for you .. and everyone.

Sorry , yes I understood .. and tbh you are right .. I emailed them today about an item and Elena got back to me.. they are closed today so I was a bit surprised I got an answer today but obviously happy that I did . Anyway as everyone has said it’s all a bit frantic where gear is concerned , I doubt it will get better in the short term so the second hand market is even more enticing . The good thing about our hobby is that people look after their scopes etc

I can only speak from experience as I know both Simon and Elena , that they are extremely efficient in answering emails . Having said that it is of course a busy time of year .

the widescreen centre doesnt actually have a live update on stock ... so please email or call them first .

Lovely photo .. i saw this yesterday afternoon , but , by the time i got home the moon had descended behind houses . Love the moon ... always something to see , it just keeps giving .

I had a very similar experience only last weekend ... I bought a 200p dobsonian ... i asked the seller to show me the mirrors by taking a picture , as i had to travel a long way to collect the scope , which he did and , the scope was absolutely immaculate . Most of the time people will be selling for genuine reasons ... of course buying on Ebay and gumtree is a little more risky (sometimes) , thats why buying off a reputable site like this one is , shall we say , puts the mind at rest .