The Ultimate Explorer 200p Setup

[Daedalus]

Hi all,

As usual, only questions and no answers from me. Hopefully that will change in time. :-)

I have recently purchased a Skywatcher Explorer 200p on an EQ5. Im still in the sussing out stage. I have used it twice these last few days and if it wasn't for Jupiter...I would only be looking at dots in the sky still! I haven't collimated, polar aligned, and set up the mount properly yet, so I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I have asked a few questions on here and got some good answers. What Im interested to know though is this.....

The eyepieces etc that I have came with the scope and i'm led to believe that they aren't the best and that there are better. So i'm wondering, there must be a limit to what this scope can do and i was wondering what purchases could take this scope to its max setup. ie, eyepieces, barlows etc. And without spending silly money i suppose as well. Or is it actually better to not upgrade the ancillaries but to buy the next size scope?

I am a real beginner and im not after short cuts, but id like to know what my best setup could be so that i can get the best out of my new best friend :-)

(ps. would any upgrades be transferable to another scope if i ever changed?)

Thanks for your help

[John]

What do you call "silly money" ?

Sorry to have to ask but you do mention the word "ultimate" as well - one can often equate to the other !.

[Daedalus]

I suppose what I should have put was ultimate in a sensible budget. I once bought an Austin Mini. It was a 1000cc. I spent a fortune tuning it to the max. A mate of mine bought a second hand 1275cc engine and he spent far less than me and had an engine just as powerful.

What im trying to say I suppose is that I would quite happily spend a little money improving my 1000cc explorer 200p, but if its cheaper to buy a 1275cc, then is that better. But I do like 'tuning up' so im quite happy to buy medium range accessories providing there will be improvements to see for the money. Hope im making sense here....im starting to confuse myself

[Tinker1947]

As i understand it, you go from a 200 to a 250 it will give something like 40% more light down the tube, then a 300 will give 40% more than a 250, so Scope are not really like engines, and size does matter, i used to run Ford Angler's, all tuned up ect, ended up driving Jags in the end.

[John]

Some decent eyepieces (including a 2" for low power) and possibly a barlow lens would not go amiss. You could add a Telrad finder too. Maybe an O-III or UHC filter for improving the contrast on nebulae.

All those items could be used with any scope you have in the future too.

You might want to consider motor drives for the mount if you don't already have them and even a motor focuser can help reduce vibrations at higher powers.

[Daedalus]

Think Im probably best jotting all this down arent i. Seems like there are quite a lot of different upgrades. Not got a motor yet. Will do soon, but want to concentrate on getting best possible viewing setup, then will invest in motor cause would like to record what im seeing

[Space Beagle]

Well, yes you can easily spend 'silly money', but that won't stop the old clouds rolling in as they tend to do! Even the most 'pimped-up' scope in the world won't see through them, sheesh!

I would say good eyepieces are worth getting, as you can / will keep them for use on other scopes you may get in the future, however there are simply loads of different designs and a huge variance in the costs involved, so it's really upto the observer to find the ones that work for him / her!! Maybe 'try before you buy' and scour this forum (and others!) for reviews etc!!

I've found it's important to just learn to use what you've got to the best of your ability and the things that are really needed will soon become apparent whether that's eyepieces, finders, mounts or even just a good chair to sit on when out observing!!

Doc

[rory]

it's important to just learn to use what you've got to the best of your ability and the things that are really needed will soon become apparent whether that's eyepieces, finders, mounts or even just a good chair to sit on when out observing!!

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as above.

all good advice, but as a fellow novice i wouldnt buy a thing until youve set it up properly and tested out fully . once youve had say a half dozen to a dozen or so sessions,and your eyes get used to peering down the e/p ect. get to grips with the mount and hunt a few objects. then you'll start to figure out what you may want to spend money on.

clear skies...

