New scope, more or less decided on Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ-5, just the details to sort out

[fondofchips]

I have been reading all the newbie questions on this forum for over a week now.

I keep coming back to the same telescope - Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ-5. This setup is just excellent value. I also want to cut out the upgrade step, using the money I save by not upgrading again on a better scope now. I have considered the Dobsonian but I prefer the EQ mount. Scope will be used 90% in my garden & 10% elsewhere & I do appreciate that this is a big scope. Comments on the Skywatcher 150 models welcome.

I am not interested in GOTO or astrophotography at the moment; I prefer to put the money I have available into the ‘bones’ of the system. If I do want to do GOTO/photography I will need to upgrade the EQ-5 mount anyway, as it is at its limit with the 200P. I’m trying to stay between £400 - £500.

I am no stranger to optical equipment so setting up is not fazing me; I have been interested in photography since I left school. Current other optical stuff – Opticron 8 x 42 binoculars & Nikon ED 50 spotting scope, my camera is the Panasonic DMC-FZ38.

I have read that light pollution may affect this type of telescope, I live in the middle of a town, though there is not a street light nearer than 100 metres from my viewing point. The viewing point is in the darkest part of my garden. There is a clear view from there from East to South West.

The only accessories I am planning on buying with my scope are a collimating eyepiece & Telrad viewer.

I will be attending a meeting of the local Astronomy Group on Saturday, though at the moment snow is forecast, however if it’s cancelled I will look at this being more time to do my homework. Not in a rush to click the ‘add to basket’ box yet.

Any comments would be most welcome, it is the details which make or break a decent setup.

Thanks for all the information I have read already, any newbie will be happy following your advice.

[DrRobin]

Hi,

I think you have made a very good choice and as you say going the EQ route allows for upgrading later on. As for light pollution, it does cause problems with pretty much all scopes but there are several ways you can deal with it.

1) Travel to a dark site. I bought my first scope with this in mind and then never did it once.

2) Buy a light pollution filter. They come in all shapes and sizes from cheap and chearful to really expensive bits of glass. I would start without one, decide on what you want to look at then select a filter that might help.

3) Make or buy a dew shield. I make mine from either foam or plastic sheet. Just extend out about 300mm from the front of the OTA and not only will it help reduce dew but will also reduce stray light from entering the scope.

4) Nearby street lights are not the main problem, they can be filtered with a light pollution filter of shield. The bigger problems are next door's security light and neighbours leaving upstairs lights on with the curtains open. If you are unlucky enough for this to occur try asking them to turn them off, or perhaps consider getting a screen to shield you and the scope from stray light. I assume that it will be the neighbours but the stray light might come from your own house so have a chat with your wife/partner/kids/relatives (delete as applicable) to cut the stray light to a minimum. I ban my wife from putting any lights on at the back of the house when I am out observing/imaging, it doesn't stop though!

Like most things give it a try and see how bad your light pollution is. It might not be as bad as you think and by the sounds of it your location is better than most.

[fondofchips]

Thanks DrRobin for your prompt reply & good advice. There is a large security light next door, does not come on as long as I stay near near the back of the house, my neighbours are all friendly anyway.

I always think about selling an item before I buy it. The EQ-5 mount will be popular with owners of similar & smaller scopes & easy to sell when I want to upgrade. I'm keeping the accessories down to what I think I really need until I get used to the equipment.

Thanks again.

[DrRobin]

All very sensible. Best of luck with your new scope when it arrives. Everyone tends to get aperture fever, but you are starting with a pretty big size and by limiting the accessories keeping it sensible. It is very easy to get carried away, I only started 2 years ago and have already gone through

Skywatcher MAK127 -> Skywatcher 250mm Dob -> Skywatcher 200mm Quattro (EQ) (Still have)

I also added a Celestron C11 and use both the 200mm and C11 on the same mount.

In parallel with this I bought an ST-80 (still got) and for solar a PST -> Lunt 60 (Still have).

I am trying to avoid buying anymore at the mo, Mrs DrRobin is looking too closely at the growing collection.

