Which mount - SW SupaTrak AUTO or SynScan GOTO?

[sheridangj]

Hi folks,

I'm considering getting a SW SkyMax 127 as a portable scope for planetary and double-star observing (and I'm rather keen on those little hard-to-find planetary nebulae which I reckon it would be good for too!) but am not sure whether to opt for the simpler auto-tracking mount or the full GOTO. I appreciate the appeal of punching an object in and letting the scope find it for you but for me a large part of the fun in stargazing is just the satisfaction of finding something yourself. Having said that, with the relatively small FOV of the scope and the nature of most of my intended targets there's bound to come a time when I will get fed up of searching and just want to punch it in so I can get on with observing it. Can the GOTO feature be switched off and the mount just used in the same way as the auto-tracking version or do you have to use GOTO all the time? If it could be switched off and used that way I would probably spend the extra on the GOTO but if it must be used all the time I would opt for the SupaTrak. I've read all the specs about the mounts but this doesn't seem obvious from the descriptions.

Cheers

Gav

[Mattscar]

I have the tracking version of this mount without the GOTO function. At first I thought that I should have gone for the GOTO one, but I'm glad I didn't now as Im actually learning the sky, rather than just punching something in and looking. Theres a thrill to having found something yourself. There are times when I wish I could just find something straight away admitedly, but again once Iv found it I feel better about it because I've found it myself.

Take a look at this thread aswell about someone else's experience with the GOTO version http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/136314-skywatcher-synscan-goto-what-the-manual-doesnt-tell-you/

[jambouk]

Horses for courses. If you have the goto you don't have to use it, but if it's not there you can't ever use it.

If you are largely interested in DSOs is this the best scope for you?

Exciting times buying a scope. Good luck.

James

[sheridangj]

Cheers guys. I agree wholeheartedly with you Mattscar - you can't beat the feeling of tracking down some elusive object all by yourself which is what puts me off GOTO as the primary means of finding objects. If though, as you imply James, you can use a GOTO mount in the same way as the AUTO and just use GOTO when you've really had enough then I'll go for that. This scope will mainly be for planetary and double star observing - I have a Skyliner 200P dob with Meade HD-60 EPs which I use for DSOs but I just want something more portable for taking on camping trips etc. I'd probably complement it with a 40mm EP too. Thanks again.

Gav

[Steve Ward]

What I found best about Go-To was that it eliminated the time wasted looking for things that were not visible in my scope , especially as a newb with a dob.

Spending an age looking for something beyond the 'range' of the scope is very frustrating , you never know if you're on target or not . . .

With Go-To well set-up you know instantly whether the target is within your grasp or not , ie if you can see it , all's well then observe , if you can't see it then punch in the next one and move on , making a note of the things you cannot get.