LondonNeil

The st120 I bought 2 weeks ago came with one. Once I realised it was fitted badly and refitted it I've had no trouble, but as others say it lacks oomph, tnt battery cover won't fit easily and in mine one terminal of the connector has pulled out and is stuck in the battery.... its just a really cheap terminal thingy. I've bought a new terminal to wire in.... looks better, was cheap.... Will probably make battery fit even worse!

Just to say I've just checked with FLO (Ian was very helpful), the tripod included in the package I linked above IS NOT the same as the tripod Beardy links to. It is stainless steel legged but they are thinner. I won't take a chance, I'll pay the extra!

I found some cheap on Ali express so ordered a couple of caps and plugs in both common sizes.

For a bit more info , I'm a newbie so take my advice for the little is worth! I've had a st120 for 2 weeks, from my road in bortle 8-9 South London, just playing on the drive while I learn my way around a little so I am contending with street lights, houses and car headlights. I can see Saturn's rings even though its low in the sky and in the haze of Croydon. I can see Jupiter, its 4 Moons easily and can see bands across it. Once I've got a little more proficient I intend to walk to the end of the street and a bit of green space away from the street lights, bortle 7. Pretty sure it will be OK to carry the gear that far. The st120 with a2" diagonal and a handful of decent eps fits in a 2' long stanley fatmax tool box easily, weighing about 6kg plus the box itself. Tripod in the other hand ...a short walk should be no bother. Getting on a bus... well its more awkward yes but break it down. The walk to the bus stop should be fine unless it's a long way, waiting at the stop fine, boarding the bus awkward but only like getting on with a big suitcase when off on holiday... easier as the 20kg suitcase is far heavier. The bus would be OK so long as its not too busy and you can get a seat. So Imv, if you are determined then yes, the bus is possible for occasional trips to darker skies.

Just playing devil's advocate, by March the days are drawing out.... by end of Feb Jupiter is gone until August...Saturn is gone in a few weeks....Saturn's rings are getting more edge on and won't be visible next year.. . If you buy used you'll but lose loads of you sell again, and the best way to learn is often through trying something.. I'm not helping am I?

There's an st102 with no bids and ending in 40 mins, listed at £120, on ebay right now. Gives an idea of what you can pick up cheap.

Don't get the 120 on az3. I know, the mount isn't up to it! It's touch and go on the 102 from what I've read and OK for the st80. If only have it as I got the 120 plus az3 used for less then a new ota....I tried it knowing it would likely frustrate and our does...so significant mount upgrade incoming now! Anyone want to buy a used az3 and tripod? 😁

Robthepiano has it I think, an st102, or st120 are capable and portable.

Sometimes simple is best

This and the linked thread have some great examples of neat cases! As a newbie I'm trying to get my head around what will work best for me before improving my storage and I'm a little surprised I don't see more integrated solutions where you're storing EPs with your scope for grab and go. My situation is my street and all around is bortle 8-9 South London. My back garden is darker but very wet and muddy over the winter (think swamp!) And with houses and large trees also limiting the view the best place for me is some green space at the end of the street, not so muddy (apart from some spots) and darker, bortle 7. The recently acquired st120 sits in a large Stanley fatmax tool box, just, and in the garage nice and cool. What I want is to grab the Toolbox and tripod and have all I need so I can walk the 2 minutes to the end of the street and set up. The Toolbox has plenty of width and height so I can currently do a little tetris and place the 5 or so EPs around the tube and go. Question 1. Would the EPs be better stored inside the house? Is that better for them long term? In which case I need either a bit of storage that slips in a rucksack, or if I could find/make a tray for the EPs I could probably carry those to the garage, slip them into the tool box and go. Next problem. If the EPs are safe long term in the garage/ Toolbox I'd probably want the EPs in foam at the bottom, tube on top. As it's the sensible order for setting up/ tear down for a session. If the EPs are better in the warm house then I'll probably want the tray on top of the tube rather than faffing on the garage to get the EPs beneath the tube. Not ideal as that then means tray out and on the grass for a session. However, tbh, if the tray is EPs were beneath the scope it writing still come out as the tool box is my seat/my kids step up to reach the ep when viewing. Hmm. I think in addition to easily grabbed storage that slips on top of the tube I need good EP storage integrated into the tripod..... if I don't I can see one of the kids or me tripping over their tray on the grass! Hmm so I really really want something that stores them, fits around the tube in the Toolbox, lifts out and clips to the tripod some how.....OK.... that's not easy but at least writing it out has helped me see my needs clearly!

Looks like I'm about to join the skymax 127 club after agreeing a sale with another member here

My kitchen scales max out at about 3.5kg but using Gary's 4.2kg for his st120 with red dot, 1.25" diagonal and long eyepiece, rings and dovetail as start, I've weighed a 1.25" and my 2" diagonal, my 2" barlow and a Hyperion ep, and a skywatcher 25mm plossl, and a 2 to 1.25" adapter. Adding and subtracting appropriately, including 200g estimate for my remote focuser and 20g for a baader adapter ring I forgot to weigh and I reach a fairly hefty 5.35kg. Not surprised...but ..gulp! A skymax 127 is....4.1kg? I'd guess (but don't know) that includes dovetail, finder, diagonal and a small ep. If it does then I'd be OK, in fact my st120 plus a mak127 would have 0.5kg space.... so just enough for a Barlow or better ep... just! Can anyone confirm the weight of a mak127 and what that includes please?

