Opticstar AR80

[TheThing]

Anyone have any experience of the Opticstar AR80 at all please?

Got a hankering for a lightweight frac. This seems to fit the bill.

TheThing

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[TheThing]

Anyone?

TheThing

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[nightfisher]

They look real nice, i was interested in getting one, good luck if you decide to go for one

[Nibor]

I have just purchased the AR80S Gold and I am currently deciding on eye pieces etc:-

Opticstar AR80S Gold refractor telescope.

The build quality of these scopes seems to be very good and the guys at Opticstar are very helpful.

I bought mine to complement my Mak 127 and to use as a travel scope when abroad. I liked the look of the AR80 but for me it was a bit too long.

[TheThing]

Very nice! Can you let me know how you get on with it please?

[Nibor]

Very nice! Can you let me know how you get on with it please?

I hope to finalise the e/ps and accessories with Opticstar this coming week and as soon as I receive them and get some clear skies I will give you an update.

In the meantime you could have a look at this thread by Johninderby - if you haven't already seen it:-

http://stargazerslounge.com/discussions-scopes-whole-setups/157436-opticstar-ar80s-gold-first-impressions.html

Cheers Robin

[TheThing]

Thanks Robin, good link.

I look forward to your first light.

[Mikejh]

It would be interesting to know how you got on with it over the winter.

[Bubbles82]

I have the ar80 and although I've only had it out the once for a quick scan around the sky after getting home from work late one night I was very impressed with the quality of the optics,for the money it a true bargain .

[Nibor]

It would be interesting to know how you got on with it over the winter.

Over the winter I used the AR80S on about half of the possible viewing occasions and spent time getting to know the scope and the eyepiece combinations. (Otherwise I used the MAK127)

I found the Celestron 8 - 24 Zoom the most used EP followed by the Ascension 11mm UWA 80 degree (36x approx Tru FOV 2.2 degrees)

I used the scope mainly on a Skywatcher AltAZ mount but as the winter wore on I began to appreciate that my skies are much more light polluted that I had realised (particularly after I took a trip out to the local AS site!) It was no wonder that I was having difficulty finding objects!!

The solution was to purchase a S/W AltAZ GOTO in the spring and I am now beginning to locate more of the celestial wonders. The scope works very well with this mount, especially when stabilised by a 7Kg bag of sand.

The CA was not an issue for me when looking at widefield objects but I think a semi APO filter would help with higher magnification Lunar work. The Baader one may fit the bill.

I use the scope with a Multireticule Red Dot Finder of the Rigel / W/O clone variety which I found ideal for my needs - even using it with the GOTO mount - as it helps me better identify the area of sky I am looking at - which I can then explore with binos should I wish to.

I found no mechanical issues with scope - it is solidly built and will take a 2" diagonal - I am currently exploring this possibility and the use of a 2" EP as I have a 2" diagonal on my Mak 127 - which fits the AR80S.

The scope was chosen as a portable travel scope and works well on a quality photo tripod. It will be accompanying me on my caravan trips.

This coming winter I really must keep a proper log of my observing then I should be able to give a better report of what I have seen with the scope and how it performs optically!!

Hope this helps

[Marki]

Nice one Nibor. Nearly went for one of these myself, and have heard very good things about both the scope and the Opticstar people.

I find keeping a note book really helpful for working out best EP/diagonal combos as well. Unfortanately not mich gone in the book recently - got bored of writing "cloudy tonight, no observing" :-(.