Aldi telescope

[Chris]

Hi,  I am new to this forum after purchasing a National Geographic Dobson telescope for my daughter who is studying Astronomy for her GCSE.  So it was an impluse buy.  Aldi are selling it for £40 which is cheaper than Amazon, but have I made a booboo.  Knowing nothing about telescopes should I take it back and get something else for her?  If so what would you recommend as a first telescope which does not cost the earth?  Thanks

+1 for the Skywatcher 100p, I've had mine for a while and it delivers very nice widefield views. Collimation was spot on when it arrived, smooth yet solid alt/az controls, nice little rack and pinion focuser, and a usable red dot finder.

Oh yeah it has a very good quality f/4 parabolic mirror set

89 pounds is a bargain and it looks really nice too! 

[bambuko]

It never ceases to amaze me, that with all the great bargains available here on classified section, on Astro Buy & Sell, and even on epay people are preferring to buy "new/definitely inferior" to "secondhand/likely far superior".

[Chris]

It never ceases to amaze me, that with all the great bargains available here on classified section, on Astro Buy & Sell, and even on epay people are preferring to buy "new/definitely inferior" to "secondhand/likely far superior".

I think if you're spending hundreds even thousands of pounds then the second hand market is a good idea, This is how I justify expensive purchases most of the time. You do have to accept a small amount of risk from dishonesty plus there's no warranty second hand of course.

I think in this particular price bracket, where we're talking tens of pounds, I'm not sure you would get something far superior on the second hand market would you?

[bambuko]

How wrong can you be

Just look through some of my threads.

OK it takes time (sometimes quite a lot) to find the right deal.

The only thing going for these Aldi/Lidl deals is that they are there and now - available on your doorstep without any effort.

Immediate gratification guaranteed

But hey... it's free world   and you are free to spend your money as you wish

[happy-kat]

I guess there is a risk with the telescope you did buy that it will give a very poor view if the mirrors are misaligned.

For variety.

http://www.astroboot.co.uk/AstroBoot

In the bargains area has a heritage 130p which is a refurbished item but one heck of a starter telescope and for £70.

From atrobuyandsell.

The the mount on this if not great and may frustrate your daughter.

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=90445

Another heritage 130p

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=87299

This has go to which in itself might find useful.

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=90395

Just to show some second hand ideas.

The straight forward left right up down mount is very plonk and go.

[bambuko]

There is no risk in "mirrors are misaligned" - we take care of it by collimating?

There is plenty of other risks and that's why would not recommend it for total newbs.

I tend to avoid "refurbished" items because whoever did the refurbishing will want some money for it (so no bargains to be had).

I prefer to take punt and do the refurbishing myself (if necessary).

Put it this way - if I can't get it for 1/2 price (or preferably less) I just move on... world is full of un-wanted telescopes

The biggest issue with all secondhand deals (and a killer for many) is the delivery

[Chris]

How wrong can you be

Just look through some of my threads.

OK it takes time (sometimes quite a lot) to find the right deal.

The only thing going for these Aldi/Lidl deals is that they are there and now - available on your doorstep without any effort.

Immediate gratification guaranteed

But hey... it's free world   and you are free to spend your money as you wish

Ok enlighten me what have you scored for 40 quid that's going to wow me?

Congrats on your bargains in advance

[bambuko]

I am not trying to wow you

I am comparing Lidl/Aldi/Tesco etc offerings with what you can get for the same money (secondhand) elsewhere.

[happy-kat]

The classifieds on this forum I don't think show until you have is it 50 post count?

[Chris]

I was also comparing Aldi/Tesco etc offerings with what you can 'generally' get on the second hand market for the same money. I don't think decent scopes come up that often for 40 quid second hand? 

I don't think I'm as wrong as can be for saying this, but maybe I am? What you said kind of implied that you could prove me wrong, I'm open to the idea that I'm wrong. The best I've ever managed was a 150p ota for 50 quid but I had to build the dob base for it to be a complete telescope which added another 50 odd quid plus time.

[bambuko]

The classifieds on this forum I don't think show until you have is it 50 post count?

I believe so

[bambuko]

I was also comparing Aldi/Tesco etc offerings with what you can 'generally' get on the second hand market for the same money. I don't think decent scopes come up that often for 40 quid second hand? 

I don't think I'm as wrong as can be for saying this, but maybe I am? What you said kind of implied that you could prove me wrong, I'm open to the idea that I'm wrong. The best I've ever managed was a 150p ota for 50 quid but I had to build the dob base for it to be a complete telescope which added another 50 odd quid plus time.

Yes, they don't come up very often indeed.

Let's take Aldi offering for example 76mm dia, 350mm long for £39.99

I would much rather have (for example) TAL-1 or even TAL120

Either can be had for less than £40 and I bet they will be in use long after the offering above is in the rubbish bin

grand total of £25, collected locally.

ps I haven't set out to "prove you wrong" - simply a figure of speech I have (perhaps unfortunately) used. Sorry if it got you going

[Chris]

You must have been a very happy bunny that day you picked this up for 25 quid!

Ok, I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong That's a lovely little rock solid scope and because its Tal will probably still be going strong in 50 years time. 25 quid is an absolute bargain I agree. I take it you had renovate it a bit at least? It looks mint!

