KP82

The controller you listed is fine. Just a different adapter. I bought my 12V/10A power supply from Amazon before. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BW-Inverters-Cigarette-Converter-Universal/dp/B01MCWO7ZA

The dew strips are designed to operate at 12V DC. If you plug them straight in the mains without any transformer, I believe they would just burn out (unless you make your own strips with appropriate wires I suppose). A dew controller can help control the power output so you don't overheat part of the tube causing air current. I'd go for a 12V 10A supply instead of 5A just to be sure there is enough power.

The 200P comes with a stock 35mm 2" extension tube. If you can't locate yours and it's just the 30mm ep that is having focus issue, I'd say use the partial insertion method to save some money.

From these 3 Evostar EDs, the 80mm is the most suitable for starting ap due to its smaller size, lower weight and shorter focal length.The relative compactness of the ED80 means even a basic EQ5 Pro is adequate (of course the beefier the mount the better for imaging if your budget allows). Its shorter focal length coupled with the 0.85x reducer will produce a larger FoV suitable for many DSOs, and a larger image scale easier on tracking errors especially if you plan to go unguided initially. However for visual it's the other way around. Under 5" size and seeing condition have a much smaller impact when comparing performance of scopes, here aperture rules not only for DSOs, but also planets, doubles, etc. So the ED120 is the best option. You will need at least an EQ5 for stability at high mag. The ED100 sits in a kind of awkward middle ground for your requirements. It loses to the ED120 on DSO visual due to 44% less light grasp and its f/9 focal ratio is the slowest among these three for imaging. However 4" is a good compromise in size if you just want one scope. And for that I'd suggest you take a look at other 4" f/7 ED doublets offered by Altair, TS Optics and WO. They are better multi-purpose scopes than the f/9 ED100. Personally if Skymax 180 were going to be part of my collection soon, I'd go for ED80.

When I had my AZ5 back in late 2018, I tried high power on Jupiter (143x with a 5mm Delite) and Mars (206x with 7mm Delite + 2x barlow). Like I said before the vibration took 2 - 3 seconds to settle making precise focus at high mag quite challenging. But once focused the slow motion control was very handy for tracking the targets. The vibration during focus was what prompt me to get the Sabre v2. But the Sabre lacked slow motion control, so I never really used it much.

I've tried the Altair 102EDT on an AZ5 + the steel tripod before. Not the most stable setup (vibration that takes 2-3 secs to settle when changing focus), but certainly useable with the slow-motion control.

I used to have quite a few manual alt-az mounts including AZ5, Sabre v2 and AZ Pronto. But after realising how relaxed it can be when viewing through a tracking mount, I sold all of them and started using EQ with my refractors exclusively. The only alt-az I've got left is the 8" dob. My APM 107/700 on an ES iEXOS-100 PMC8 and my DIY eFinder. Plate solving + tracking for maximum ease of use in the freezing winter nights.

A scope in 8 - 10" and less than £1k has to be a reflector or catadioptric. Both type require collimation. I believe the best solution for you is to learn about collimation from http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/ and then get the 10" from your mum's place. If you absolutely want to avoid collimation, your £1k will get you a nice 4" ED doublet refractor.

That Longpern 90/500 costs £400 inc. VAT. If you could stretch maybe another £100, you could get an Altair Ascent 102ED f/7 that would completely trounce any of the achro you mentioned. A recent review of the Altair Ascent 102 by a member:

I had a Bresser AR102xs (102/460) for about 3 months. It was solid and compact. The focuser was miles ahead of any SW Startravels. I replaced the stock finder shoe with a baader one temporarily so I could use a RDF with standard synta mounting stalk. When I bought it I also thought the ED glass (the exact specs weren't disclosed) would help with surpressing the CA. But in actual use, the ED was pretty much non-existent. The blue/violet halos were very prominent around the Moon and brighter stars including Pleiades even at low-ish mag (38x). With a 5mm BST at 92x, the star image was a mess due to CA and SA.

I agree with your comments on usability. I find myself go out with my APM 107 way more often than my SW 8" dob for visual despite the fact the 8" dob is pretty easy to set up. Open clusters, star fields, doubles and even the Moon look more pleasing in the refractor. For planets the 8" only edges out when the seeing condition permits and it's fully acclimatised. I keep my dob in the corner of the living room as I don't trust the shed or the garage due to humidity and dust. The only times I use the dob exclusively are those moonless nights when I specifically want to look at some faint fuzzies. But more than often I use those moonless nights for imaging with my APM 115 or camera lenses.

That 10mm refers to the thickness of a standard T ring. In the case of Canon, the flange distance is 44mm, so with a 10mm thick T ring you will already be at 55mm (ie no extra extension required). The 55mm quoted in the product description is most likely for the slower end of the working range. Since your 80ED is f/7.5 which is so close to that f/8 limit, my guess is that you will probably only need 1-2mm extension. Just to be safe I'd suggest a 3mm extension tube + a couple of 1mm and 0.5mm spacer rings to start your own trial & error. Make sure you get T2/M42x0.75mm extensions rather than M48 because the Lightwave 0.8x has a T thread at the camera end. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Quality-T-T2-M42X0-75mm-Extension-Tube-3mm-5mm-6mm-10mm-and-20mm-NEW/371113516507?hash=item566816dddb:g:ovEAAOSwDk5T231- https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/cgi-bin/bb000001.pl?ACTINIC_REFERRER=https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/cgi-bin/bb000001.pl&PRODUCTPAGE=baader-t-2-adjustment-spacer-ring-set.html#SID=1664

You could always email Nick at Altair to find out if he knows. Considering the high popularity of the 80ED and the compatibility with the Evostars are specifically mentioned in the product description, maybe people at Altair have already got the answers for you. You could also start the trial & error from 55mm on your own. Being f/7.5 (so close to the upper end of the working range) I believe you won't be too far off with the 80ED.

