banjaxed

Hi and welcome to SGL.

The 200P is a great scope and is very portable if you buy or make a platform trolley. I made mine and mounted a water butt stand on it and the whole set up can be up and running in a couple of minutes , always assuming you don’t have any steps.

You can usually pick up a used one for between £100- £200 so have a look on here or UKABS.

Another tip particularly for keeping your feet warm is not to stand on concrete or paving flags. It makes a big difference if you put down some wood or layers of cardboard to stand on. Not sure what the technicalities are but it does work. I f anyone suffers from cold hands I suggest a pair of USB rechargeable hand warmers. My hands turn white in the cold an these are the only things that actually work and I have literally tried everything. If anyone needs details just PM me.

Hi and welcome to SGL. Your viewing area is bigger than mine and it doesn’t stop me enjoying what I can see. My outlook is there are billions of objects in the night sky so enjoy what you can see. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Hi and welcome to SGL from Formby. Your scope is the same as mine, I’m sure it will give you lots of great views.

I am using the Skymak 127 on my AZ Gti Mount and it works perfectly. The Esprit 80ED is 1/2 a kilo heavier so I cannot see it being a problem.

That is an excellent and informative letter, unfortunately no councillors will be able to understand it or even care 🙁

That is a great idea, If nobody makes them then they should.

Never heard of the first one but Celestron are a good make.

Strange, I just looked and it is still for sale. 😕

Someone has just posted an ad on UK Astronomy buy and sell for an 8" Celestron with goto mount for £450.00.

Flo have the Skywatcher EQ5 pro go to mount and tripod for £569 new but used ones usually go for around £300 - £350.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

If you look on youtube there is a very good explanation by Astronomy and Nature here

Thank you for your replies, much appreciated.

I have placed a wanted ad for a reflector OTA to practice my collimating skills and have been advised to steer clear of the Bird Jones type, but my problem is I don’t know what a Bird Jones reflector type is 🙄Could anyone please explain how to tell the difference, thank you.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

A 12volt 7ah like majstovel has should be more than enough for your needs, but you will definitely need a battery charger.

It already had a telrad fitted when I brought it but have since added a RACI finder purely for my comfort.

I have the Skywatcher 200P and find it to be a great starter scope. If you are on flat ground from your scopes storage to viewing place you could build or buy a platform trolley which makes it very easy to move around.

I recently fixed a leaking shed roof with a can of roofing felt adhesive from Homebase. It is an adhesive but it works very well as an sealant.

I have the 9x50 which is a great improvement on the 6x30.

Reminds me of the old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention” 😊

Hi and welcome back to SGL.