The "how wrong can you be" bit was a bit strong I must admit, but thanks for saying sorry. Maybe it got me going a little bit

I do agree that second hand generally makes sense, I think I was just trying to say that if you're only spending tens of pounds, whats the worst thing that can happen? I agree that if you plau the waiting game on ABS or Ebay then you can get lucky. Just not sure its the best thing for a newby to be doing. I recommended the 100p Heritage for 89 pounds, its a very good scope for the money, you'll have to trust me on that one. The most you would lose it 30 quid after a year of use?

p.s. I'm also sorry, maybe my return reply was a bit strong also with the wowing me thing  

[bambuko]

Yes I was very happy with it indeed

and no I didn't have to touch it (apart from slightly loose focuser, easily taken care of with a piece of shim)

It was my second TAL (first one, a bit tired but still with very fine, was TAL-1 and it was even cheaper )

It ended up being my project scope where I tried making my own focuser etc.

Easy when it only costs you £21 (see the story here )

I have followed it on recently with TAL2-M (I am not telling you what I paid for it :tongue:  but it was well worth it)

It required small mod (easy but not necessarily for the beginner) and I am delighted with it (see it's story here )

I totally agree with you that it is not a game for newbs, but I am also convinced that many of them get disillusioned after trying one of these "cheap" offerings (I know I wish I knew what know now when I was buying my first telescope).

ps thanks for being "man enough"  -  writing on a forum is not the same as having face to face discussion very easy for a misunderstanding ...

[Chris]

Thanks for the links, I think If I've got any questions about TAL's I know who to ask

[happy-kat]

For a young lady doing GCSE astronomy she may like to be able to be totally self sufficient in taking the telescope outside or to friends to observe. If so a table top mount would be ideal for this.

[cathalferris]

I've always wanted one of these little scopes, as they are absolutely perfect for putting in the suitcase when going on a holiday to e.g. the Canaries, and given I usually bring a camera tripod as well, the tripod can be repurposed. Given that they are light and small, and effectively disposable at that price, it can allow some viewing from really dark skies that you would not otherwise have gotten. I regularly go on kayaking trips to the Alps, and I don't get a lot of space or weight to bring on the bus with me and this would be ideal for that use case. As it is I ended up getting a 70mm ED scope on a mini-porta that I cut down to fit in my carryon, with the Baader hyperion zoon+zoom barlow but I know that not everyone has that capability. For the cost, it's a great second or third scope. 

They make great presents for young astronomers, as long as the expectations are managed, and a little coacjing can be given.

I'd have been a lot happier if I had this instead of the rather pricey Tasco 60mm on shaky altaz mount that I started with as a ten year old. 

[lensman57]

I believe so

The base looks interesting to me, I wonder if it could be used as a cheapie pier.

A.G

[bambuko]

The base looks interesting to me, I wonder if it could be used as a cheapie pier.

A.G

This is drifting seriously OT , but since you've asked - the answer is yes.

[Ken31]

Aldi currently have a stack of the 'scopes this topic was originally about - but as per my previous examination of the one I "took for the team" I would not recommend one for any purpose whatsoever. I have yet to find out what it is like when re-engineered so that the diagonal mirror is on the eyepiece axis.

[Ninja]

Hi I am a brand new member to the stargazers lounge and new to using a telescope. Bought a Dobson 76/350 telescope from Aldi in Cardiff yesterday for £29.99 had a look at the moon this morning using the Dobson lens and was impressed with the clarity, At first I thought that something was wrong as the image of the moon was reversed until I checked and found that this is normal.

[Ken31]

The relevant posts in this topic are:

Post 21: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/169479-aldi-telescope/page-2#entry1734781

Post 30: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/169479-aldi-telescope/page-2#entry1742632

Post 51: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/169479-aldi-telescope/page-3#entry2202463

Post 63: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/169479-aldi-telescope/page-4#entry2238067

Can you compare your purchase with my findings in post 51? Note that furrysocks realigned the diagonal and got decent results with a better eyepiece, I have not got around to doing the same (so far - many other calls on my time).

[Ken31]

At first I thought that something was wrong as the image of the moon was reversed until I checked and found that this is normal.

Not counting the primary mirror, there is one mirror in the light path therefore the image will be mirror-reversed. The same applies to a refractor (telescope with an objective lens instead of a mirror) when using a "diagonal" to direct the view sideways (avoiding a crick in the neck trying to look up an eyepiece) - one mirror, image mirrored.

Even without a diagonal, the view through a refractor is upside down. If the diagonal is in the vertical plane, the view is mirrored vertically so the image is the right way up but reversed. One just has to get used to the idea of not worrying what way round the image is.

(Binoculars use a series of reflections in prism facets to completely correct the image orientation so it's the right way up and the right way round, that is not done in astronomical telescopes because 1. we're used to it; 2. extra optics rob light; 3. more weight and cost.)

[Ken31]

(I can't edit my posts because of the ridiculously high post count requirement)

Terrestrial telescopes (such as used by seafarers, typically collapsible) use a Galilean optical design, where the eyepiece is a concave lens instead of convex. The primary lens focus is beyond the eyepiece instead of before it, so the image (when viewed) is the right way up. This optical design is much less versatile than the normal astronomical telescope design with a convex eyepiece, and has limited magnification, so is only used when the lack of image inversion is important.

[Uranium235]

Ken31, on 11 Jan 2015 - 09:37 AM, said:

(I can't edit my posts because of the ridiculously high post count requirement)

And there is a jolly good reason for it! 

Unfortunately, the facility was abused in the past, and at one stage was disabled for everybody (not fun). So we had to set a minimum post count, as we do for classifides - this prevents or reduces abuse of the system by malevolent forces.