My first experience with a sky-watcher 150p dobsonian

[rickygoespop]

Hi all , i just wanted to write my experience with purchasing , setting up and using my new scope my gf got for me for christmas. it might come in handy for anyone who is thinking about buying one.

I purchased the scope (on my girlfriends behalf) from amazon. The scope comes in two seperate boxes, a very large box for the scope and a heavy flat pack kit for the base.

I started constructing the base of the scope, it comes in 5 pieces of wood , a handle and little rack for eye pieces etc... it is a simple screwdriver and spanner job (which comes with the scope) which overall took me around 15 minutes at a leisurely pace to put together.

The scope simply needs the view finder to be slid into posistion , everything else is done. The scope comes with a 10mm and 25mm eye piece and a 2" adaptor for larger eye pieces.

Overall the scope feels like a very high quality piece of kit, The base is quite heavy but is made easy to carry with the handle, the scope simply attaches and detaches by two handles and takes a minute to do.

I took the scope out for the first use, the scope was strapped in by seat belt in passenger seat and the base in the back. It was a clear night and moon was a cresent, i struggled with the view finder at first but just simply needs adjusting to match what you have in the scope. The moon showed very detailed craters and was very crisp and clear with the 10mm eye piece, the 25mm eye piece allowed the whole moon to fit in my field of view and was again very crisp and detailed.

I pointed towards jupiter and was happy with what i had seen. With the 10mm eye piece jupiter is around the size of a large pea and showed 2 distinct cloudbelts, to be fair viewing wasnt very good last night so i hope to expect more in better viewing.

My next target was M42 orion nebula, as it was still early in the night orion was quite low and above a small town from where i was. orion nebula did show up quite large in my 10mm eye piece , it was grey in colour and was excactly how it is sketched in the turn left at orion 4th edition book, there was not much detail other than bright stars within it.

The scope is very solid and stable and i didnt experience any shake in the eye piece what so ever i was moving around the sky with ease, it is a very good pick up and view scope with no fuss. Just needs cooling down if stored in your house but is quite quick to do so.

Overall i know i have purchased a sensible sized scope for portability and will be used for a long time to come, it would be great for kids too as it is not easily rocked by little movements. I was able to take some pictures with my smart phone of the moon and Jupiter just by holding it up to the eye piece, so a proper webcam or camera mount will take nice pics or video but as it doesnt track it is unable to take pics of deep space objects but that is a whole other game and wealth to contend with. Im just happy to capture some things to show others but the dso`s are just for me to admire.

I would reccomend this to any beginner or casual observer who wants portability and would like to capture some pics or video of

the planets and moon and anyone who would like a fuss free mount and would like to let the kids use it too. I just recommend a copy of turn left at orion 4th edition as it has exaxct sketches of what you will actually see in your eye piece.

In the near future i will be asking if there are any recommended eye pieces for better quality viewing of the moon and planets and maybe some filters for maybe a little more detail on nebulas etc.

Thankyou for reading and i hope this helps even a little if your thinkng about buying one of these scopes

[Capricorn]

The "standard" better quality eyepieces that get recommended are the BST Explorers from Sky the Limit.

They come in 5mm 8mm 12mm 15mm 18mm and 25mm options

Alternatives are the TMB Planetary eyepieces, greater range of focal lengths then the BST's.

If you wanted a plossl then the Vixen plossls are options.

Think all the above come at the £30-£40 mark.

Don't jump at the highest magnification at first, if the scope doesn't handle it then you have wasted your time, the BST 8mm would be safer then the BST 5mm.

[callisto]

A great report for anyone out there thinking about buying this type of scope

[swamp thing]

Hi

The stability of a Dob is one of the often overlooked benefits of this mount.

The rock steady vibration free observing makes them a real joy.

The amount of scopes on wobbly equatorials that vibrate for seconds after the slightest touch is a real eye opener.

Nice report.

Regards Steve

[Parus major]

The "standard" better quality eyepieces that get recommended are the BST Explorers from Sky the Limit.