[fondofchips]

I have looked at some of the American skywatching forums and they all say steer clear of department store telescopes. My first encounter was with a cheap telescope from Lidl, which put me off telescopes for a while. When I tried my Nikon spotting scope outside & manged to see Jupiters moons with it everthing changed. The bug has come back now & I want to see more of whats out there. I'm taking my time & taking in all the excellent information & advice on here.

[webboid]

I have the scope you are considering. This is my first scope & I am very pleased with the results I have got. I am also in town but fortunately all the street lights are blocked by the houses roofs. I was troubled by security lights but have made a light shield that completely surrounds me. This also blocks most of the neighbours bedroom lights.

I soon upgraded to a red dot finder to supplement the finderscope(not enough naked eye stars to justify a telrad) & use it to find a bright star then star hop using the finderscope. I also then got a RA motor for the eq5 mount which allowed me to concentrate more on observing & less on contortions trying to find the knobs to follow the object. Soon after I upgraded my eyepieces which made a huge difference to what I could see.

Since May last year I have observed well over 60 NGC/Messier objects from my back garden & even a couple of comets.

As for light pollution. I do notice the sky is some what grey at lower magnifications but as you increase magnification the sky darkens. Some galaxies have proved challenging but with experience I am now seeing stuff better as I have a better idea what I am looking at. I have also observed from a couple of dark sights. Ideally they are preferred but I get a thrill being able to find things in less than ideal conditions.

[adrianelliott]

Comments on the Skywatcher 150 models welcome.

I have a 150PDS on an EQ5 mount. I load the two into my Ford Focus regulary. Normally I seat-belt the tube onto two of the back seats, and lay the mount out from boot going onto the lowered third back seat a bit.

Now, one advantage of the 150P and EQ5 is that you can move them short distances as a pair, providing you are very careful and not navigating stairs or slippery ground. You probably couldn't do this with a 200P and EQ5 easily. But except for this niche case, the 200P really won't be much less portable than the 150. You would need to transport them by car as two parts, and if you intend to move them more than a few metres (e.g. from conservatory to garden) you would split them also. And if your splitting you may as well have the 200P (providing you have the storage space for when its not in use).

Anyway to cut a long story short... As someone whose had a 150 for a while now, I (slightly) regret not going for a 200PDS in the first place. So I think you should stick with your plan and go 8 inch!

[DrRobin]

I think I would agree stay clear of the department stores and we sell cameras, TVs, videos tc and go to a specialist retailer. They are going to be abe to give much better advice. Having said that I bought a 3" reflector from Tesco a few years ago, the eyepieces supplied were useless apart from the lowest powered one and after trying to set it up I couldn't work out why the star I was looking at looked squashed. With a more careful look it turned out to be Saturn and once I got used to the dark it was a fantastic sight.

it was almost impossible to keep it in the view for more than a few seconds and the Alt AZ tripod was rather poor, but it does show you that you can get some views.

[SnakeyJ]

Excellent choice fondofchips - I tried a friends and then brought two of them. The first on a standard EQ5 and the second on the HEQ5 Pro.

Another accessory to consider, and relatively cheap, are the slomos - I find these a lot simpler to find and use when tracking manually. £ 18 at FLO http://www.firstlightoptics.com/misc/flexible-control-cables-for-skywatcher-celestron-mounts.html

Good luck with the new scope.

[fondofchips]

Sorry for the slow reply to you all, I work a permanent early shift and have just got round to reading them.

Thanks for all the information, it is most helpful, I should be able to all my viewing from one spot & not have to move the scope once set up. Using the equipment should be relatively hassle free when the details are sorted.

From experience I know it is best not to rush setting up, it is so easy to damage or upset the settings/calibration.

Have knocked my tripod & lost what I was looking at plenty of times before, nicely lined up on bird or other wildlife and bumped the tripod, Doh! It may as well had flown away or run off onto the distance!

Thanks to Jake for the adjuster info.

Cheers,

Harry.