new scope

[Vince1963]

Holy ****!!!!.. New skywatcher explorer 200p arrived today.. WOW! its big, (that's what the wife said too) its a bit daunting. On nights at the moment so wont be able to play with it till Wednesday at the earliest, the setting circles look a bit complicated and setting it up so i can use them will be tricky i guess, till i get used to doing it. But i must admit i didn't realise how big it was going to be on the EQ5 mount, I thought i'd be able to set it up on the lawn, But i think that's a no no, i think it will sink into the lawn ( something i never thought about being a newbie).

[John]

Congrats on the scopes arrival

Please don't blame me for talking you into a big one

You could make some wooden blocks to go under the tripod tips.

[eddy]

Dont be scared by setting circles, they've got me so far and i could find most things using them! And, once you know how to use them, they're REALLY easy to use, some will say 'take no notice they're real bad' but they're not that bad, and are actually quite useful, and gives you a 'real' sense of achievement when your target pops up in the eye piece.

Personally, i think its a great way to learn the sky, and a basic skill that i think a lot of people actually lack.

Dont get me wrong, im most certainly not sour about not having GOTO, and if given the choice, id have it, but i think that learning the sky by hand is such a basic prequisite that is only missed out on by a lot of new starters!

Thats just my 2 pence anyway, im sure you'll love it, if you need any pointers on the setting circles just ask im sure there are more experienced people here than me that would be glad to help!

[Catweazel]

Hi Vince, congrats on the new scope. I have the 200P/EQ5 setup, and it doesn't sink into the lawn; I have managed to wear the lawn out around where it sits though

[swamp thing]

Holy ****!!!!.. New skywatcher explorer 200p arrived today.. WOW! its big,

Don't worry it'll soon start to shrink.

After a few months it'll only just be big enough.

Regards Steve

[Carbon Brush]

No worries about the scope on the lawn.

First assembly, you have probably done already in the house. Warm and light!

Put the trpod on the lawn level-ish.

Point it north-ish.

Set the latitude screws 53-ish.

Note lack of precision here.

Put the scope on top.

Have a rough balance.

Now put in a 25mm EP and look for an esay target.

Moon. Jupiter. Venus.

Something you can't miss.

Check your finder and scope are aligned together.

Now enjoy the sights and gradually work up.

My fist 'real' scope was an 8" newt on EQ5. A big learning curve.

But the views made it all worth the effort.

Just ask on here if you have any peroblems with the scope or mount.

David.

[Scott]

Hi Vince, congrats on the new scope. I have the 200P/EQ5 setup, and it doesn't sink into the lawn; I have managed to wear the lawn out around where it sits though

ditto

[Tinker1947]

Stellarium and a Telrad would be good, one's free one's not, so the free one download from here...

Stellarium

[Vince1963]

Hi John, thanks for the tip. I'll try that. Not disappointed in the scope...LOVE IT!!. thanks

[Vince1963]

thanks eddy. for that. my thought exactly, and yeah maybe a goto mount in the future see how i go, I did see.

[Vince1963]

thanks catweazel, I think my lawn feels a bit spongy, so i do have concerns about it, I'll take a look when I've finished work.

[Vince1963]

Hi Steve, yeah i know what you mean lol, bigger is better right?.

[Vince1963]

Hi Tinker1947, already have stellarium... been looking at the night sky with binoculars for months now, finally committed myself to the scope, but thanks for your input, much appreciated Vince