Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

[Nick-In-Ireland]

After many years of being interested in astronomy and watching Sir Patrick Moore (god rest his soul) hosting the iconic BBC program "The sky at night", i have decided to purchase a telescope.

I have books on astronomy & have read plenty on the net for many years about all aspects of astronomy but i am still really a beginner, but not exactly a noob, i guess i am just one of those people that didn't take the next step over the years to actually buy a telescope and observe for themselves...until now :-D

The wife bought me a small scope for Xmas, one of them small 3" reflectors (76/350mm) from aldi with no finder scope and couple of eyepieces so bad that it would put any uninitiated person off astronomy for life!

I can just about find a few bright objects in the sky with it like the moon and Jupiter but in fairness the sky has hardly been clear, Jupiter looks so serene just hanging there with its moons hundreds of millions of miles away, i could easily make out a small white disk and 4 or 5 moons at 58x mag but no planetary detail, all this scope was up to really, any more mag and things got blurry, i guess a combination of a small aperture, poor seeing and bad optics was to blame, i decided right there that it was time for me to get serious and get myself a decent scope.

After much browsing on the net and reading books over many years i have decided to go for the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian because of the big aperture and bang for buck factor, everyone on here speaks highly of FLO, i have not seen a better price on this scope anywhere else either.

I will need a few accessory as well, a good range of eyepieces, collimator, dew shield, 2x barlow.

I was considering the "Celestron Eyeopener Eyepiece and Filter Kit" but the eyepieces look like something you would get with a beginner scope, someone please correct me if i am wrong, i like the fact that they come with a case and Barlow though, the Celestron omni plossl's or the Vixen NPL's look a better buy in that price range.

i would also like a 2" to 1.25" Precision Centering Adapter but cant find one on FLO, does anyone know where to get these ?

If anyone has any advice or experience with the equipment i have mentioned, especial the Skyliner 8" dob, please let me know.

How does the mount for the skyliner behave at higher magnification, is it well balanced, does it move easily and precisely.

What is this scope like after a few years use, any problems, any design faults, anything you would like changing, what is the scope and mount like in general use, any niggles ?

I am a UK Ex-Pat living in Donegal ireland, there are some nice coastal dark skies over here close by, would it be a good idea to use a telescope near a beach/coastal area given the salty air ?

Thanks in advance for any info and advice.

There's my 1st post duck broke ;-D

Nick.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Sorry forgot to ask :- what type of eyepieces are supplies with the scope, are the any good at all are or the just begging to be replaced ?

[JamesM]

HI Nick. I would say that the eyepieces supplied with the 200P will certainly be an improvement on those supplied with your other scope and are much better than the jam jars they used to supply many years ago. Personally I would hang for a while before purchasing any upgrades, just sit back and enjoy the 200P and see what you find yourself observing most and buy an appropriate eyepiece to suit. I am not a great fan of eyepiece sets if I am being honest as they seem at first glance a good buy but when you subtract the filters which you will hardly use and the odd eyepiece to, the money spent could have been better spent on individual eyepieces which will ultimately be of better quality.

Regarding the centering adaptor, you can find one here made by Orion and sold by Telescope House. Personally I don't think that you will need it but if you find the mechanism easier to secure 1.25 eyepieces than the traditional thumb screw method (especially with gloves on in the early hours!) then it might be really useful. I haven't seen a similar adaptor in the 2" size. I don't own a 200p but have looked through a couple and can understand why it is the U.k best selling scope. There are always modifications that you can do to tweak it up a bit, but that is the same on most kit to be honest. You will need a collimator to occasionally fine tune the optical light path via the mirrors but apart from that they seem to be maintenance free. A dew shield would be useful but a lot of people make their own out of a camping mat. This method is cheaper and straight forward to do, just allow about 12" to project from the top of the tube and see if that sorts it out - you'll have plenty of mat left to make a couple! :grin:

I hope the above helps but please ask more questions if anything I have said is unclear.

Clear skies

James

[wheresthetorch?]

If you've decided on a scope, I'd order it before stocks run dry when Stargazing Live starts on Tuesday evening!!

