best first telescope powerful and portable ish?

[rob1]

Ill be getting my first telescope in the next couple of months and want the biggest one i can get but still portable ish as its a 10 min walk to my local park where i do my observing (i live in an apartment so i dont have a back garden ) im an able bodied person and dont mind lugging abit of weight as long as it can be carried. im really drawn to the skywatcher explorer 200p with the EQ-5 mount on the flo website but im not sure if it will be too big? or should i go for the 150p on the smaller mount. the £415 price tag is my max budget so i cant really go over that, really appreciate any advice

rob

[McMoon]

Ill be getting my first telescope in the next couple of months and want the biggest one i can get but still portable ish as its a 10 min walk to my local park where i do my observing (i live in an apartment so i dont have a back garden ) im an able bodied person and dont mind lugging abit of weight as long as it can be carried. im really drawn to the skywatcher explorer 200p with the EQ-5 mount on the flo website but im not sure if it will be too big? or should i go for the 150p on the smaller mount. the £415 price tag is my max budget so i cant really go over that, really appreciate any advice

rob

I went for my first scope as tghe 200P...it was a beast for transporting. Heavy, big and needing collimating all the time I moved it. What I did find out with that scope was that my firsty objects of choice were lunar and planetary and so I sold my 200P and opted for the skymax127. Not looked back so far. It does what it does and great bang for the buck. I am sure there are other great scopes but this is based on my own experience and it also boils down to what do you want to view.

Do you have any stargazing events over the coming weeks or a group you can hook up with? It may help you appreciate the physical size of some of these scopes and see what they do for you.

Best of luck!

[Andymac79]

I see no reason why, for visual use, anyones first telescope shouldnt be a Dobsonian, you get more inches per pound, they are simple and they are set up in no time. Just perfect I think.

They dont get called light buckets for nothing. The 200 dob is a huge saving over the EQ5 and if you grow out of it and want an EQ mount then the HEQ5 will probably be more suitable to your next scope making the EQ5 redundant.

Also if you take care of it the re sale value will stay surprisingly high. Its a Dobsonian for me.

[John]

For big and portable I reckon the dobsonians are the way to go. The 6" or 8" ones are reasonably portable and very simple to set up.

I think you would find a 6" or 8" equatorially mounted scope a real struggle living in an apartment.

[rowan46]

the 200 on an eq5 will need a trolley of some kind if you are doing a 10 min walk. as will a 200p dob or even a 150 dob unless you want to put it down every 200 yards they all get heavy on a long walk as you have to walk so unnatuarally whilst carring them. the 150p weighs 16 kg the 200p dob weighs 26 kg best bet is a refractor and alt az mount probably as heavy if you get a big one but at least the sizes are manageable if you strap them on your back

[McMoon]

The dobs do punch above their weight and you will get a lot of thumbs up for them.

[nephilim]

This is my Skywatcher 200p on the EQ5 mount, the smaller black one is my Skywatcher 130m on an EQ2 mount, next to the 200p for comparison

As rowan46 mentions, unless you have a car, you WILL need a trolley, its not only heavy, its also very akward. Although it is a fantastic bit of kit.

Good luck with your choice

Steve

[adrianelliott]

I have a 150PDS and an EQ5. I would not consider carrying these two together down stairs or taking them on a 10 minute walk. With a car then suddenly they become a really easy combo to transport and setup though

Its worth considering things like the Skymax 127 or the Nexstar 4 / 5se. They might not be ideal for your purposes but they offer good portability. I have picked up some very light dobs also, but I think you need to look at them on a case by case basis because the bases can be awkward to transport along with the scope.

[McMoon]

I have a 150PDS and an EQ5. I would not consider carrying these two together down stairs or taking them on a 10 minute walk. With a car then suddenly they become a really easy combo to transport and setup though

Its worth considering things like the Skymax 127 or the Nexstar 4 / 5se. They might not be ideal for your purposes but they offer good portability. I have picked up some very light dobs also, but I think you need to look at them on a case by case basis because the bases can be awkward to transport along with the scope.

So true, if you get hung up on what you want to see, the practicality can be forgotten and for some of us, that can be as, if not more, important and a compromise needs to be appreciated.

[rowan46]

the best trolley to get for a dob is a sack truck with bungee clips it will need pneumatic tyres not solid and if you can find one with bearings in the axle it will be a lot quieter at night.

[Josh Wilson]

Do you have any stargazing events over the coming weeks or a group you can hook up with? It may help you appreciate the physical size of some of these scopes and see what they do for you.

Stargazing events aren't the best place to go to find scopes that are portable. Maybe a few astronomers that want to go, but not bring their biggest kit, might bring a little scope just for portability and laziness. The scopes that I've seen at stargazing events are all at least 6"-22" scopes that cost around the same as their weight in ounces (or grams).

[McMoon]

Stargazing events aren't the best place to go to find scopes that are portable. Maybe a few astronomers that want to go, but not bring their biggest kit, might bring a little scope just for portability and laziness. The scopes that I've seen at stargazing events are all at least 6"-22" scopes that cost around the same as their weight in ounces (or grams).

Yes, you are correct in your point but you may see something you had on your radar but the physical bulk of what you see might make you think again and question you priorities.

A plus will be the chance of connecting with someone and getting some 2-way going and really start to understand what you want, what you like and what will suit.

[cantab]

Skywatcher Heritage 130P should be easy to carry, it's even got a handle cut into the mount. However the eyepiece height means I think you'll have to either put it on a table or sit on the ground yourself.

If you go for something tripod-mounted I'd plump for a Mak-Cass or SCT on an alt-az mount or wedged fork mount rather than a German equatorial, since that way you don't have counterweights to lug too.

