£200 ish budget ..where to start??

[appy]

HI folks

I had this scope a few years ago and was pretty happy with how it performed

BRAND NEW 6" INCH NEWTONIAN REFLECTOR TELESCOPE WHITE ~ | eBay

I was given it so had no input into getting it but now i want another scope and have a budget of £200 give or take

Obviously there are hundreds of scopes to choose from so i need a little guidance. Im hoping to get something that performs better than the one i used to have and ill never forget the first time i saw saturn! WOW

So if you could maybe post some ebay links etc to ones youd recommend id be grateful. Im happy to learn how to polar align so would like another reflector as i was happy using that.

My budget doesnt include extra lenses but i can get those at a later date but would increase my budget a little if a good package deal was available

is it possible to get a motorized scope for around this price? i will consider 2nd hand

cheers lee

[appy]

these are a couple ive found but would like a more experienced opinion

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CELESTRON-ASTROMASTER-130EQ-ASTRONOMICAL-LAND-TELESCOPE-/200717447063?pt=UK_Photography_Telescopes&hash=item2ebbb12f97

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8-REFLECTOR-TELESCOPE-8-inch-203mm-astronomical-NEW-/200723859125?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D220974450137%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7169024576805710087

[mallorcasaint]

I started with this and have never regretted it! First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 130P

[appy]

theres a 2nd hand one of those on ebay

cant find it now but is this it aswell but with the goto system?

Skywatcher Explorer 130p Synscan AZ GOTO Computerised Telescope 130 barlow | eBay

[swamp thing]

Hi Lee

For under £200 you are going to find this hard to beat, IMO:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

The stability and ease of use this scope offers should not be underestimated.

For slightly more you could go for one of these (the nations favourite)

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

These would be my pick.

Regards Steve

[John]

If you go motorised then your budget will mean a scope with quite a lot less aperture than the one you have. This is likely to mean some reduction in what you can see which I doubt is what you are aiming for.

My advice would be to go for a 6" Skywatcher dobsonain:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

This is a quality newtonian scope with a parabolic mirror on the simple dobsonian mount. It's manually driven (ie: you push / nudge it !) but, in my opinion, it will give the best performance you can buy for £200.

Edit: swamp thing and I posting at the same time - and agreeing, which is good !

[appy]

Funny you should post those i was just looking at this

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

I guess i dont need to ask if my budget allows is that the one to go for

[appy]

Thanks steve just seen you actually posted that one to lol.

And cheers john even though you were to late ha ha

right will go see if i can get the 200 cheaper anywhere else

[appy]

Is that scope useable out of the box or will it need fine tuning? How much maintenance do they need?

[knobby]

Just my opinion but the 150 dob is £200 ish and the 200 dob is £270 ish

I bought a 150 last year and although i love it , its going on Ebay tomorrow ! just wish i'd paid the extra £50 and got the 200. From what i can gather it has much more light gathering and can take higher magnification also has a much nicer focuser !

So good luck with your choice they are both cracking skopes.

As for working straight out of the box if you goole Dobsonion mods you'll find loads of stuff re: making the mount smoother, but just keep it clean and squirt a small amount of pledge in the gap aimed at the teflon slide... works for me

Also grab a cheshire collimator if you really want to 'tweak' the last ounce of performance

[appy]

OK after reading countless good reviews i think ill be ordering a 200.....just as soon as i can find someone with one in stock

Thanks for the input folks

[appy]

would a

CELESTRON AstroMaster 130EQ-MD Reflector Telescope with Motor Drive

or

Skywatcher Explorer 130p Synscan

be a better first scope? then spend the money £100 ish id save on better eye pieces?

[perrin6]

F5 is a bit unnececssarily short for a 6 inch if you want to make the most of that aperture at high power on planets, the moon, double stars.

[appy]

f5? is that a lense or the newt?

[perrin6]

F stands for focal ratio. ie ratio between the mirror's diameter & it's focal length. The focal length of the mirror = 5 X 150mm = 750 mm

Low F numbers tend to need a bigger diagonal mirror which causes slightly more obstruction and reduces image contrast which is important for planetary observation.

For big telescopes, a high F number makes the telescopes tube too long and heavy to handle. A 6 inch scope can have a high F number and still be easy to carry around.