[Khw]

Hi nick like you I have been interested in astronomy for years and have read the books , I had a meade etx70 which I just couldnt get on with . But recently I have decided to get a bit more serious and was lucky to pick up a secondhand skyliner 200 dob for £130. I have literelly used it for an hour saturday night and I noticed that I spent more time observing than messing about with the scope . Once I lugged the scope outside within a minute or two I had Jupiter and her moons in my eyepiece which looked fabulous . Although I'm a complete novice I think you will enjoy the 200 , Kevin

[bingevader]

You get a 10mm and a 25mm eyepiece with the 200p.

They are not fantastic, but neither is just begging to be replaced.

As JamesM has said, if you decide to purchase a 200p, use it first and then decide what eyepiece upgrades might be most appropriate to your needs.

You'd then be better off buying a couple of eyepieces that you want and possibly be able to spend a bit more on them than buying a set and not using half.

Cheers

[jabberwocky]

Altair astro do a twist lock adapter for £25, I have one and its great, no more dropped grub screws, but be aware it lengthens the focuser so some eyepieces may not come to focus. The solution is to replace the 2 inch eyepiece adapter with a slightly shorter extension tube, Altair do one which is perfect.

[cotterless45]

Super scope, plenty of mods on here. One of the few good all rounders. Wouldn't bother with a whole ep set, just get a 25 and a 12mm Bst from Sky's the Limit.

Probably going to be in short supply along with everything else after Stargazing Live,

Nick.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Thanks for the tips and advice, i like the camping mat idea for a dew shield, cheap and effective, "wheresthetorch" mentioned the start of stargazing live, i have it set in the planner however i won't be in a position to order the scope for a couple of months, really bad timing on my behalf i know.

1 thing that niggles me with the scope is the mount, i read on here that ppl are having sticking problems with the mount, how bad a problem is this and is it easy to overcome.

[Eastridge]

I have the similar 250 and did read about 'sticking' mount issues before I got it. It hasn't been a problem for us at all but most people who do experience it ( post warranty)seem easily able to overcome / mitigate with DIY solutions - all sorts from using 'turtle wax' to replacing the Teflon pads.

I'm not recommending any of those solutions - just saying I wouldn't worry about it as 1. FLO would sort you out if it happened when new 2. If it happens after a while, from what I have read, it's readily overcome.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Yeah looks like its just a matter of taking care of it with some form of lubrication/pads if it happens, there's a huge amount of info tucked away in this forum.

[jabberwocky]

I had sticking issues but just loosened the bolt a bit and have had no more issues, there is a mod involving a lazy Susan bearing which is cheap but I've not felt the need.

the first mod you may need to do is get a right angled finder and maybe a telrad, but neither are expensive or needed straight away

the scope is great out of the box but as you use it more and more you will see which mods you want to do to make using it easier.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

I hear what you say jaberwocky, i bet a lot off ppl over tighten that bolt, mine will be hanging on by just half a thread ;-D

I was wondering about the finder supplied, is the angle really that bad, is it so awkward to use? i can imagine a right angled finder being not as natural to use as a straight through finder, how do ppl find the right angles ones?

And also i have a noob question, how is the orientation when looking through the supplied finder, is it an erect image not reversed left to right, or if it is, is it something you just get used to.

And how long does it usually take the stocks to recover after Stargazing live has emptied the shops, realistically i can't make a move for about 2 months, my cred card is battered like 1 of Iron Mike Tyson opponents!

[bendiddley]

i've got the sw skyliner 200p and i am very happy with it. regarding the finderscope i didn't try the straight through finder that came with it as i had heard so may people saying how neck breaking it was so i went for a right angled one which i am very happy with (its a skywatcher 9x50 raci), it's got a corrected view too which helps me with star hopping, i don't do upside down very well. the supplied straight through is an upside down image but not sure if left to right. regarding the view through the right angle, you get used to not looking up the scope as you would through the straight through, you just need to practice and get used to it, but i did find it hard aiming the scope so i bought a rigel quikfinder to help with that. now i use the rigel to aim and the raci to tune. regarding other topics discussed here i found a solution to the stiction of the horizontal movement which was to use a plastic milk bottle washer underneath the main washer and put car polish underneath the top base plate along the path where the teflon pad below runs, i also loosened the main bolt slightly too, this has helped a lot, its not perfect but it is good enough for me.

