Ian McCallum

No kidding!😱

If in doubt...🤣

Back in the day, some torches had a press button, as well as a sliding on-off switch. The idea was that this could be used to send morse code, by flashing the light on and off. Perhaps that's where the name came from?

I just bought a used achromat from a fellow SGL'er, to dip my toe in the refractor water. If I like it, then perhaps I'll look more into the Japanese drain pipes of starlight!🤣

The more I read up on these long focal length Japanese achromats, the more I want one! 😮

The Cloudy Night's forum has got a lot on these, I was looking it up the other day.👍

Somebody might complain that the free light show got in the way of their astrophotography session!🤣

WOW!😲

I'd probably want to fit a mount capable of holding a 120mm refractor or similar. Mount wise, I'm not sure - either GEM or AltAz, as long as it can take the weight. It's for visual observing only, so no astrophotography.

I had a feeling that would be the case.🙄

I've got this old tripod that's been used with a Meade 114-900 and EQ-1B mount, so it's over 20 years old. The hole that the mount sits in is about 26mm in diameter. The height of the tripod fully extended to the base of the mount is about 4 ft. Collapsed, the tripod is 2 ft 3 in high. It's aluminium and is light to carry, but doesn't feel lightweight. My question is can it be re-purposed for a more modern mount, say for a decent sized refractor? 🤔

Thanks for everyone's input, I do listen. 👍 I don't want to just out and buy something, just for the sake of it - I prefer to do my research first.

Watch out for the midges, they appear just after the rains stops!🦟

I suppose the takeaway from this is, if I want a semi decent reflector - that needs to be fitted to a decent mount and tripod. The other thing is that I'd need to spend more more on a 4" APO or similar, to get views comparable or approaching that of my 8" Dob. Would those be fair statements?🤔

I see FLO does all-in-one packages, like the ST102 with mount and tripod. I'm not really bothered with the tripod and mount, but more the OTA - because it's the only way to get the OTA, at the moment. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/startravel/sky-watcher-starquest-102r-f49-achromatic-refractor-telescope.html

The price increase is eye-watering, but it's the same everywhere in life, these days... I'm still planning to use that old Meade EQ-1B mount and tripod. It came with a 4.5" reflector, which weighs 4.55kg or over 7.5lbs - that's the OTA and rings, etc. Yes, I already own a SW 200P.

I thought I'd start a fresh topic on this OTA, the Sky-Watcher Startravel 120T. It's purely for visual observering, probably wide field, some lunar and less so on the planets. I'm not too bothered about CA, to be honest. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/skywatcher-startravel-120t-ota.html I'm still looking for my first refractor and I can't justify the more exotic and expensive models, so I'm looking at the above. Those who've used or owned one, what's your experiences with it - both good and bad? 🤔

The lack of in-stock telescopes is rather depressing, no-one's fault really. I do keep getting drawn to this model, though... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/startravel/skywatcher-startravel-120t-ota.html I'm sure I could live with the CA. User's opinions and experiences are welcomed!👍

Just don't drop them!😱

I'm interested in this because of the ScopeTech range and where the fascination and development of long focal length refractors came from...

I'm sure I read that France has some very strict laws on Light Pollution, shame we can't do the same here in the UK.

Do a YouTube video on the problem, for a wider audience... Just leave out identifying specifics, etc...

Very true, as I paid £299 for my 200P, just as lockdown was about to begin (Feb 2020).

My thoughts exactly. 👍

It's good to read about someone else's experience with both models. 👍