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The Angry Inch

dick_dangerous

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dick_dangerous

dick_dangerous

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Hi All,

So my upgrade dilemma is finally coming to the point where I intend to put my money where my mouth is. Having now had a look through a larger telescope (A Celestron Nexstar 130 SLT to be precise) I realise that what I want is aperture, but I'm limited by what I can lug down to the park.

My current set-up is an ST80 on an EQ1 mount. It is portable, fairly easily so, by simply slinging it over my shoulder. The weight of the entire set-up is approximately 7kg. Given that I could carry a few extra kilos (Especially if components go in bags rather than on my shoulder), I've narrowed it down to two choices:

  • Heritage 130P - At 6.5kg, most certainly portable, and having seen through a scope with a 5'' mirror I know that it'll give me good views.
  • Orion Starblast 6 - At 10.5kg this would be a fair bit heavier. I could put the OTA in a backpack though and carry the base by hand. I realise this is a 'scope that has few if any users on this forum though.

The Heritage has a 5'' mirror while the Starblast has a 6'', but the Starblast costs £100 more. So my question is, is the extra inch worth a hundred quid?

Please note Dobsonian fans - these tabletop models are sadly the only ones that are feasible for my situation.

Ta if you can help,

DD

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John

John

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I guess each individual will come to a different judgement on what the additional light grasp is worth to them in terms of £'s. Having seen how a 6" scope does under really dark skies I'd certainly go for the additional aperture as long as it remains a practical carrying proposition. The 6" scope captures around 33% more light than a 5" and thats got to be worth something and will translate into better views of deep sky objects. Whether that's £100 better is up to you I guess. 

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RikM

RikM

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It's a bit difficult to compare across different brands as well. Just sticking with Skywatcher Dobsonians, going from 5" to 6" to 8" you jump up about £75 for each step, once you get to 10" those 2 inches will cost you £150 and from 10" to 12" those 2 inches (and flex-tubes) will cost you £400+.

5" to 6" Skywatcher = £75 and significant loss of portability

5" Skywatcher to 6" Orion = £100 but you get to keep the portability

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NGC 1502

NGC 1502

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Maybe you could also look at how you get your gear to the park.I used to lug 100kg of fishing gear round lakes with a barrow so you don't necessarily need to keep low weight just be inventive with transporting it :)

Good point.  

If you get the deservedly popular H 130, will you be using the supplied 'tabletop' mount at the park ?   You will need to use a park bench etc, or carry a taller mount, or kneel down.

Not trying to put a damper on things, but the mount options are something to consider.

Regards, Ed.

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Naemeth

Naemeth

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Good point.  

If you get the deservedly popular H 130, will you be using the supplied 'tabletop' mount at the park ?   You will need to use a park bench etc, or carry a taller mount, or kneel down.

Not trying to put a damper on things, but the mount options are something to consider.

Regards, Ed.

This is a very good point. The last thing you will want to do is use the Heritage on the ground with the standard tabletop mount, believe me. An AZ-4 is a good match, but not only is that quite expensive, it's also not light at ~8kg.

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dick_dangerous

dick_dangerous

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Good point.  

If you get the deservedly popular H 130, will you be using the supplied 'tabletop' mount at the park ?   You will need to use a park bench etc, or carry a taller mount, or kneel down.

Not trying to put a damper on things, but the mount options are something to consider.

Regards, Ed.

Yeah, this is the fly in the ointment as far as both scopes are concerned - there are plenty of benches in the park that could be used. Might treat myself to a fold-up stool too... I have considered the trolley option but then have the problem of having to store the trolley somewhere! D'oh!

DD

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nightfisher

nightfisher

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Idont know of your budget can take it but, a 150mm f5 newt and an AZ4 mount would be pretty portable, carry tripod with mount head attached and put newt in a small holdall with shoulder strap

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dick_dangerous

dick_dangerous

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So I've been doing a little bit of research into trolleys and it's proven slightly frustrating. Yesterday I visited Homebase and saw a foldable trolley which was rated to 80kg but absolutely tiny. Several camping shops advertise camping trolleys or "Festival Trolleys" which do all-terrain (Good for me). However when I turned up in Richmond this evening to see if they had one in Blacks, it would appear the branch closed about an hour before I arrived. Bummer would be an understatement (But then this is why the High Street is dying). Mountain Warehouse was typically useless and Robert Dyas didn't have anything.

On Monday I have a day off so might wander into Kingston where, hopefully, they still have camping shops. I've found several suitable looking things on the 'net but need to see them in the flesh to work out if they would be viable for carting a 6'' or 8'' Dob to the park and back, a trip of about 600 metres each way.

Does anyone know of a suitable trolley for the job? Has anyone else used this method to move their telescope a middling distance?! Am I completely mad? My wife has accused you all of "Giving me ideas..." :grin:

DD

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