Apprentice

Sounds appealing, thats for future reference though, as I'm shelling out well over a grand for the initial setup, these should come in the later months 🤞 Btw, are you using the GPC 1.7, and what mags does this yield?

Thanks Franklin! What exactly does this mean, which scopes have that option. Frankly i'm afraid to open a new can of worms here :)) Does this 2" nosepiece fit in the prism I linked?

Sorry Mike, When I asked about EPs I meantthose for monoviewing. I will definitely stick to orthos for binos for now, but just in case I want to start using better EPs for wide field/ DSO, I am curious which tend to work best with f7 scopes. And once again thank you all for your replies, already feel more confident going forward :))

⬆️⬆️

So just for the sake lf keeping my wallet in danger for the next few months: Which EPs would be best chlice for this scope. Morpheus perhaps? Also if not morpheus, then I would be inclined to purchase a 2" diagonal (prism or mirror) for 2" EP.

In case I choose to save some coins to begin with and opt in for barlow, is this how it looks: 1. Place the diagonal mirror in the focuser 2. Place the q-barlow 2.25x in the diagonal 3. Place the binoviewers nosepiece in the barlow? Edit: What mag am I looking at with this setup and dual 18mm bcos? And can the range be expanded with prism and GPC, or just by using the qbarlow unthreaded lense somehow? Cheers!

Talking about baader prisms, which of these would be the best choice: https://www.astroshop.eu/diagonal-prisms/baader-zenith-prism-t-2-90d-32mm-prism/p,10810 https://www.astroshop.eu/diagonal-prisms/baader-zenith-prism-t-2-90-degree-32mm/p,10811 I'm guessing the latter has additional gizmos such as the nose piece and locm. Also is the 1.7 GPC absolutely neccessary from the beginning. The thing with astro is as soon as you start buying the cost keep racking up.. (no need to mention the minute things i purchased previously ampunt to a good 4-4.5" APO or 8"SCT :)) If I understood correctly the GPC would effectively alter my magnification, would it be the same factor of 1.7? Additional question 1: I have the Baader q bundle (6,8,18mm) for a few years, I believe that it's recommended that I buy a new set of twos to ensure getting them from the same batch, reduce the problems of pairing? Addition question 2: you guys think getting the FPL3 lanthanum version of the scope for my purposes is worth the extra 50% of quatloos being asked for it? Starfield version would come to mind in that case.

Hello there, First a short backstory, I own a 80mm vintage achro, I always wanted to go with binoviewing (much more comfortable and on some nights my main eye cant help but produce tears). I have also reached the limits of this scope too many times and am looking for a better solution, loving fracs simplicity and ease of use, points me towards a mid f ratio of 7, to check more boxes. Being finally ready to (almost) pull the trigger and get myself the TS 102 f7 ED (fpl-51 ohara). At 740 EUR, with it's 2.5 RP focuser seems like a good bargain. Having spent countless hours reading doing the research (kind of), since I have already bought the maxbright 2 binos (on its way as i type this), i am still not eprfectly sure what I need to go with them. I have a 1,25 diagonal mirror (di-E by altair astro) but the kind dudes at a retailer told me that i need a "45 degree amici prism by bader" , when I asked them about what I need. main usage would be with dual BCOs, thinking of getting 10mm for planetary, and 18mm for some dsos. i have a baader qbarlow where the lense can be unthreaded from the tube to give a 1.25x barlow. Is this usable in any case to expand my focal range for the binos? much obliged for any help, cheers Edit: i have a few 1,25" filters (astronomik uhc, baader M&S neod) are they any use or can be comoned with barlow and binos?

Looking forward! Did you get the 10" or 8" version?

Thinking of it, it seems like a better option, to buy cheap starsense and DIY.. I noticed in the review that the collimation requires hex and phillips screws which is kind of underwhelming for celestron in 2022. Considering most dobs out there today provide grip knobs for primary collimation. I do love the handle and the knob to move the scope around the sky, but generally I did expect them to up the game at least one bit, since the prices at least in the EU are well over a grand for the 10" (1250-1500€), while the Bresser dob for example sells for 670€. Is the starsense dock+activation key worth the extra 600€ in the case of a 10"..

Thank you for this!

Looking forward to any report, as I am looking at the 10" version myself

Do you reckon that the 20mm increase in aperture might have some to do with the difference, or you believe that the parabolic mirror itself can have much benefit. I usually keep my observing with AM up to x65 with my 10mm BCO. Tried barlowing it, and using the 6mm which brings it to x108 roughly, but it's just didn't look good enough. TBH the RDF was quite sufficient for me, but took the telrad mainly based on the hype. But I have to say I love the telrad. And my 32mm plossl kind of works as a finder for scanning the sky once I am pointing to the right part.

