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Tips for when your first ever telescope arrives

MrsR

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MrsR

MrsR

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In 3 weeks I will be ordering a Dob 250 and looking for any tips on what to do when you receive your new scope - should I first try putting it together indoors or just wait till early evening and do it outside - silly and simple things like that really. Thanks.

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MAN or ASTROMAN

MAN or ASTROMAN

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As a newbie myself,I'd suggest get ready to be surprised by the size of the box,and the multitude of internal packaging-more boxes,bubble wrap etc.Give yourself PLENTY of room to lay out the various components.I'd suggest working indoors,at least for this first assembly.Read,and,if necessary re-read,the instructions carefully-hopefully they are clear (sometimes they seem as if they are third hand translations from Chinese!). Take your time-I guess that you will be itching to get things up and running,but savour this build time.ENJOY!!

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Fordos Moon

Fordos Moon

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As above really. I am a newcomer acquiring a 200P a fortnight ago. Having a packaging fetish I had a great time when the two boxes arrived opening up lots of packaging and putting together the mount and scope . Following advice on here I lined up the finderscope and then say back and enjoyed the asthetics of the beast. It was rainy. I would advise spending as much time as you can reading these forums which I have found invaluable, as well as my following purchase Turn Left at Orion.

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Brighton Belle

Brighton Belle

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I looked at the instructions for my telescope and nearly cried at the complexity. Then my genius son suggested Utube, sure enough, there were several clips showing exactly how to assemble it. There are also several posts on SGL demonstrating polar alignment, collimation etc, absolutely invaluable!

As others have mentioned, don't bother assembling outside because every new telescope or piece of equipment comes with it's own free clouds. They are released as soon as you open the packaging and will hang over your location for a least a week. The more expensive and interesting your piece of equipment - the more free clouds you get :eek: .

Hope you have lots of fun with your new scope!

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JamesM

JamesM

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Good advice above and would agree with Sim (MorningMajor) but would read them several times. Make sure all the bits and bobs are present and checked against the instructions before assembly in case something is missing (...it does happen). Brighton Belle's suggestion of YouTube videos is a great idea, particularly if you get a bit stuck with the instructions and need a good overview of how it's supposed to be put together. At the end of the day, take your time and enjoy the process. The only snag I can think of is where to put the unpacked boxes - will they fit through the loft hatch? :grin: :grin:

James

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Scott

Scott

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i downloaded the manual well before the scope arrived and read them over and over. boring i know but when it came to assembly time i felt i had a fair idea of what i was doing. main thing is to start enjoying your new scope. for me the assembly process was great because you learn so much about the setup of your scope. hth

Scott :grin:

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Astro Imp

Astro Imp

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All good advice given above.

One thing that has come up several times on here is the finder scope. You will find a little "O"-ring that needs to be seated in the finder scope mount. Without this you won't be able to adjust your finder scope.

The most important thing - ENJOY.

All the best.

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MorningMajor

MorningMajor

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One thing that has come up several times on here is the finder scope. You will find a little "O"-ring that needs to be seated in the finder scope mount. Without this you won't be able to adjust your finder scope.

Very good point - couldn't work out why mine didn't adjust at first - O ring was present but positioned properly

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rory

rory

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Congrats on your scope (when it arrives)!

Let us know how you get on, I was eyeing up the same scope but have to wait until a higher authority (my wife) will let me spend my pocket money on such an item.

Clear skies!

are you part chopping the bresser to get the next scope dkd ? or having two and really annoy the boss ? :evil:
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Double Kick Drum

Double Kick Drum

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are you part chopping the bresser to get the next scope dkd ? or having two and really annoy the boss ? :evil:

That's the problem. Lucy doesn't want more than one scope in the house but I would like to hang on to the F5 achromat. Decisions decisions!

Eventually I will replace it with a smaller 80 - 90mm apo for some astrophotography in the distant future but it would be nice to have a light bucket too.

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ArmyAirForce

ArmyAirForce

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Think about where you are going to keep the beast, and how easy it will be to get it from its storage location to viewing position. The tubes tend to be much bigger than the web adverts make them look, and a body, big OTA and small doorways don't go well together at the same time! Something else I'd suggest is a white tea tray for keeping spare eyepieces, filters and other odds and ends on when out in the dark. You don't want to be searching in the grass for that eyepiece cover you put down 'somewhere safe'!!

PS I was lucky to get 17 nights out with the scope in the first five weeks of owning it. You need to make the most of every viewing opportunity, even for just an hour or two, or you'll spend all your time on here starting threads complaining about clouds!!

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heathenwoods

heathenwoods

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Think about where you are going to keep the beast, and how easy it will be to get it from its storage location to viewing position. [...]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is *very* important but not always obvious (voice of experience speaking here)

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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Definitely unpack it inside during the day and lay it all out on the floor and then put it together/take it apart. Then when you have done that................wait til it gets dark and then assemble the whole thing and take it apart again in a darkened room only using torch light.

Sounds silly, right?.

Trust me, if you can do it inside in the dark (with a torch) then it will be better for you when you venture outside.

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Bart

Bart

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Get some nice warm clothes for the winter months ahead. This is more important than fancy glass because if you're not warm and comfortable, it'll either be a short session or an uncomfortable one. Thermals are a God send, as are many layers. A flask of whatever hot stuff takes your fancy is a boon. Enjoy

Barry

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