Advice please for a wheelchair user.

[JM2K]

Hi.

I would like to get into astronomy and would like to know what you recommend i know to do so.

Unfortunately i made the mistake of buying without properly researching whether or not it was suitable. Turns out a 200P HEQ5 is not. Fortunately this is a mistake easily rectified, but what do you recommend i get instead.

I have a £1000 budget and would like it to be GOTO. I have been told a Celestron 6SE is the best for me in this price range, is this a good choice or do you have other ideas?

For me getting to the EP is more important than for example the weight of it, but are there other obstacles you can foresee that i haven't?

Thanks for any help and advice.

[Donkeiller]

The 6SE is an excellent choice.

Light, easy to set up and can be used sitting down.

[dav1d]

Not a reflector, obviously -as the EP is at the business end. A decent catadioptric like the 6SE looks the biz.

[Tribal-Wolf]

Well I have difficulty standing and sometime need a wheelchair depending on illness flare ups and I find my scope utterly brilliant because it has a small enough footprint that it does not get in my way and the focuser is sitting height plus it's goto that takes very little setting up. The only trouble you would have is moving it about but I have just bought some locking castors to fit that will solve that for me.

[ScubaMike]

Agree - catadioptric is the way to go (or, of course a nice refractor).

You may want to see if you can get a pier, as you may find that tripod legs get in the way if you are in your wheelchair.

[182570]

refractors arn't really practical for a wheelchair user,the positions you have to get in to see anything near zenith generally rule them out,Iagree that a 6se is the most practical

[ismangil]

There's another wheelchair member here, he started with Heritage 130 and has now moved to Nexstar 8SE, the big bro of 6SE.

So it does seem the Nexstar SE series are wheelchair suitable.

Perry on mobile (so blame strange words on text prediction!)

[Marki]

I think LukeSkywatcher (Paul) can help you or give you his advice. He is also a wheelchair user, and has the Celestron 8SE (as the previousl poster said). He really likes the 'scope for its views as well as ease of set-up.

I think the 8SE is a great scope too - good views, relatively easy set-up on its alt-azimuth go-to mount.

[DOBBY]

Or... an 8inch dob..no tripod to get around...max height of eyepiece 1200mm

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P FlexTube GOTO

[Tribal-Wolf]

Or... an 8inch dob..no tripod to get around...max height of eyepiece 1200mm

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P FlexTube GOTO

Yup, that's what I think too, mine is now a goto thanks to a handset upgrade but it does the job brilliantly.

You will struggle to find the auto tracking model now as they have been discontinued but with his budget he could afford a goto.

[JM2K]

Thank you all for your advice.

I like the idea of the dob because of the lack of tripod legs as mentioned.

The questions i have about it is, is the EP 120cm from the ground because it says the tube is 120cm but how far is the back end off the ground upright, or does the EP not being at the end offset that gap? The reason i ask is i measured my eye height and it is exactly 120cm, so anything above that i may struggle to see anything directly overhead.

Also how easy to transport is it and get in a car? One thing i can never find in any reviews is weight! I can just about lift a HEQ5 tripod on its own, for comparison of what i can handle.

[eddy]

Just noticed this, may be right up your street

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

Leaving enough change for the upgrade to GOTO should you need it

[mike.brightmore]

Another possibility you might want to consider is using a video camera attached to a T.V. Monitor instead of viewing through the eyepiece. You can get an idea of the set-ups and what can be achieved from the threads in the video astronomy section.

[Kit-Fox]

Have you read this thread?

http://stargazerslounge.com/primers-tutorials/57066-practical-astronomy-disabled.html

if not, please take the time to do so, its full of lots of useful information.

And whatever route you do eventually take scope wise consider very carefully the dimensions & weights of the equipment.

If you have to set things up on your own it can be very difficult and then taking it all down and back in at the end of the night when you may be tired from your observing session might make things even more of a challenge

[Glen]

Just noticed this, may be right up your street

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

Leaving enough change for the upgrade to GOTO should you need it

I think thats worthy of a punt for the price. It'll be tough to pick up all in, but I believe they can be dismantled some what, and as eddy says if you like it and it works you've got a little spare to mod.

Even think about putting it on casters to move easily, then setting down to view?