Well I can say that AM130 is quite reasonable. I also use it on the azgti mount and have modded it with motor focuser, flocked the tube, placed a telrad, spotted the mirror, trying to find a DIY bobs knobs for secondary. I have absolutely zero interest in AP at this stage, know the 130PDS has a better mirror, focuser etc. But trying to figure out if it's worth dishing out 200 euros and will it bring a significant improvment to my views. AM130 has this issue with outer 15% being out of focus and having a really crap focuser I am certainly watching the market for some improvement and looking towards 6"sct or potentially a better refractor. Of course that will have to wait, so was hoping this could be a quick fix and better views.

Hi all, Wanted to ask if anyone has had experience with both scopes: - Astromaster 130 - Skywatcher 130PDS I have the AM130, and just found a used 130pds up for sale. Thinking if it's worth upgrading or the improvement would not be as significant and I should rather keep the AM130 until I can afford something bigger?

So I noticed that Skywatcher finally updated the app to v2.0 on the google play store. Which is awesome. Now I wanted to ask if anyone is using SkySafari or any other app for controling the AZ Gti since the new update. I am thinking of getting SkySafari Plus for this purpose.

Are you using the extension pillar that's supplied in the bundle? I have no issues using the 80/910 frac on it as it is. I was hoping for 150p newton (it's shorter than the fract I believe)

Is anyone using Adapter Plate for alt-azimuth Mounts. Apparently it reduces the strain on the cogs and increases the effective payload. I am curious if anyone is using anything above 5kg on this mount with the help of this plate?

Thank you for the reply! I am headed to the shop for the key as I type this Looking forward to getting more information about the counterweight. I am using mainly my Astromaster 130 reflector for visual, so I am guessing (hoping)there is no need for counterweight here.

Happy to see this thread thriving! I have the mount, and I am just in the process of upgrading the clamp to ADM. 1. Does anyone know which size the imperial allen key is required? 2. I plan on updating via Wi-Fi, since it's on stock firmware, not sure if I will benefit from it though, any thoughts? 3. I noticed some of you are using counterweights, is there any particular reason, and would you recommend it. I am usually using it with both of my scopes but I have only been out observing 3 times (with last time being a bust, since AA batteries don't provide the reliability needed - upgrading to Omegon powerbank since I can't seem to order TalentCell to my location). Cheers!

Hi @Pixies This looks like a good replacement for secondary collimation screws, mind if I ask if you already received them (use them)? I am thinking of buying this for my scope its 5" newt, so I am htinking the 30mm would suffice.

I have the Astromaster 130, its my first ever scope and I got it new at around 170€. So I am guessing under 100quid is quite a good price if the optics are intact. Now to be honest, I have tried finding out whether it has a spherical or parabolic mirror, but it seems that there is no definitive answer other than some have the first, other have the latter. You would probably be better off with a Skywatcher 130P, but at the same time I really can't say how much do spherical aberrations affect my experience. Few things to look out for, most of these scopes don't have the center spot on the primary (which you will need for good collimation), I placed a mark on mine, so if it's already there it's a plus. And check which finder it has, the older models have a useles rdf, while the newer ones have a better version of it. Overall I am using my scope very much, pretty much every chance I get, I still need to get the hang of collimation, but generally I already observed some DSO, with Jupiter and Saturn (of course the Moon as well) are my primer targets every time. Don't expect knock out views, but for me it's a very decent and quite capable scope. I have tricked out mine, to include a flocked tube, motor focuser (which really helped with focusing, but I needed to produce my own mounting bracket for it), bought a filter (which helps with planets but not much else), and a decent eyepiece set (which is a must if you want to have a better experience while observing). The scope has its drawbacks, namely the focuser is not the best (but it's not the worst either) and can't be replaced easily, also the spider veins are molded, the mount itself is barely getting the job done, but you can make some mods to help with the woble (its not dramatic so not something to dispair about). These things are my number one resentments towards this scope. So if you can get 130P from SW, I would opt in for that one, but if you can get this for under 100, then it's a bargain price and you will most likely enjoy what it has to offer at this price. Eyepieces are a necessary investment if you start out with stock ones. I don't use the Barlow much, as I get decent mags with my set, and anything more than that produces a blurry image anyway. The collimation part had me turned off from astronomy, but after giving it a go I really have to say that I am hooked and looking to buy another scope (and another :D) while keeping this one as a grab and go for darker sky sessions. Hope this helps!

I am also looking to purchase a MAK of this size, frankly I haven't really given Bresser any thought at all, but now it seems like a viable option. The longer focal length seems a bit high though. Does anybody have this scope?

Waiting is only an option when it means waiting for a clear night, months would be like years I have a 5" newton, which doesn't gather too much light, but I am sure it will provide me some decent views and help me gain some experience before I move up to a bigger scope (the aim was 8" dob, but will probably end up getting a 10" dob) sometime next year. Until then I am modifying my astromaster (flocking the tube, got the motor focuser, adding weights, and getting the hang of collimation) and I will add the smartphone adapter on the rings, and try to use an app to help me find some DSOs. I saw a couple of youtube videos which gave me the idea. I know it's not a 100% solution, but getting me close will help for sure.

Currently the stock finder from Celestron, its the red dot finder. Good to pinpoint on a star or planet, but not really useful for other purposes.