[brianmc]

Daedalus I'm in a similar situation to you having just got my 200p Dobsonian and having enjoyed a couple of nights observation without finding a lot. I did get M31 last night, but it was much easier to find with 8x binoculars than with the scope.

That's the main problem I have I think is actually finding the things in the sky, and to solve this problem I have the following things in mind based on my reading here and various sites.

Firstly I'm going for ths method: http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/80995-diy-dob-setting-circles.html, a wixey and a setting circle combined with Stellarium should point me to the right place in the sky.

Secondly a Telrad will hopefully allow me to positively confirm I'm pointing in the right place by comparing what I see through the Telrad and what I can see in Stellarium and on the Telrad maps I get from MSAS: Messier Finder Charts.

Thirdly I'm going to think about a RACI finder, mainly because it should allow me a more intuitive way of seeing where I'm pointing, but also because I nearly broke my neck trying to see through the straight through finder to m31 at around 10pm last night.

Finally maybe a better wide angle low power eyepiece to give me a better chance of having my target in view.

If after all this I'm still not finding my targets then this will be me =>

[Spackbackle]

Hey Deadalus,

I'm kind of in a similar situation but with astrophotography in the mix as well.

I have drawn up a list of kit that is reccommended or suggested via reading post on here and other searches on the net ect ect, but I'm holding off any buys until I find out what I really need through my experinces!

stu

Edit. Also try finding M45 (Pleaides) it's a naked eye object on a good clear night so even if your scope isn't polar aligned you should be able get it in view. Make sure you using your widest Eye piece though.

[pvaz]

I find a Telrad finder is an essencial bit of kit for me. So is a red torch, pocket sky atlas and a black cloth to cover my left eye without squinting.

Other then that I would take it slow and find out with I'm missing after a few sessions, as advised by other members.

It's easy to spend silly money on EPs (talking from experience ). However once you know what you need and you make a decision on the budget it's quite easy to advice a set of 4 or 5 EPs that will cover 99% of your needs.

I found this review quite helpful when I made my planetary EP kit:

6mm Lunar/Planetary Eyepiece Comparison - Review

For DSOs the Skywatcher Nirvana and the Explore Scientific EPs are at the high end side of the market and are reasonable priced against the competition (Televue Nagler, Ethos or the Pentax XW).

There are lots of more affordable options if you don't mind some edge distortion. Some good cheaper options are the BST explorer, the skywatcher panaview, etc... Too many to post here.

Again, better buy after you know what you need. If you can go to a star party at a local astronomy club and try before buying that's even better.

[Astro Imp]

The advice you have already received to get to know your scope before investing in anything is what I would advise.

Have you aligned your finder scope? If not take the time to do this, best done in daylight using a distant pylon, church tower or something similar. Without doing this you won't find anything.

For visual observing you don't need to accurately polar align. Adjust the altitude to your latitude and point your mount north, this will keep your target in your field of view for several minutes by just adjusting the RA slow motion control.

To be able to view other objects you need to know where they are, I would suggest Stellarium, a useful free planatarium program.

[dark knight]

Great advice from all the folks above, I would just like to add one thing and it is this.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the telescope you have at present, it will serve you very well indeed. Planets, galaxies, and other deep space objects are well within the grasp of the Skywatcher Explorer 200p so I wouldn't hurry out looking for a larger telescope. Patience and clear skies are the key to astronomy, spend time learning your way around the sky and don't fall into the trap of expecting to see with your eye what others have photographed, there are of course exceptions, M42 for one looks spectacular through a telescope as does the veil, planets and others.

Join a club where people often have viewing nights, here you will get to try different filters, eyepieces etc and have access to an abundance of experience. I have found astronomers to be a very friendly and accommodating bunch, even when it comes to using their eyepieces that cost hundreds of pounds.

[damp owl]

I bought a telrad for my scope a few weeks ago. It just makes star hopping so much easier - no more requirement for setting circles and confusing inverted images - just a good star map / application and you will find objects so easily.......

