Upgrade current scope?

[Vargojones]

Afternoon,

I'm currently in a quandary. I currently have Skywatcher 150p dob, and so far it has served me well (especially given the horrible light pollution in Swindon). However i'm in a position where i could get a new scope.

I'm currently looking at the Nexstar 6se as with the GOTO it will prove invaluable in finding stuff in the lp gloom. But i've also had a thoguht about upgrading the skyliner.

I was thinking about getting variously:

a new focusser

a rigel quick finder

some nice new eye pieces (rather than the standard ones that came with the scope)

then a wixey digital angel guage, as well as making a setting circle (thereby achieving rudimentary manual goto)

and a decent collimator to collimate the pants of my scope.

All these add-ons come close ish to the price of the 6se, so i'm wondering if it's worth it, or do i just get the 6se and sell on the dob?

This is probably a bit all over the shop but any input would be recommended.

Cheers

[Carbon Brush]

Hi. A well known quandry experienced by many. Here come my 2p worth.

With the condition that free advice is usually worth what you pay for it.

A new focusser.

Is the existing really that bad for visual use with 'ordinary' eyepieces?

Generally a focusser upgrade is when you need fine adjustment with high mag eyepieces. Or you hang heavy stuff on there.

If you choose an upgrade with the same fixings as the original, you have options.

Sell on the posh (or old) focusser.

Keep the old focusser and offer the option if/when you sell the dob.

A rigel quick finder.

I like these. Not everyone's cup of tea though.

Easily moveable to a different scope and saleable.

So no big risk here.

Some nice new eye pieces (rather than the standard ones that came with the scope).

I have seen some SW 10mm eps that are useless. No other word for it.

New (or used) eps again moveable to another scope or saleable.

No risk here.

Wixey digital angle gauge.

A useful tool generally for working with scope mounts.

The unbranded stuff i have used seems to be accurate enough.

Again a saleable item if you don't keep it.

Or a useful addition to the astro tool box.

A decent collimator.

A useful tool for any scope.

No risk here.

You can buy all of these items individually and see how you get on.

Hope there is something useful in there.

David.

[brantuk]

If you're just upgrading to goto then I don't think it's worth it when you can add a Wixey and AZ setting circle for around £30 - very accurate pointing system.

Imho - not a lot of point unless you're increasing aperture or specifically wanting a longer focal length for planetary work.

If it were me I'd be aiming for a 200P/250P dob, or an 8" Sct. In fact I did precisely that when I sold my 150P Eq3-2 and upgraded to a CPC-800. I reckon you might benefit from a bit more consideration of your objectives

[Vargojones]

Damn you Brant, now you've got me looking at bigger scopes

Primarily I like looking at planets, hence the consideration of the 6se for planetary imaging (something my dob isn't very good at, except for visual examination). However I do like the occasional wonder round the skies looking for dso type stuff, but this proves very tricky with the LP here (again why my thoughts on a goto).

I guess my original post is more of a can i upgrade my dob to start to achieve some of these objectives, which i believe i can, less the imaging bit. But there is always that lure of new shiny goodness. I guess that's just a problem with atronomy in general though

[brantuk]

LOL Vargo - I guess you can allways have one of each - happens to us all eventually so you might as well surrender yourself to it now. Glad you're enjoying shopping hehe

[Dai150PL]

Look out for a second hand EQ5, you then have a scope suitable to view the planets and at a fraction of the cost of a new scope. I have the 150pl which is basically your telescope on an EQ mount. The EQ3 is not strong enough, I am in the process of pimping my 150 and turning into my planetary scope.

David

[Vargojones]

Aaarrgghhh see now the 250p flextube Auto looks very tempting, and fits the bill for planetary imaging! (and possible handset upgrade) Hmmmm and it's cheaper than the 6se!

Brant you may have got me on to something, now can i convince my gf that this is portable

[rwilkey]

Hi, I think you should try out other peoples eyepieces to see what works best for you, do you know there's a local society called Swindon Stargazers ?

[brantuk]

A 250P Flex tube would give you the ability to webcam planets and get some very nice observing on dso's. But bear in mind that alt/az mounted dobs won't be accurate enough for imaging dso's.

I also like Dai's alternative of an EQ5 (or CG5 prefered) that will take a variety of scope weights up to approx 8" observing or 6" imaging. I prefer the CG5 cos it has 2" steel legs (EQ5 is 1.75") and quality bearings in both axes. The computerised CG5 has a larger database and better software imho.

It ultimately depends on what you most want to do and how flexible you need it to be - good luck