the other thing i can comment on is eyepieces. i was quite happy using the stock eps for a few months when i first bought the scope as i started getting to know the sky and finding things for the first time, so don't feel you need to go straight out and buy new ones, however once i decided to try out better quality ones i really noticed the difference. i've now got some celestron x-cel lx's which deliver very crisp, quality views and i am very pleased with them. as others have said though use the scope for a while before going down the road of buying ep's, take your time, i have heard people say that EP's are half the scope and what you don't realise when you buy a telescope is that buying ep's is just as important as the scope itself so do your research and don't rush in.

hope this helps a bit. good luck with it all.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Thanks for the info bendiddley, i am not sure which finder-scope i would go for, the Celestron green laser finder sounds a good idea but it is expensive and it does not get good reports on here & is problematic, for that kind of money it would have to be 100%, so that's a no go.

I have read the reviews for the Telrad and the Rigel finders, i am not sure which 1 i would go for, what made you go for the Rigel over the Telrad ?

How do you have the 9x50 finder and the Rigel Quickfinder fitted together, does the Skywatcher 200p have mounting brackets for both or did you have to add 1

Which collimater did you go for, i would like a laser collimator so i can see the laser dot at the focuser while i am down at the primary, i don't like the idea of adjusting the primary then having to move up to the focuser to see whats happening, the Baader laser collimater looks like you have to move up to the focuser to see the adjustment, is this correct or have i got it wrong ?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/collimation/baader-laser-collimator.html

I know ppl have advised me to just get the scope and get other bits later, but i have always been black and white and don't do things in halves ;-D

This is where i am at so far, my budget is a €1000 yo yo's , thats about £800 in real money, there is postage to factor into that as well, this is by no means a final list, i could probably do with a better Barlow if that 1 is not so good, could change the eyepieces as well for less of a spread and better types :-

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian £289

Skywatcher 2x Deluxe Achromatic 1.25" Barlow £30

laser collimator unknown type... £60 ish

Finder, Rigel Or Telrad £35

EyePieces:-

40mm Vixen NPL eyepieces MAG 30 £40

x2 60

25mm Plossl? *SUPPLIED* MAG 48 £supplied

x2 96

15mm Vixen NPL eyepieces MAG 80 £30

x2 160

10mm Plossl? *SUPPLIED* MAG 120 £supplied

x2 240

8mm Vixen NPL eyepieces MAG 150 £30

x2 300

6mm Vixen NPL eyepieces MAG 200 £30

x2 400

Total: £544

Let me know what you think.

Nick.

[bendiddley]

the reason i went for the rigel instead of the telrad was because of where i could put it. the only place i could put the telrad was to the right of the 9x50 finderscope which for me was too much of a stretch, the rigel fits nicely between the focuser and finderscope and means for easy movement when swapping between all three things. i've positioned it at the top of the tube and i just used the adhesive foam that came with it to attach it. the finderscope is mounted using the mount that came with the scope. for collimation i use a cheshire. lots of people on sgl said these were more reliable than lasers, but this is a whole other subject and you will do better to look into this yourself and make your own mind up, do a search for cheshire vs laser and i'm sure you'll find the info you need. interestingly though i haven't had to collimate my scope much, in fact i have never collimated the primary in the field and yet it remains aligned each time i use it, this includes several car journeys too. i have only collimated the scope twice since i bought it which was back in june last year and the second time was only through experimenting with the alignment of the secondary, the primary was ok. so if you're careful and don't shake it about you may find its the same for you too.

in terms of getting everything you need at the beginning i have to say i agree with everyone else, buy the scope first and take your time, buy the other things gradually, with eyepieces buy one at a time, see how the first one performs instead of buying a load at once. i went to a couple of observing sessions at a local astronmy club before i purchased anything and that played a part in the decisions i made about what scope i bought and the type of eyepieces i wanted. everything else was researched on sgl, just take your time and research gradually, looking back although it did take a while, i have ended up with quality kit that works well for my particular needs. good luck with finding yours