The problem ! - The solution ?

[Essex Stargazer]

The problem ! - The solution ? may sound strange however

I sold all my scopes and eyepieces 2 years ago due to lack of use , And could not justify having 5K + worth of equipment sitting around being unused

I miss being able to have viewing sessions and going to star party's

I have just booked a 12 day stay at Kelling for the 2014 event and now need a scope

Hopefully I will book a pitch for SGL 9 as well

My problem is what scope to buy ?

I have owned a Mead LX 50 and a 8" Mead LX90 along with about 6 teleview eye pieces

What I now need to try and find is a universal / best all round scope

Does such a scope exists ?

I am not into imaging ( at the moment ) just enjoy viewing the moon , planets and Galaxy's

I know I should have more than one scope but funds are limited so I am looking for a good all rounder

Cheers

[wookie1965]

How big or small do you want a scope i have the Skywatcher 150p and i have had great views of the Planets and DSO`s but its only a 6 inch so you may be disappointed by the views, im going to my first star party and my first dark sky site with it this October if the weather is good i doubt i will be disappointed but then i have never had a bigger scope.

[pete_l]

Sounds like an 8 inch Newt would fit the bill. The only question would be whether you want it to be GOTO or are happy with a Dobsonian.

[Pig]

I have only one scope and it fits the bill completely

Multi functional - It has a decent size aperture thus can be used on DSO and planets

Portable - The mount fits in the front seat of the car ( much to the annoyance of the wife when she has to get in the back )

Adaptable - Can be used as a point and go if there is no power or as its intended use as a GOTO

Fit for purpose - Very strong tripod and the mount is very sturdy ( no vibration whatsoever)

Sex Appeal - It sure looks good

[nightfisher]

8 inch dob, could add an EQ mount in the future, jobs a good un

[Luke]

If you are okay with the size, I would say get a solid tube dob (as large as you can very easily manage, be it 8, 10, 12, 14...) and store it in a shed outside. It can then be up and running in seconds and if it's not heavy to move, it is low hassle to set up. The views will be very rewarding due to the large aperture. Not even any electricity to hook up.

A solid tube dob should hold collimation very well and my one is more dew-resistant than my flextube dob, and storing it outside saves you the wait for it to cool down to the outside temp. A second-hand Orion Optics UK dob might be a good catch as they are relatively light.

That would be my suggestion anyway, but the best scope depends so much on your needs and preferences. Good luck with getting back into the hobby

[Pig]

Oh yes I forgot one more thing.

Set up time = 5 minutes including alignment

[scarp15]

Oh yes I forgot one more thing.

Set up time = 5 minutes including alignment

Yes I agree, a CPC925 will make for a very versatile set up.

[ronin]

If it were to be one and one only scope I would have said one of the Sumarian Optics 10" scopes. Minor problem in that Michael seems to be not doing them in quantity and they are more costly then the average Skywatcher dobsonian.

If it were a one off scope for what would be expected to be limited use how about a Tal ?. You only mention Kelling Heath?

Will do planets happily and get you by for a fair few DSO's - many are small and dim no matter what you use. Stick the Tal on an EQ5 with motors.

If you want goto, after the Meade's I am less sure, Meade is likely to disappear - Sunny Optics are apparently purchasing them in a few days and from what I see Sunny have no astronomical heritage. Not sure what you can put on an iOptron Cube mount.

One thing I noticed at a club meet was that the vast majority of people had 5" and 6" goto Mak's or SCT's, which I suppose points to them becoming the universal/all round scope. Considering they are reasonable size, have goto, easy to transport I guess means in the term "universal/all round" they do meet the requirements. :eek:

[estwing]

the biggest dob you can afford/move.....