Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Absolute beginner

The Titan Calibos

Recommended Posts

The Titan Calibos

The Titan Calibos

Posted
Posted

Hello everyone,

Always been fascinated by what's up and out there, and have finally decided to invest some time and money into star gazing. (watching bbc last week kinda pushed me over the edge).

Any ways any info on what to buy and why would be a great help!

Got about £3000 to splash and i have been looking at the "Meade LX200acf 10" uhtc Telescope WO focusser.

I'm of average intelligence and am not put off by collumation and the set up of telescopes, but if the above scope is a bit too much then please let me know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rowan46

rowan46

Posted
Posted

welcome to sgl are you interested in imaging at all? If you are this may not be the best option for you. on the other hand this may be

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-neq6-pro-synscan.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-200p-ds-ota.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pro-series/skywatcher-evostar-80ed-ds-pro-ota.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lenny147

Lenny147

Posted
Posted

Take your time doing your homework before you purchase a scope. Different scopes are better for different things, take your time before deciding. Many people on here will give some great advice so dont rush into buying just yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Titan Calibos

The Titan Calibos

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Seriously, if I had 3k to spend and was starting from scratch I would also take my time. There is enough money there to get it pretty nice but first figure what you may want to capture, that maybe the hardest decision.

Thanks for the comments , i was pretty much thinking the same thing, some people may be trying to sell their product to me. Gonna take my time and study hard first.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
brantuk

brantuk

Posted
Posted

The Meade's a nice scope but it is alt/az. For a beginner in AP it may be a bit too much to handle without a lot of frustration. For imaging an equatorial mount is the more appropriate solution or you'll be into wedge territory - and with your budget you can get a good solid and accurate one like the NEQ6 Pro - and pretty well choose which scope you want to put on it.

For wide field DSO imaging a short tube fast appo like SW ED80 (doublet), WO GT81 (triplet) will give great pics. For solar system work a long focal length Mak or Sct would be good choices - something like a Celestron 925 or MN190 astrograph would handle easy on the NEQ6. And the 314L+ would certainly be a great camera to start with - but you can use a DSLR if you have one and use the spare grand for all the ancilliary extras you're gonna need.

But read the book and ask loads of questions first - it's a big step and you want to be sure you're "splashing the cash" in the right direction or it will cost you dearly. Needs thorough research imho - get to an astro soc or star party for some forward scouting :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Titan Calibos

The Titan Calibos

Posted
  • Author
Posted

yes im definitely going to be doing imaging

Read a bit of a horror story on here today with the quote "bent-bolt" problem with the NEQ-6, that happens more frequently the further north you are.

Im surprised that this is still an issue with such a piece of popular kit!

Are there instructions on how to avoid this if i purchase such a mount?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
VigdisVZ

VigdisVZ

Posted
Posted

Read a bit of a horror story on here today with the quote "bent-bolt" problem with the NEQ-6, that happens more frequently the further north you are.

Im surprised that this is still an issue with such a piece of popular kit!

Are there instructions on how to avoid this if i purchase such a mount?

Glad you asked.

First of all you can order replacement bolts that are more sturdy. Dont have a link however, but some searching should do it.

The other answer would be to take the mount apart and install a mod similar to the one I use. A guy in my club, Gunnar, made a few of these, and he helped me fit one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rowan46

rowan46

Posted
Posted

The next scope to the neq6 in performance is about £300 more I think £25 is a bargain. lots of people have used the neq6 for years taking into account its price and performance it's a lot of mount for the price you pay it's a tried and tested mount and other than its known issues with the bolts is a very reliable mount

Link to comment
Share on other sites
VigdisVZ

VigdisVZ

Posted
Posted

The only alternative to the NEQ-6 is the CGEM which is more expensive and heavy to lug about.

The only really viable option above the NEQ-6 when it comes to price vs performance is the MESU 200 and that is 4 times as expensive.

Sure the bolts are an issue, but it's a known issue, and that hasn't stopped the community from using the NEQ-6 as the baseline heavy duty mount when on a budget. And it's a good choice for the simple reason that there are so many on the boards that know it's innards very well (Astrobaby and Gunnar to name a few) so it's pretty easy to get answers when you do have an issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.