They come in 5mm 8mm 12mm 15mm 18mm and 25mm options

Alternatives are the TMB Planetary eyepieces, greater range of focal lengths then the BST's.

If you wanted a plossl then the Vixen plossls are options.

Think all the above come at the £30-£40 mark.

Don't jump at the highest magnification at first, if the scope doesn't handle it then you have wasted your time, the BST 8mm would be safer then the BST 5mm.

I totally agree with you, there. I've got the same tube but in mounted form and it's capable of much, much more than people think. The option is there for you to mount it on a GEM at some point but the good thing about the dob is that you can still use it as it is now.

It's a great telescope, get some BST's and enjoy it.

[Adwonas]

I've literally just got one of these through my door today , setting it up now!

[Astro Imp]

Hi Ricky,

Thanks for posting such a great write up on your new scope, really enjoyed reading it.

Like Parus Major above I also have the same tube on an EQ mount and have found it far better than I expected.

Have fun.

[rickygoespop]

I've literally just got one of these through my door today , setting it up now!

Enjoy the process of putting it together, helps you understand how it works.

Thanks for the positives guys

[stoneage]

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this great review , I like the sound of the stability of this scope, as well as the portability too, seriously considering making this my first scope

[onesmallstep]

Hi

Great thread, already have the 200P model but this would def sway me towards buying the 150P if I was a newbie looking for my first scope.

BTW, I noticed the comment about Crawley AS in your sig. The advice I give is to overcome your shyness and take yourself along to the next meeting and / or observing session. I joined my local AS in 2005 and have never looked back, have made some great friends and am currently on the committee, not bad for someone who just turned up to a star party out of curiosity.

HTH!

[Adwonas]

Enjoy the process of putting it together, helps you understand how it works.

Thanks for the positives guys

Its all set up now, sadly its raining right now where I live .

But luckily I have access to a rather large family allotment on the edge of our village, might set up camp one night!

[todd8137]

nice first light report a scope that is easy to use and portable is the most used .

[MGunn]

What a good review to read. Would you say therefore that it's easy enough as far as transporting it around goes? I'm looking for my first good telescope and am torn between a Dobsonian (which I've heard are very cumbersome) and a standard Newtonian.

[Parus major]

What a good review to read. Would you say therefore that it's easy enough as far as transporting it around goes? I'm looking for my first good telescope and am torn between a Dobsonian (which I've heard are very cumbersome) and a standard Newtonian.

It depends really on how you'd go about transporting it?

For the same aperture and length the 150PL and EQ3-2 has a lot more to carry, that's for sure.

[rickygoespop]

The base is quite large but this what makes dobsonian special as they are extremely solid mounts and do not shake at all when viewing. The whole thing would fit in the back seat of a car when separated or as I take mine I seat belt scope in passenger seat and base in the back. Takes two minutes to put back together and within seconds of putting in an eye piece you can start viewing. Very fuss free,

if you want tracking mounts or want to do astro photography don't get this scope

[JKB]

Great write up! I have the same scope on EQ mount and love it. All my photos are taken through it. I have the 200P Dob also and it is a beast compared.

Good scope and lets people know what can be done on a small budget

Cheers

Jamie

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I'm tossing up between the 150 and the 200. I could do the 150 right now probably, but the 200 would have to wait for another few weeks till payday. I know as far as portability is concerned there isn't much in it, they'l both fit in my car no problem, but the problem is storage. I share a room, and have very little space. There is a space at the end of my bed about right for the 150 to stand in the corner, hidden from view, but the 200 would have to be somewhere else like behind the TV or some other unsightly place.

The decision swings upon whether the extra aperture boosts the views enough to warrant a slightly inelegant new ornament in my room.

[swamp thing]

I'm tossing up between the 150 and the 200. I could do the 150 right now probably, but the 200 would have to wait for another few weeks till payday. I know as far as portability is concerned there isn't much in it, they'l both fit in my car no problem, but the problem is storage. I share a room, and have very little space. There is a space at the end of my bed about right for the 150 to stand in the corner, hidden from view, but the 200 would have to be somewhere else like behind the TV or some other unsightly place.