Assuming this is the one you plan to get: https://www.altairastro.com/lightwave-08x-reducer-290-p.asp It's a generic reducer for refractors between f/5.5 and f/8, so it will work on the 80ED. But unlike a dedicated unit for which the manufacturer tells you the optimal spacing (usually 55mm) between the reducer and the camera, you will have to work this out yourself for a generic one like the Altair. The rule of thumb is that the spacing is usually shorter (usually about 55mm) near the slower end of the reducer working range (f/8) and longer towards the faster end (f/5.5).

Unless you already own an Altair 0.8x reducer why don't you just order the 80ED with the dedicated SW 0.85x reducer? The Altair Lightwave 0.8x reducer is a generic unit, so you will have to work out the optimal spacing on your own through trial & error. Because of that you will need to buy some T2 extensions with various lengths and a couple of 0.5/1mm T2 spacer rings. All these will soon add up in cost and you won't be saving much compared to buying the SW dedicated unit.

On Mac or any *nix system, you could always use DD to backup and restore your microsd card image for the RPi.

The ST80 is meant to be a widefield scope for open clusters, star fields along the milky way and general low power sweeping. It's light and cheap, requires zero cooldown, etc. It is true that no one scope that can do everything well. But if you ask me what scope that can do a bit of everything (assuming I'm only allowed one scope), my answer would be either a 4" f/7 ED refractor or a 6" f/5 newt.

You could get the same 80 f/6 FPL53 triplet from Altair. https://www.altairastro.com/altair-wave-series-80mm-f6-super-ed-triplet-apo-2019-457-p.asp

The basic Evostars are achromatic doublets whereas the DS-Pro are all ED doublets. The 120ED DS-Pro will produce vastly superior views compared to the basic Evostar 150.

If you're unsure what sort of fov and mag you would be comfortable with, a zoom will be your best bet. With the Baader 8-24mm and a 2x barlow you will be covered between 37.5x - 225x. The only shortcome of the zoom is its narrower fov at the longer end. You may want to add a ES82 30mm or ES68 40mm into the mix for widefield sweeping. The ES eyepieces can provide very good views at affordable prices. However if you've got the budget, then there is nothing to stop you from getting the max performance with Ethos, Nagler, Pentax XW-R or Nikon NAV-HW.

When I had my AZ Pronto, I attached it to a Manfrotto 055 Pro and frequently mounted a WO Megrez 90 + 2" diagonal + RDF + BST starguiders. The payload was about 4.2 - 4.5kg. The whole setup worked ok. There was only vibration when I changed focus. Otherwise the view was stable even when using the slow-mo to track targets at 150x. However I wouldn't try to go above 5 - 6kg. The reason is that the AZ Pronto is a top mounted alt-az rather than the more conventional side mounted. Being top mounted the centre of gravity changes its position when you adjust the altitude of your scope. If the payload is too high, there is a risk the whole setup will tip down and fall over when you point the scope at the zenith (that's when the centre of the gravity of the scope is at its furthest point from the mount + tripod).

My mistake for using the wrong shorthand. I was too focused on cassegrain and completely forgot that CCs do not have corrector plates. The "Cats" I was referring to were the general standard SCT and Mak. Yes Mak-newts and schmid-newts can provide wider fov with less coma, but they are also more expensive, heavier, taking longer to cooldown and requiring dew shield than comparable sized regular newts. A coma corrector can easily remove the comas and be used on any future upgrades. True you can get 1.33 deg fov on a C8, but why bother when the OP gets to have two scopes? If the CC was going to be his only scope, then yes he would benefit from some wide fov eyepieces. As it stands now, his 102 Mak is completely redundant. If portability is important, a ST102 or better ED80 will do the job.

Cats are for lunar and planetary views primarily. It's kind of a waste to go wide field on them. Even with a 55mm 2" plossl (max fov in 2"), they are not going to give you the same spectacular wide views of extended DSOs like newts or fracs do. BTW 32mm plossl already maxes out the fov of the 1.25" barrel, so 40mm will only give you a bigger exit pupil at lower mag. If I were you, I'd replace the 102 Mak with a 6" dob or 4" refractor for wide field. Keep the 8" CC for the planets.

The 5" refractor has a shorter focal length than the 8" SCT, therefore with the same eyepiece it will generate a much larger FOV and lower magnification. However there is nothing to stop you from using a shorter focal eyepiece to match the same FOV and magnification as the SCT. Under optimal seeing the SCT will be able to provide slightly more details. Although there is a large cental obstruction, 8" is 8" and it can gather 155% more light than a 5". However if you compare a quality 5" APO to an 8" SCT in real life, you'd be surprised how well the APO can do on planets, the Moon, doubles and open clusters (SCT wins decisively on dimmer DSOs). The less than perfect optics, large central obstruction, light loss and scatter due to multiple reflections all have detrimental effect on the views through the SCT. A comparison between a 4" APO and 8" SCT: http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/TMB_C8.htm

You could use the following link to check the fov of the eyepieces you plan to get: https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ I believe the ES82 14mm would yield about the same tfov as your existing GSO 68-degree 20mm. The ES68 16mm will be too close to both the 20mm and 12mm. Since the max fov on your 130mm dob is limited by the size of the focuser and 20mm 68-degree is already approaching that (24mm 68-degree is the max), my suggestion would be get a UHC filter to improve your views of DSOs.