banjaxed

Not sure if my point has already been made as I am only halfway through this very interested thread, but could psychology be a part of our expectations ? It has been a very grey area and one that is impossible to prove but sometimes our expectations can be ruled by the positive hype and reputation to such an extent that we are not willing to accept that the difference is only marginally better than we expected.

IMHO the 200 Dob would be the better choice, as not only was it my first scope it is still the one I use the most, mainly due to the platform trolley I built which makes it only a matter of 1-2 minutes to get set up.

Thank you very much for your explanation and satisfying my curiosity.

I am asking purely out of curiosity why zoom binoculars are regarded as inferior but most spotting scopes have zoom lenses. Am I right in thinking that zoom binoculars are more difficult to focus than a single zoom lens?

Hi Stephen, welcome to SGL.

For once I am glad it is not clear tonight as I have no desire to expose myself to the awful wintery conditions they are forecasting.

Hi Hollie, welcome to SGL. I agree with Philip that a Dobsonian would give you a much easier viewing experience as they are not as susceptible to the shakes and they are a lot more beginner friendly IMO.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

If you are serious about Astro photography then you will need a very stable EQ Mount. The mounts you have are fine for visual but would not be very suitable for tracking.

Hi Bazz, welcome back to SGL.

It is often suggested that batteries are one of the biggest contributors to mount problems. Maybe stick with an adapter or a decent 12 volt battery to be sure.

I am not an expert but I think there is a tracking speed adjustment somewhere in the handset settings.

My thoughts exactly 👌

When that big white blob is visible I love to view it in all its glory 👌

Standing on a decent thickness piece of wood or a few layers of cardboard works well for me and I have poor circulation.

Hi Tony, welcome to SGL.

I chose my Skywatcher 200P Dobsonian because I listened to the advice given by the very helpful members of this site and have not regretted it for a moment. I also have a Skywatcher ST120 and a Skywatcher 127 Mak.

If I can be of any help in giving you my sources for the parts you need just let me know.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

If you remove the knob with the scope vertical everything slides down towards the front lens as the knob is the only thing that hols everything is place. I was lucky as turning the scope the other way it slid back far enough for me to retrieve the focuser shaft. When I bought the pulley they only supplied them in twos so if you decide to proceed with your project you can have the pulley for what I paid for it.

Hi and welcome to SGL. Using a scope through an open window can cause problems if there is a temperature difference so outside is usually best. My first scope was a 200mm Dobsonian and I still use it as often as skies permit, it is also recommended by a lot of our members as a first scope.

Hi Claire, welcome to SGL.

It is a 12mm bore GT2 timing pulley which fits nicely on the focuser shaft when you remove the plastic knob (making sure the OTA is level and not vertical) 🙄😀