The decision swings upon whether the extra aperture boosts the views enough to warrant a slightly inelegant new ornament in my room.

Hi

TBH the storage space required between the 6" and the 8" is very similar.

Both are around 1200mm long (that's 4' in real measurement) the base size is pretty similar too,

So if you can store one, you should be able to store the other.

A 6" f/8 scope will be a great introduction to astronomy and a great all rounder. Any eyepiece will work well, collimation, once done, will require infrequent adjustment, in fact only dropping it will require a look.

It will show you all the Planets, and some will give up plenty of detail. Alll the Messier list plus countless other deep sky objects can be seen.

The 8" f/6 will take observing to a new level. Not only is the Messier list observable but some of the brighter ones start to show some detail. Considerably more Galaxies are observable, and planetary and diffuse Nabulae start to come alive.

Both scopes are great for any beginner, and will light the fire in any budding observer.

The stability, fast vibration suppression and ease of use of a Dob mount is a great introduction to anyone that few scopes (at the price) can match.

Good luck with your choice.

Regards Steve

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Hi

TBH the storage space required between the 6" and the 8" is very similar.

Both are around 1200mm long (that's 4' in real measurement) the base size is pretty similar too,

So if you can store one, you should be able to store the other.

A 6" f/8 scope will be a great introduction to astronomy and a great all rounder. Any eyepiece will work well, collimation, once done, will require infrequent adjustment, in fact only dropping it will require a look.

It will show you all the Planets, and some will give up plenty of detail. Alll the Messier list plus countless other deep sky objects can be seen.

The 8" f/6 will take observing to a new level. Not only is the Messier list observable but some of the brighter ones start to show some detail. Considerably more Galaxies are observable, and planetary and diffuse Nabulae start to come alive.

Both scopes are great for any beginner, and will light the fire in any budding observer.

The stability, fast vibration suppression and ease of use of a Dob mount is a great introduction to anyone that few scopes (at the price) can match.

Good luck with your choice.

Regards Steve

Yeah, the space i'm looking at that keeps it nicely tucked away is like 180mm wide.

But to be honest, i've been leaning toward the 200 for months for the reason you state above. Everyone always says that 8" is where things start to get really interesting. I've done my time with a "beginner scope", so i guess the 200 is the next logical step.

[MGunn]

It depends really on how you'd go about transporting it?

For the same aperture and length the 150PL and EQ3-2 has a lot more to carry, that's for sure.

In my car. I suppose the issue really then is getting it out every now and then. Presumably the Dobsonian will be a carry in and out job and store as-is whereas the 150PL/EQ3-2 would require setting up every time? Is there much between the performance of a 150 on an EQ mount to a Dobsonian 150?

[John]

....Presumably the Dobsonian will be a carry in and out job and store as-is whereas the 150PL/EQ3-2 would require setting up every time? Is there much between the performance of a 150 on an EQ mount to a Dobsonian 150?

The dobsonian breaks down into 2 parts very quickly and re-assembles just as quickly (a few seconds really). Getting the tube off and on an EQ mount is pretty easy too mind so there is not much in it. The EQ will need rough alignment north so that it will track reasonably accurately whereas the dob is a "plonk it down and observe" job.

The EQ and Dob mounted versions of the 150PL are the same optically so the performance is the same. In my view the 150PL is too long and heavy for the EQ3-2 mount and it's aluminum tripod legs and is much better mounted on an EQ5 mount. The dobsonian mount seems to cope with the long tube pretty well though.

[cotterless45]

yep, I've got some hefty excercise weights strapped to the eq3/2 mount.Although it can be carried out of the shed and pointed North, the Dobs are just grab and go.In these cloudy times, you may just get set up and get clouded over.

The SW Dobs are superb , with Bst's, the 12mm is ace.

[Parus major]

A fair amunt of the wobble with a 150PL on an EQ3 is the legs twisting.