Thing is, concerning eye hight and similar views would mean a lower F ratio of the main mirror in-so meaning more work making the thing, equaling much more expensive telescope/ eyepieces/ trouble getting as near as perfect collimation to get good views..the list goes on:(

Or a smaller scope (loosing aperture & better views, YMMV) to initially get the eyepiece lower..a game of two halves possibly, but either way good luck in what ever you decide:)

[ScubaMike]

refractors arn't really practical for a wheelchair user,the positions you have to get in to see anything near zenith generally rule them out,Iagree that a 6se is the most practical

Don't understand you, isn't that what you would use a diagonal for? to get a more comfortable viewing position?

I can see little difference between an SCT and a refractor in terms of the positions you have to get into for the EP location (I have both types).

Maybe your refractors are different to mine?

[DOBBY]

The eyepiece is set back by the same as the bottom gap..so on the rare occasion when you are at 90deg it would be 1200mm... the weight of the rocker box is 11.5 Kgs...& the flex-tube is 13 Kgs... HEQ5 tripod & head = 12 Kgs(without counter weights)

[tsmith001]

Hi.

I would like to get into astronomy and would like to know what you recommend i know to do so.

Unfortunately i made the mistake of buying without properly researching whether or not it was suitable. Turns out a 200P HEQ5 is not. Fortunately this is a mistake easily rectified, but what do you recommend i get instead.

I have a £1000 budget and would like it to be GOTO. I have been told a Celestron 6SE is the best for me in this price range, is this a good choice or do you have other ideas?

For me getting to the EP is more important than for example the weight of it, but are there other obstacles you can foresee that i haven't?

Thanks for any help and advice.

Hi

go for the nexstar se range - they are really easy to use.

If you can look at the 8SE. F1 telescopes seem reasonably priced

happy hunting

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The good thing about the Nexstar 6SE and 8SE is that you get a really light package. The optical tube of the 8SE is just 4.7kg. I do not know of any 8" scope that is that light. That makes it easily handled and set up from a wheel chair. An 8" dob has a a much bigger optical tube, which is much heavier and more cumbersome (but they do give more aperture per buck).

If tripod legs are a problem, you could consider mounting it on a pier.

[Macavity]

Spending others' money is easy, but I often wish I'd gone for something like an 8 [inch] SE. I sense (with the additional aperture), it might have been my first... and LAST scope - But in a good way. LOL. A bit long in the focal length department, but you could always get a modest (or more) refractor to take in wider fields. With focal reducers, you could get into VIDEO astronomy too...

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have had my GP-C8 (same optics as the 8SE) for over 15 years, and especially with a 2" visual back for wider FOV (0.63x reducer also works), it is a very good all-round visual scope. I do have a little 80mm F/6 and some bins for wide field.

[JM2K]

Thank you all. Im glad i joined such a friendly and helpful group.

Unfortunately i found out i can only comfortably lift 10kg (where did i put that gym membership card?) as i didn't have the head on top.

My neice is also into astronomy so i will need to drive my scope 20 miles to hers so easy to transport is something to think about.

It looks like i will go for the Celestron. As i already bought the 200p i can trade it in and maybe upgrade to the 8SE for a little bit so i will look into that.

[Macavity]

I hope you persist. <S> The weight aspect (and more) re. our "different abilities", is often something not always mentioned in the advertisements. As Michael notes, 8" SCTs are often the (relative) lightweights of the telescope world. No heavier e.g. than some 6" MAKs, once you add on the various "accessories". Paradoxically, a slightly *larger* scope, of similar weight, can sometimes be easier to handle - To "get a grip on", as it were...

[dav1d]

Deleted this post as idiotic

[Tribal-Wolf]

I too have problems lifting due to debilitating illness which is why I recommended my scope, the 200P FlexTube Goto, earlier. One screw hold the OTA to the base and the base has three handles on it to pick it up from various angles if needed. I never have to stretch or bend at silly angles and on the occasion when I need to use my wheelchair I find it easy to manoeuvre around the base which also lets me get near enough to the scope to reach everything. I had thought about tripods and when trying a camera tripod I found I kept knocking into it and had to keep moving the feet. I too thought of a Mak but again it meant a tripod or a pier which seemed too tall.

Anyway whatever you choose get some measurements first, especially the footprint as that was one of my biggest concerns because if your chair can't get near the scope it's a bit pointless.