Adam.

[Daedalus]

Lots of good info here, most appreciated. Not set up finder yet, but it is rather confusing with the upside down back to front way it works (tried following an aeroplane!). Perhaps this Telrad is worth me looking into. Not polar aligned or collimated yet either. Sounds difficult so its taking me a bit of reading to understand it. I suppose I have been a little dissapointed as I was probably expecting too much too soon. However, after a couple of nights viewing im getting to grips a bit more and starting to appreciate that I saw Jupiter for the first time and it is millions of miles away! Just want to get the best out of it and look for a second object to view properly. Patience and practice is probably the key, and judging by the comments on here, I have a telescope that is more than capable of viewing many objects. I have also learnt that Stargazing isnt straight forward but as I find out more things I feel that I am becoming more knowledgeable and people are now asking me questions that I am finding that I am able to answer....perhaps not on this forum but at work etc. Really looking forward to progressing, advice really appreciated and although I am yet to find any other object than Jupiter so far, after several hours of looking the other night I saw 4 shooting stars.....and was most impressed! As a hobby I can certainly see the rewards for being patient. :-)

[rory]

ive been told a few times over few months that theres no fast track with astronomy, it all takes time.

but listen ive never even owned a reflector telescope,but i would say you'll get nowhere until you collimate it . and it should be done regulaly i believe, so id start by practicing collimation first. without doing so,id say its a waste of time peering up at objects.

clear skies...

[sabana]

You are trying to run before you've learnt to walk. As Rory suggests. Get to know what you've got inside-out first.

1) Learn to collimate so its as easy as.......

2) Learn to polar align and set up your mount so its as easy as........

Once you've mastered these arts, then you will be in control, not the other way round.

[pvaz]

Yeah, definitely check collimation. If the scope is out of collimation your views will suffer a lot, specially at high mags. There is simply no EP that will correct that.

[sublime_mick]

Hi all,

As usual, only questions and no answers from me. Hopefully that will change in time. :-)

I have recently purchased a Skywatcher Explorer 200p on an EQ5. Im still in the sussing out stage. I have used it twice these last few days and if it wasn't for Jupiter...I would only be looking at dots in the sky still! I haven't collimated, polar aligned, and set up the mount properly yet, so I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I have asked a few questions on here and got some good answers. What Im interested to know though is this.....

The eyepieces etc that I have came with the scope and i'm led to believe that they aren't the best and that there are better. So i'm wondering, there must be a limit to what this scope can do and i was wondering what purchases could take this scope to its max setup. ie, eyepieces, barlows etc. And without spending silly money i suppose as well. Or is it actually better to not upgrade the ancillaries but to buy the next size scope?

I am a real beginner and im not after short cuts, but id like to know what my best setup could be so that i can get the best out of my new best friend :-)

(ps. would any upgrades be transferable to another scope if i ever changed?)

Thanks for your help

in the same boat pal -

was daunted by collimating - gave it a try - and everything seemed to line up as it should (having followed the instruction on various forums and you tube).

still haven't bothered with polar alignment yet - as i'm using stellarium and trying to find things according to that (i'm sketching down where i think things should be - according to stellarium and trying to find them)

The Moon was easy - took a while to get used to the mount and controls - found Jupiter - and really practiced on it - as it was easy to find (sort of use it as a guide to find other things at the momernt)

found Saturn - I was like a child as it was my first real find (that i couldn't see with the naked eye) - this was aided by stellarium !!!!

andromeda (M31) was next - found it about 1 month ago and can find it easily enough now (there are 2 other Messiers in the vicinity of Jupiter and Andromeda - I may have seen the 1 beside Andromeda (M110)- but struglling to find M33.

learning the ropes - I now plan to master polar alignment and work my RA Motor Drive on my HEQ5 mount -

A tip I read about polar alignment - is that if you are observing from the same spot in your garden - set down markers for the mount and polar alignment will be so much easier.