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newb... just bought my first (second... lol) scope!

kamikaze1100

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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Hi all,

i'm a total newbie and i have just made what i hope to be a wise purchase???

After mucho reading of reviews on this site and days hovering over the paynow button (lol) i pulled the trigger on a skyliner 200p dob frow wex photographic for £285 next day delivery so i'll be waiting in tomorrow for it to arrive!

I so nearly bought the smaller 150p but coz money is tight at the mo i wanted something that i can keep for a while and not grow out of. My parents bought me a celestron astromaster 114eq for my 40th earlier in the year but unfortunatly i found a fauly with it and had to take it back, luckly the shop just gave me a refund so i was then able to add to the pot so to speak and invested in the 200p, i hope i have made the correct choice, in the time i had the celestron i did buy the celestron eyepiece kit with a bunch of filters a x2 barlow and five plossi eyepieces so i'm hoping that they will work o.k. with the new scope!

I can't wait for tomorrow hehehe!

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rwilkey

rwilkey

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Sounds like the perfect choice, the Celestron EP set will work well with the 200P. Don't forget to fit the 1.25" adaptor for these eyepieces though, and place the 2" adaptor in a safe place. Try things out with the 32mm ep first.

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stevetynant

stevetynant

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The 200p is probably the most popular scope in the uk especially amongst us new starters. Easy to set up and store with excellent optics affording great views of the night sky......great investment. All you need now is some clear skies and you've got the best 9 months of the year stretching out before you. Good luck tomorrow. Steve

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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I did want to order it from FLO but have been trying to contact them for three days, i didn't want them to call me back as i rarely hear my phone ring due to noise at work so i needed to get through to them when i called, unfortunately for them that wasn't possible as every time i called i got a recorded message telling me they were busy with other customers, so i simply ordered through WEX photographic and i got it for £12 quid less than FLO are retailing it for including the delivery!

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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You will not regret buying the 200p. Great choice and will be a noticeable step up from the 114mm. Expect 2 very large boxes, I thought mine was a 250 when I saw the size of the ota. Please leave the cloud box closed. Good luck with your new scope.

i'm assuming by the term cloud box you are refering to the kaka weather???

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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You will not regret buying the 200p. Great choice and will be a noticeable step up from the 114mm. Expect 2 very large boxes, I thought mine was a 250 when I saw the size of the ota. Please leave the cloud box closed. Good luck with your new scope.

i do hope they aint too heavy as i have put my back out a little this weekend mountain biking on dartmoor (lol)

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stevetynant

stevetynant

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One thing you might want to consider, When you attach the centre bolt try not to over tighten it otherwise you might find the azimuth movement quite sticky. There's loads of mods you can do with a dob to improve the viewing so just enjoy for the time being......one of the best to start with though might be an ironing stool from amazon about £25 will save your back and make things much more comfortable. Make sure you let us know how you get on. Cheers

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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o.k. so i have been reading up on different finders and by all accounts a lot of people rate the telrad jobbie, so my next dumbass question is this... am i going to find it harder to use with just the supplied finder with the scope coz i have blown all of my wonga on buying the scope!

i have also read that the telrad is for use on shorter focal length scopes so is there any point fitting one onto the 200p as that has quite a long focal length... is that correct?

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stevetynant

stevetynant

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First of all - its more important to spend the money on the scope than the accessories which you can build up after years if necessary so you've done the right thing to start with. The supplied finder is fine to get started with but because its running parallel to the tube itself when you point the tube high towards the zenith it can be a little tricky to get in the right position to see through - especially if you have a bad back. A Telrad on a riser will help but its not a magnified solution - a right angle correcting finder scope might be a better idea until you get used to things but for the time being don't panic and you definitely don't need to start spending until you have a better idea of what will work for you. If you can join an observing group in your area, getting out with fellow astronomers will be the best way to help you decide on the extras that will benefit you - in general their a very friendly bunch and all too ready to help.

If you enjoy modding then there's loads of fairly cheap mods you can do to improve things but again take your time and do your research - this forum is the best place to do that to begin with - anyways - here's a few things to consider

Add a lazy susan between the dob boards this will make the azimuth movement much smoother - cost @ £12-£20

Add a wixey which is a digital altitude measuring device that magnetically attaches to the OTA- that wiil tell you the altitude in degrees you need to move the scope vertically and will put you in the right ball park when searching for stars - cost @ £25

Add a setting circle to the base - this will help you point to the right direction in azimuth - together with the wixey you will then have created a home made "push to" system rather than an electronic goto - cost @ £20

Some levelling feet or a levelling base plate to make sure the dob is horizontally flat @ £20

Flocking - about £20 - should increase the contrast by making the inside of the OTA and focussing draw tube darker - cost @ £20

You could consider some of these purchases in the future- but remember you don't have to and you can start to see how the spending can begin to run away with you - so take your time and like I said try to join an observing group - at the very least post loads of questions on the forums to get advice and different opinions.

