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£200 for a new scope and accessories....


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Enjoying my binos and Travelscope. As the nights draw in I'm looking to take the next step. Got around £200 to spend and have looked at a Heritage 130P and a Skymax 90.

The key for me is light and portable, plus a good all rounder. Not massively into photos at this stage but that could come later.

Main thing for me is working my way round the sky and understanding where everything is.

The Tal 1 looks good but might be a bit bulky.

Any thoughts appreciated.

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Lots of people here seem to have the 130P and love it. It's probably the one I'd go for given the choice between it and the Skymax 90. You really do need to have something for it to stand on though -- a sturdy (ie not wobbly) table or something like that.

James

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Got around £200 to spend and have looked at a Heritage 130P and a Skymax 90.

Is the Skymax 90 a Maksutov ? These usually have sharp optics, but for me, I'd take the 130P, as it can give a wider field than a Mak 90 and has more aperture.

But have a think, it doesn't have to suit me, but you.

Other option is used of course.

Regards, Ed.

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If its just the telescope for £200 the SW 150 dobsonian will be the best value and has a nice sized aperture -150mm- with a more sturdy mount than the heritage. But if your budget has to cover extras like collimator etc then the 130p on either heritage dob mount or an EQ2/3 Tripod/mount is a great place to start, newtonians give good results for the price.

best of luck

Aenima

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Thanks Aenima. The 150 dob is a bit big for my needs. I'd like it to be small enough to chuck in the boot and lug up the odd hill. One question though, is it possible to buy a dob mount for a standard 130p to use alongside an eq mount? Not seen any for sale and wouldn't trust myself to build one. My 6 year old's Lego is about my limit.....

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If I read correctly your talking about the heritage to begin with then wondering if a normal 130p OTA would be suitable for a dob mount as a secondary mounting?

I have seen posts of people taking the heritage off its dob mount and used rings (purchased seperately) to hold it for attaching to an EQ3 type mount, but its involving a bit of DIY, otherwise the 130p EQ2/3 set-up can be mounted on a home built (in most cases its a DIY job I'm afraid) dob mount.

If - as many peole say - the heritage OTA is attached by a vixen style dovetail to its dob base, then in theory it can be mounted on other kinds of mounting.

Sorry about uncertainty - I only have the AZ Goto 130p and not the heritage.

Best of luck

Aenima

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I have the Heritage and am very pleased with it.

Ive mounted it on an AZ4 which is really stable.

For your budget I would recommend the 130p along with a decent collimating tool (I have a Baader Colimate, but Cheshires are popular) and maybe a half decent Barlow.

I have seen a thread with the whole Heritage base mounted on a tripod, could be worth a thought for the future?

Cheers,

Rob.

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I have a Skymax 90, it is an excellent scope. If portability is important to you then this is the one to go for. The scope and mount are nice and compact, the tripod is light and easy to carry, but the couterweight is, well, weighty.

I now also have a 200p as there is no substitute for aperture, but for a quick session, or for a scope to take anywhere I have to walk, the 90 is the one I use.

You can get one in your budget and have enough left for a nice BST Explorer 8mm eyepiece.

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Hello again Spacerock

The 130p optics are quite good for the money, but you'll likely find most of the faint fuzzies are just smudges of grey against the black sky - galaxies and nebulas in particular, - however many of the brighter DSO's are really quite pretty in a medium power EP in the 130p - the globular clusters are the ones to look out for - pleiades (M45) hercules cluster(M13), beehive cluster etc. are all nice and viewable with 130mm aperture and a wide EP.

Andromeda, while its a big galaxy its spread out thin so you'll only get a view of the center but it's noticable as a faint fuzzy. But yeah, locate the clusters using whatever info you find best suits you and you'll find them decent DSO's to look at in your scope (if its the 130p of course).

Regards

Aenima

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You certainly will be able to find DSO's with the Heritage. I've checked off 17 of the Messiers under my light polluted skies, it takes practise but it's worth it. Far easier to see them with 130mm of aperture than 90mm.

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WICKED NEWS.

That same Moon is currently, I'm sorry to say considering not all of us have clear sky ATM, is shining through my finderscope of my 130p azgoto. I wanted to take pics but wind is silly strong here. Glad your geting on with your Heritage. Dont worry, the weather cant be terrible the whole year, those targets will become available to you soon enough.

You'll be familiar with it quite quickly and, like me, loving your 130p v much. :kiss:

Best of luck.

Regards

Aenima

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Bright stuff, like globular clusters, look good with the Skymax 90. Coloured doubles also look good, with nice crisp images and good contrast. For the feinter stuff every bit of aperture helps, so if that's what you're after then the 130 will be the winner.

I have the luxury of a Skymax 90 and a 200p - different tools for different jobs. The Ring Nebula is much more impressive in the 200p, but I can carry the 90 up a hill.

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Lots of people here seem to have the 130P and love it. It's probably the one I'd go for given the choice between it and the Skymax 90. You really do need to have something for it to stand on though -- a sturdy (ie not wobbly) table or something like that.

James

I agree. Given the choice. the Heritage is the best obvious choice. It really is a good all rounder and so portable that . I disagree that you need a table to stand it on. Yes if you are an able-bodied person who is used to observing while standing then a table is needed simply because of the size of the scope. However if you dont mind sitting while observing (who would mind sitting?), the EP level from the ground on the scope is perfect for observing while using any standard height chair such as a wheelchair (in my case) or a kitchen chair,camping stool etc.

Its a fantastic little scope that punches way above its size and really allows you to see tons of objects.

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I disagree that you need a table to stand it on. Yes if you are an able-bodied person who is used to observing while standing then a table is needed simply because of the size of the scope. However if you dont mind sitting while observing (who would mind sitting?), the EP level from the ground on the scope is perfect for observing while using any standard height chair such as a wheelchair (in my case) or a kitchen chair,camping stool etc.

I'm genuinely surprised by that, but you certainly have more experience than me in that respect so if you say it works well then I am more than happy to take your word for it. When I saw the one my brother has it looked surprisingly small to me, and a good deal of the time I use a child's chair (and think light, floaty thoughts :) whilst observing with my 10" dob. I only just scrape 5'10" tall too, so I'm no giant :)

James

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