Travel Scopes and Mounts

[brucen]

I am thinking of getting a scope to keep in the car as I sometimes wish I had one with me and don't want to keep the 130p in there as it may not get on too well with the golf clubs!. I don't suppose it will get a lot of use so I am only looking at something very basic. I think it will be one of the entry level Skywatchers and am wavering between their short tube Startravel 80 on an EQ-1 or the Evostar 90 on an EQ-2 at the moment. I seem to think that the Evostar on the EQ-2 will be a better package but the Skywatcher site seems to suggest the mount is made of lead. They show the EQ-1 as weighing in at 1.56kg but the EQ-2 as a massive 12.5kg. Can someone give me an idea of what the actual weight is as I can't believe it really is that heavy? Also, will their be a huge difference between the 2 scopes / mounts for casual viewing only as the Startravel 80 would fit nicely in a Maplins case so would be easier to protect?

[ollypenrice]

The 90 has a long FL and narrow FOV so if you spot a nice bird of prey or similar then you'd wish you had the 80. The 90 would be better on planets, though. For living in a car on the offchance of wanting a scope I'd go for the 80 myself. I can't help on the mounts but a short FL refractor doesn't need much mounting.

Olly

[Cornelius Varley]

According to the Orion website the Eq1 weighs 11.9lbs and the Eq2 weighs 18lbs.

[brucen]

The 90 has a long FL and narrow FOV so if you spot a nice bird of prey or similar then you'd wish you had the 80. The 90 would be better on planets, though. For living in a car on the offchance of wanting a scope I'd go for the 80 myself. I can't help on the mounts but a short FL refractor doesn't need much mounting.

Olly

Thanks for that. It will be mainly night time stuff but the compact nature of the 80 certainly is appealing.

[brucen]

According to the Orion website the Eq1 weighs 11.9lbs and the Eq2 weighs 18lbs.

That sounds more like it!

[rowan46]

I would get this one if you want cheap and easy no alignment necessary as it's alt az and its lighter

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/startravel/skywatcher-mercury-705.html its essentially an az3 with free startravel 70

[ronb]

Interesting. Is this a mistake or a special offer? According to FLO's website az3 + tripod + Mercury 705 scope for £99 while the az3 mount + tripod, no scope, is £110. An excellent offer methinks.

Sounds rather like the boiler programmer I bought this week, programmer + room stat for £127, programmer on its own £135.

[brucen]

I would get this one if you want cheap and easy no alignment necessary as it's alt az and its lighter

http://www.firstligh...ercury-705.html its essentially an az3 with free startravel 70

Thanks for this. I did look at this one as well but on similar lines the Startravel 80 is only £26 against £90 as an EQ-1 is normally about £100. With the EQ-1 I will probably get the motor for £30 at some stage to give it tracking. I know I don't need it but I do like gadgets!

With all the retailers saying there is a very low margin on equipment I have been surprised by the cost of these bottom end packages compared with the cost of buying separately. As you point out the 70 is basically free with an AZ-3 mount but there must still be a profit on the package. Strange!!

[Angus Wright]

A few years ago I went to a lecture on telescope making in Sunderland. The man who gave the lecture started as an amateur astronomer, started making scopes and eventually that took over from the astronomy.

The first scope he made for himself looked rather like Isaac Newtons first reflector without the mount. Just a tube and eyepiece, 4" I think. He stuck the mirror end under his arm and the eyepiece to his eye and scanned the sky at low power.

Over the years his telescope making improved and he eventually made something like a 12" Newtonian on eq mount in a dome in his garden. It had diffraction limited optics and was too good for the seeing in the UK.

When he went back and tested the mirror on his first little 4" after using it for 20 years or so he couldn't believe how he ever made such a bad mirror so he refigured it.

The point of this story is that the first crude scope that he made had provided him with more pleasure and memorable sights than any other, including his cracking big Newt, simply because he always had it with him and used it all the time. Every where he went he stuck it in the car and if he was driving at night in the country and the stars were out he'd pull over somewhere and use it.

His opinion was the the best telescope you can have is the one that is easiest to use and most accessible and therefore gets used the most.

This is something I think about when I'm setting up my EQ6 mount on its tripod...

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