Interesting read, and it seems to me that yes the 127 (118) will resolve a little more and have slightly brighter views but with the larger obstruction the difference is less than 118/102 (and less then 118²/102² for brightness) so less then 15% and 33%. If you were cost limited and weight limited due to the mount, the 102 paired with a couple of slightly better EPs would, I guess (?) Perform very similar to the 127 with cheaper/ lighter eyepieces?

D'oh! I think this was my problem when trying to look at Orion for the first time last week. What I saw in the ep seemed to bear no resemblance to what I expected and thought my mount problems must have me missing....d'oh! It was flipped, of course!

This is very reassuring! I'm giving serious consideration to the gtix to mount my st120, and thinking of searching for a used skymax mak for the others otherside. I need to do some weighing but having gone for a bresser 2" diagonal (packaged weight given as 0.6kg) by the time I've added a decent eyepiece the st120 with red dot, rings and dovetail is going to be 5-5.4kg I think. I'll need to weigh it I guess to get the exact number. I don't have the mak yet and common sense,budget, and to stay well within payload capacity I think I should look at the skymax 102, but well... if I happened across a 127 bargain it would be hard to pass by. I'm hearten to see above several setups with s120s and large mak (127?) or ... GaryR 🤪 wow! An 8" schmidt cas?! Although it looks like those of you with st120s have stuck with 1¼" diagonal and EP? I see a couple of 2" visual back st80s? Paired with ...6 or 8 maks? Hmm, it gives confidence that I could probably go for a 127 if one came along. 😛 A couple of newbie questions if I may. Looks like all of you still have finder scopes on both otas, is this just for the convenience for occasions when only one ota is in use? Do both ota need to have a finder? Or is it not worth saving the weight of the second finder? Due shields, although the shield on my st120 seems firmly stuck it looks the same construction as the st102, and if so it should pull off. It's a big solid bit of metal, has anytime anyone tried replacing it with a light weight diy plastic shield? Or is the weight actually needed to actually balance the visual back? Lastly, if choosing (due to weight and cost) between a mak102 with decent ep ... say a baader Hyperion, or a mak127v and a budget (and light) ep, which would you go with, and why?

I've just got a big stanley fatmax tool box to store my st120. It's a snug fit and slips in neatly so long as the diagonal is removed. Am I OK to store the diagonal in the box without a dust cap, and the tube without a plug, so long as they are in the toolbox? Or can anyone tell me where to find 2" plugs and caps please?

Just to say, another newbie here. Also hoping to interest 8yo and 6yo daughters and 3.5yo space obsessed son. South London bortle 8-9 but supposedly the small green space at the end of the street is 7. 30-40 minutes away I can get to 5 but that won't be often. 11 days ago I bought a st120 on ebay, on a az3 (knowing the mount would frustrate in all likelihood). I've had 4 super fun short sessions looking at the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and last time a bit of orion and other stars. It's good so far but I'm looking to get a better mount and tripod. I'm also looking at the gti, although with st120, upgraded 2" diagonal, Barlow and eyepiece the scope is a little over the 5kg weight limit so I'm thinking about the gtix. I had a brief trial with some binos I had and my 8yo before buying the st120 and...no, the scope is the winner for the kids. I'm also seriously considering a smartphone adapter to allow the kids to see easier and all dry once. if I get the gtix i'll likely also get a second scope for the other side.... so two of us can view stuff at once, I can talk to the kids about what we are looking at or stop two arguing for a bit! I'll try and find something cheap on ebay. Something that offers slightly different views to the refractor....maybe a skymax102 or a small reflector...

Is the standard one the one with black coloured (I guess alloy) legs?

Yes Elp, it's the short tube. (BTW, does 'st' in st120 mean short tube or star travel? ) Cheers Elp. Hmm yes it seems I should be OK to use it with my st120, but I might be better to save the extra £80 or so and get the gtix, for longevity, or perceived longevity and worry free viewing. Only trouble then.... knowing me ill start hunting something at <3.5kg to hang on tnt other side.....a small and cheap newt or a st80 bargain perhaps!

Thanks! I'm similar, just visual currently but might look too try some smart phone stuff. I'll likely get a phone mount just so I can use it as a screen and the kids can all see what the scope is pointing at, so taking a few videos and the like will cost nothing. If I get a mount with tracking I might consider a £30 astro camera thingy but no idea what to do with it (referring to the other thread, yes I know the gti isn't meant for AP)

Sorry, f5, focal length 600mm (d'oh!)

F600

Entertaining and showed me that even in London you can get 'wow!'s

No I meant £450 is the price of the gtix mount AND steel tripod, that one I think (if it is the same then mount plus tripod package 30 quid less than mount and tripod bought individually https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/sw_az-gtix_mnt_tp.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA5L2tBhBTEiwAdSxJXzzSJNaxPjHAFCEActKUBkMmzxIC8ZItcDAZDq26lgpdaM1tRn72rxoC9R4QAvD_BwE )

Found the thread I'd read which gave good evidence it works well beyond 5kg, it's here on CN https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/901610-alt-az-tracking-mount-az-gti-vs-az-gtix/ Several using it up at that weight, one having modded it to a dual scope set up snr using it loaded to 5.7kg (12.4lbs). They do mention the supplied tripod is less capable though so if I need a better 3 legged friend £450 for the gtiX and steel tripod might be the better way for me to proceed. Jeewhizz, more 💰. Looks like I'm saving for a few months!