A Colimating tool - all Newtonians need Colimating eventually so bite the bullet early.

An observing chair or stool - whether its the white plastic one from the back garden, an Ironing stool from Amazon or a dedicated chair from FLO- It really becomes an essential aid in keeping you comfy while observing.

Lens - the 10mm which comes with the scope is not the best so at some point you might want to consider changing it and build up a range of lens- anything from about 6mm to 32mm- all varying in price so ask for opinions before you comit to spending.

A 2x Barlow lens which will effectively double the range of the existing lens you have

A hat, thermal gloves and loads of socks - until you stay out in the British winter standing about watching the sky you don't really appreciate how cold it gets

Some books - turn left at Orion seems to be the bible for most starting off on here and helps when the inevitable cloudy night come

A flight case to keep your lens in - Maplins do a nice one which is fairly regularly on offer for about £25

A Telrad or/and a RACI to help with finding objects

Some Red Light Torches - the ones that strap to your head are good

A 1mw lazer pen - can be invaluable when out with friends when querying stars and objects

Plenty of apps for your phone- most are free and very useful for observing and weather predictions

Unfortunately its far from an exhaustive list but you absolutely don't have to have any of it (apart from the colimating tool perhaps) but its just an idea for you of things you could consider as you progress with your new hobby - you can enjoy your new scope straight from the box - all you need are some clear skies.

Do your research, ask loads of questions and most of all enjoy what your doing - good luck with the new scope and fingers crossed for clear skies.

Steve

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paul schofield

paul schofield

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The scope is manageable moving it around. It's not that heavy especially in 2 pieces. There are lots of posts on here concerning dob mods. I suppose you should see what you think of it as is, then add any mods you think would benefit. The only mod I have done to mine in 7 months is add a right angled 10 x 50 finder, a Rigel quikfinder & am about to turtle wax the movements. Yes the cloud box was me being ironic. Clear skies.

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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whoo hoo it's here!!

lol i had wondered about putting it on uneven ground... any particular type of feet, thread size etc?

I have the eyepiece's covered as i bought a celestron EP kit with a x2 barlow and five plossi ep's and a bunch of filters!

so i spose next up on the list is a collimator, i was gunna make one and bought a laser pointer but it's beam doesn't come straight out of it so trying to adjust that out would be a pain.

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pvaz

pvaz

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Great choice. I bought an 8" dob as well, almost 4 years ago. It's somewhat big but easily manageable. I been very active this past 3 and a half years and still am satisfied with the scope.

Regarding upgrades, you can do it little by little. The only things I find essential to me is a telrad finder, a cheshire collimator and a red light torch. You can do without the telrad but it makes it a lot easier to know where you're pointing the scope and finding objects. This free maps should keep you busy for a year or so: http://www.astro-tom...essier_maps.htm

Then I recommend pocket sky atlas, it's cheap and haves more objects than you can see with an 8" so that's probably the only sky atlas you'll ever buy.

I think the EPs that come on the pack with the skywatcher aren't much but will do to get you started. Keep coming here, get your post count higher so you can access the classifieds section and, as you feel you're missing some magnification, or you want to upgrade one of your EPs, you'll be able to get second hand ones for a nice price. Most of my EPs ware bought second hand in excelente condition, most of us take really good care with their gear.

PS-> for confortable observation use a chair. I use an old office chair. The adjustable hight makes it easier to find a more confortable position.

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pvaz

pvaz

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I think it's now up to 150. It's a precaution rule to keep the classifieds free of sellers that just came here looking for any bargain so they could resell at a profit.

Meanwhile you can have a look here http://astrobuysell.com/uk/.

Sometimes there are decent deals on ebay too, but most of them are overpriced or low quality items. On ebay you need to know what you're shopping and the usual prices otherwise it's better to buy new from a reputable seller such as FLO.

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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I think it's now up to 150. It's a precaution rule to keep the classifieds free of sellers that just came here looking for any bargain so they could resell at a profit.

Meanwhile you can have a look here http://astrobuysell.com/uk/.

Sometimes there are decent deals on ebay too, but most of them are overpriced or low quality items. On ebay you need to know what you're shopping and the usual prices otherwise it's better to buy new from a reputable seller such as FLO.

that's if you can actually get through to FLO i tried five-six times a day for three days last week to try and get some advice on my new scope which i bought from WEX photographic in the end....

imo FLO should make more of an effort to pick the phone up as they lost a sale right there!

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kamikaze1100

kamikaze1100

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doh... i got around to assembling the base for the scope about 30mins ago when i noticed that it has recieved a bit of damage in transit (AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHH!) so i was going to just repair it, but then thought no why should i as it's brand new so i've just got off the phone to WEX and they were more than helpful, there gunna get it picked up by fed ex (just the base) and send me out another! I also unpacked the tube and first thoughts were it's bleedy big! :)

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