I don't know of any off-the-shelf scope that will offer more than a 5 inch aperture and be both portable enough and in budget. One could probably be built, but I'm not sure a self-built ultra-portable is a good first telescope for anyone!

[nephilim]

I agree with Cantab as regards to the counterwieghts, on the EQ5 there are 2, with a combined wieght of 10.6kg , the whole setup is 24kg which is the wieght of a sack of potatoes (well 1kg lighter ) You really need to see the size of these things first hand as the photos in the magazines are slightly misleading, so in that respect a star party trip would be a good idea, even the smaller 130/eq2 is far from light and again very awkward for a 10min walk.

Steve

[sparkyjon]

Couldnt agree more with what's been said as i have myself been in your situation.

I bought the 200p and eq5 and due to a broken ankle and impatients and the simple fact we have no space to store somethin so vast. I had to sell it.

I now have picked up a bargain 8" cat which is so much more compact with a nice tripod and eq wedge it all collapses and goes under the bed easily and i shouldn't really loose to much viewing power.

I've also now purchased a smaller 114 reflector with goto for my wife the kids and myself when a quick gap in the clouds comes along. .

I was lucky with the 8" cat to get a really cheap scope but cats of that size ar usually expensive.. The celestron 127 with goto is in your range. Very portable lovely bit of lens n mirror and you have the goto to help. Although some purists frown on this.

If your happy to lose a little aperture Tge heritage 130p

[sparkyjon]

Sorry blumin phone. the heritage 130p is a great contact dob.

[nicks90]

another thing to consider is it must be portable all in one go. you cant leave half the kit on the park whilst you leg it back to the apartment to get the rest!

a goto eats batteries so really needs a power pack = more weight.

one portable set up i have seen is a 120mm celestron refracter and alt/az mount. the chap had made some strapping / pads to join the ota alongside the tripod legs - with a thick padded shoulder strap with hooks on the ends. one hook on the head of the alt/az mount and the other onto one of the legs. the scope and tripod then slung horizontally under his armpit and he was able to walk to viewing sites quite easily.

[CSM]

Once you start observing you may well find that what you want to do changes. I started out with no intention of doing any imaging other than a bit of afocal and webcamming. But I have now been drawn into imaging rather than just visual observing because I have found that I actually learn and see very much more than by just looking. Being 10 mins away from where you are observing, even if you are able-bodied, you won't want to carry too much and if the weather turns when you are out you will need to be able to protect your kit - and take it back. So maybe a scope which is small enough to fit into a portable bag so that you can just lug it along. The smaller cats, even the GOTO ones could be useful - and yes, the counterweights are heavy and you wouldn't want to carry them far.

[Astro_Baby]

And dont forget along with the scope you will need accessories that o will also have to carry. I would suggest even a 150 pn am EQ mount woud be too much weight. Its no just the ecope its the fact that you have to take a mount and tripod and counterweights as well. The equipment is bulky and fragile so you have something thats not easy to carry.

I am not sure evena dob would be poratble in this context due to its baseboard and would suspect somethng like a small fork mounted SCT might be best or something like a small frac.

The only scope K have owned thagxlild mee the requirement to go all in one box togethef with it accessories and a mount and tripod is a vintage Unitron 60mm referactor which isn going to cut it for anythi g lther than double stars and planets.

Another thing, whats the light pollution like in the park ? It might seeem dark but not actually be dark.

[russ.will]

As it's only for visual, then why not look at an AZ mount like the SW AZ4? It can definitely handle a 130p and will be okay with a 150p. The lack of counterweights will make it a lot lighter, leaving you only needing to carry EPs. On the AZ4, with care, it's almost an over the shoulder proposition.

Russell

[Steep]

Why not a TAL 100RS http://www.firstligh...e-assembly.html on something like a Vixen Mini Porta http://www.firstligh...mini-porta.html I think that would be a good all round scope and much more portable than any Newtonian style.

[happy-kat]

I have not yet taken the plunge but I keep reading the best scope is the one you can take with you and use.

Top of my list keeps being the heritage 130p.

Less storage demand and may actually be portable enough to encourage use.

Good video below showing size.

Could either use a park bench or get a lightweight folding chair you get at motorway service stations to sit on.

If you are thinking about imaging that is a whole new set of stuff to carry but maybe a netbook and a webcam might be carried in a rucksack...

[rob1]

Ok guys thanks for all the amazing advice, i've now ruled out the 200p and 150p as their just not going to be practical for my situation as some of you suggested i'm now really looking at the makutov type scopes as their a lot smaller and more portable only problem is their price they seem to be on the expensive side. my budget is £400 so i'm looking at the Celestron 4se or the skywatcher Skymax 127, i'm more leaning to the skywatcher due to the bigger aperture for the same price, they also seem to be good scopes for starting in some astro photography in the future maybe? what do you guys think? are they portable enough for my 10 min walk, the park near me does get pretty dark i've been going to the middle of it with my 15x70 binos and tripod the past couple of weeks and been having a ball (when the sky is clear obviously lol) so it'd be ideal for a good scope, sorry for all the questions i just want to make sure i don't make a bad choice

thanks

Rob

[rob1]

oh and also these scopes coe with a go-to system, can these mounts be operated manually if i dont always want to use the go-to and motors? like if i dont always have batteries or a power pack.

[sparkyjon]

skymax 127 is a nice scope , although i haven't used one , I do have an 8" cat and love it to bits, i think cats are the best of both worlds they have the aperture (although they start getting pricey above 5") of a reflector and they are short and compact ....

the only issue i have heard about the skymax is the mount is a little shoddy , wobbly tripod and plastic mount. although that comes from someone asking about AP for observing it should be fine,i don't mind a bit of wobble when observing lol...