Soligor Rob

In case you are interested I do have a 90mm Refactor for sale on a EQ3 mount that is a lot lighter than the 120mm so much easier to move around.

The Op Basementboy might be interested in this scope currently on ebay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sky-Watcher-Evostar-120mm-Refractor-Telescope-EQ3-2-Mount-Accessories/313423187178?hash=item48f97a4cea%3Ag%3AY88AAOSwyVBgLac9&LH_Auction=1

It would be a good start, obviously I would like the mount but that's in the perfect world.

Yes the steel legs are so much more stable than the Aluminium ones, hence me looking/waiting for a EQ6 to come up for sale.

I have the Helios 120 which is the same as the Sky Watcher 120 and have to say optically it's an excellent tool for a beginner, the problem with my set-up is I find the EQ3 mount has a bit too much play for my comfort and the Tripod just isn't stable enough. I have done as much as I can to eliminate the backlash in the mount but there is still that little bit there when going from one direction to the other. I have bought better quality eye pieces and a 9x50mm finder scope which makes setting up easier, next upgrade for me is a better diagonal and I'm also thinking maybe a 2" eyepiece for a better FOV. One thing for certain the guys and their knowledge on here are a very valuable commodity.

Reading lots of threads were night sky watchers are suffering with the chilly cold conditions, well I am raw newbie at this and may have the answer to keep you guys toasty warm. It comes in the form of a “Weezle under suit” when Scuba diving in this country we wear a dry suit which has no thermal qualities so underneath I wear a Weezle suit. https://weezle.co.uk/collections/undersuits/products/weezle-extreme-plus-one-piece-undersuit Obviously you will need to add a good pair of thermal socks and also a warm gloves & hat, you will never be cold again.

Decided this bending down to struggle to see through my 6x30 finder scope was a pain so this morning my new 9x50 right angled finder arrived, thanks FLO for such excellent service.

Thanks guys, I intend to be in amazing pastime for the long term so I think I will invest in the future and buy the HEQ6, a tad overkill for my current scope but as I have excellent easy access to the patio from the conservatory doors the weight isn't a problem, it will also allow me to upgrade the scope when I am ready to move on.

Looking for some advice on setup, I am a novice and learning my way around my current set-up, A Helios D+120mm F=1000mm refractor (same as the Sky Watcher) sat on a EQ3 mount, last night was the first time I managed to get out and see something, apart from the obvious novice fumbling my biggest problem is vibration. I notice that on the mount the declination movement has about ½” of play but it seems the size of the telescope is just too big for the tripod hence the vibration. I attached my DSLR and had to set the self timer at 10secs to allow enough time for the movement to calm down. So my question is what would be the minimum size of Mount / Tripod to eliminate the vibration for my telescope and what systems suffer less from this vibration? Thanking you in anticipation.

Rory Gallagher a true star, I took my wife Chris on our first date to watch Rory in concert, I followed him through Taste and his Solo Career, Still have all his Albums (but now listen to him via Spotify) Fabulous to hear Joe Bonamassa play Rory's Strat.

Ha if you could have seen me last night, Chris my wife said as we were going to bed "oh look the sky has cleared and I can see the stars, whooosh I was into my thermals hat and boots and unlocking the conservatory doors, my scope was carried out on to the patio and yes a star, lined up towards the West, down on one knee to get focus, too late cloud cover, never mind there is another smattering of stars to the East, swing the scope round, down on one and oppps clouded over again. This went on for about 40 mins before it dawned on me that most experienced sky watchers wouldn't even have unlocked the conservatory's doors but me being a total novice with his first telescope was devoid of this vital important information. Still it was a good cardio vascular workout and had somehow got to 1am so pack everything away and off to bed. is it often like this I wondered as I fell asleep?

Hi Heather, Thanks for the FOV simulator, I bought the Celestron eyepiece hoping I would get a more sharp and clear view I realise now that using it in daylight isn't a fair assessment. Hopeful this bitterly cold Easterly wind will turn soon and we will get some clear skies.

That's good information thanks so they are both fairly decent scopes for a beginner, hopefully we will have some clear skies soon. Both are mounted on EQ3 mounts, the Helios on a "Sky Scan 2001" don't know the Soligor mount, when I got the scope the mount was difficult to move but after stripping & cleaning it's movement is now fluid and precise.

Again John thanks for the reply, the diagram explains a lot, in answer to your question, I wasn't saying that either scope was of poor quality I was asking were they of poor quality, I remember Soligor made some excellent camera lens in the 1980's so thought that might be ok, the Helios having a slightly larger diameter I assume will collect more light. I have only been using them for a month and in that time only managed to get outside 3 times because of the skies, we live in a Bortle 5 area so not too bad for viewing, (have been reading lots) I purchased a Steve Richards book "Making every photon count" which is a fountain of knowledge, most of which is beyond me , I am at the start of a learning curve and well out of my comfort zone but eager to learn.

Thanks for that, I wasn't certain if a daylight test was the best option Can you explain why Their focal Ratios are not particularly demanding on eyepieces? Would I be better quality Diagonal if there is such a thing help? or buying the X-Cel Barlow. Thanks.

I have a couple of 30yr oldish Refactor’s, a Helios Telescope D=120mm, F1000mm and a Soligor D=93mm, F1000mm. Ok being a total novice I thought I could improve the quality by purchasing a better eye piece, currently I have a Plossl 25mm as attached photo, so I bought the Celestron X-Cel LX 18mm. Using a daylight test of a tree some 150m away I’m not certain there is very much difference in image quality. Have I just learnt a lesson that the scopes aren’t that good, the X-Cel doesn’t match the scopes, or that the Plossl eye piece is equal to the X-Cel. Any advice appreciated.