Best portable 1st scope...

[joe_coke]

Hi there. Great forum here btw, very helpfull.

I'm researching my first scope and need some advice. I have a flat with no garden, so my gazing will be taking place in nearby richmond park. its open at night and there's sure to be some spots with minimal (for london) light pollution. So the scope needs to be portable, ideally able to carry on my cycle. I realise its going to have to be quite a small scope and therefore not great for DSO etc. is there a specific type which can give me enough magnification to see planets at the very least and be "grab and go"?

my budget is around £300.

any advice will be greatly appreciated....am itching to get out under the stars for a good gander!

[Capricorn]

Thoughts are the 80mm refactor, decent for most things.

The Opticstar AR80, f/7.5 is about £135, you will need a diagonal and an eyepiece or two.

As to the mount, they will fit a camera tripod, so a solid one of them may be the best. Means it will be undriven and things will move out, manual movement on a camera tripod isn't easy as they were never meant for moving the camera.

Ones that do pan smoothly are more expensive, but there could be used ones in camera shops. People trade in photographic equipment.

Pay a visit one night to the Baker Street Astronomers, they meet in Regents Park monthly. BakerStreetAstro.org.uk

Couple of eyepieces are say £60 and a diagonal another £30. For the scope mentioned if you get just one eyepiece then 12mm would be fair - sort of middle ground. Would be tempted to say the 12mm BST/Skyguider for Skys the Limit but it is £41, it has a wider view then plossl's.

The scope is an achro so there will be some CA on brighter images.

[swamp thing]

Not an easy one, bicycle friendly.

You might be better off going to some local societies viewing nights or an Astro retailer and having a look at some kit. You've probably got a better idea of what you'll be able to carry on your bike than me.

Good luck.

Regards Steve

[Tribal-Wolf]

Isn't there a Meade scope that comes in a backpack?

[starnut]

I was told that carrying a scope on a bike wasn't a good idea due to the shaking it could get, I was going to do the same thing, but with a bike trailer, trying not to use the car so much.

[starnut]

Isn't there a Meade scope that comes in a backpack?

yeah this one

Meade ETX-80 Astro Telescopes

[Capricorn]

The Meade ETX-80 came with a back pack, the problem being that it is a goto, 80mm refractor, so ideal size but needs power.

Batteries are usually poor and carting a power pack as well may not be a good idea. Running it from mains is ideal and from a car is good. Just no mains and if he had a car there wouldn't be a transport problem.

[hemihaggis]

here is my car ...it is better than a bike to transport scopes ....lol

[TheNorthernMonkey]

Modern rechargeable batteries are remarkably powerful compared with similar from only a few years ago. A small power tank is 7 ah but being lead acid, only about 60-70% of power can be used. Modern pen cells are 2.7ah but you can use nearly 100% of power.

[Squagnut]

If goto is an option (not impossible on that budget, if the OTA has to be fairly small anyway) then a pair of 6v motorbike batteries would do the job and still be portable - obtainable cheap enough from any decent scrapyard. They'll be heavy - I'd recommend panniers for everything but the OTA, which would be best carried in a backpack.

But yes, best to go and look at some kit to see what best suits your needs. I wish I had such constraints - my living space is being invaded by an expanding pile of flight cases.

[Tribal-Wolf]

Motorcycle batteries don't hold there charge under load for long though.

[Catweazel]

I don't reckon that the cycle is a good idea to be honest, unless you are walking and pushing the bike with the scope on it? How far are you from the park? The other option is to go for a low price APO refractor and basic Alt-Az mount, you should get some sharp views that way. If you absolutely must ride on a bike with it, buy something cheap like a SkyWatcher ST 80 to be going on with, that way, if you damage it, you've only lost £90.

[imarcs]

Good advice from CW i think. Plus Ive never read anything positive about the Meade ETX-80

[joe_coke]

thanks for all the advice gents.

I've upped my budget and have narrowed it down to these 2:

Skywatcher Skymax 127 (EQ3-2)

or

Celestron Omni XLT 127

apart from the cost (the clestron is more expensive) is there anything that makes one stand out more than the other?

[GeorgeB]

When I lived in Kingston, I used to take my Nexstar 102 SLT into Richmond Park. I had to go with a friend as it was a bit of an effort lugging a 4" refractor, GOTO mount, battery pack and equipment case on my own, though it could be done if you had a little trolley. If I was on my own, then I would just wander up there with my 15x70 binos and lie on the grass.

I've got the Skywatcher Skymax 127 and I can't recommend it highly enough. It is superb.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Either some decent binos and a tripod, or a maksutov if you're after planets. The smaller, short tube refractors aren't very good for planetary.

A skymax 90 or 102 will give decent planetary results, whilst fitting easily into a carry case/backpack.

[joe_coke]

When I lived in Kingston, I used to take my Nexstar 102 SLT into Richmond Park. I had to go with a friend as it was a bit of an effort lugging a 4" refractor, GOTO mount, battery pack and equipment case on my own, though it could be done if you had a little trolley. If I was on my own, then I would just wander up there with my 15x70 binos and lie on the grass.

I've got the Skywatcher Skymax 127 and I can't recommend it highly enough. It is superb.

thanks GeorgeB...know of any specific places in the park that are particularly suited?

would you say your skymax 127 is a good all-rounder? I notice the celestron is f/9.8.

[boabsta]

I have had 5 telescopes now and the only 1 I have held onto is my skymax 127 on eq3-2.

The views I get from it do still make say "wow" and I still get suprised at how much I can see with a lot of detail. It also lives in my car as I live in a flat and it's a hassle lugging it up and down the stairs. (more the mount tbh). So far this scope has been hassle free and exciting to use and now I have just recieved my new ep (18mm bst) and tal barlow I cant wait to get back out and say "wow" again.

[Russe]

I love my 5" mak, but I have it on an alt/az GOTO mount!

Took it all the way to Nepal!

[Chris]

I think for your case I would opt for a Mak, I had a 90mm mak and was blown away by views of the Moon and planets considering the OTA was absolutely tiny:)

I'm getting the urge to buy another one now:D