Skywatcher Explorer 130p or Startravel 102

[Lpeek]

I was almost there, deciding on my first 'scope to buy, 99% decided on the Skywatcher Explorer 130p (EQ2 mount). But then started reading about Reflectors being bulkier, more difficult to transport, and the challenge of collimation. So now I'm back to wondering if a refractor would be a better beginner scope?

The Explorer 130p and the Startravel 102 (Same price on an EQ1 or Altaz mount) are both around my price range (£150 - £200) with the startravel being the slightly more expensive of the two. I have read that an EQ mount is much better, it just takes a while to learn how to use properly, which I'm not fussed about if it is that much better.

So my real question, is whether collimation is an easy task? or is it worth starting on a refractor so I don't have to worry about that straight away? Or is the 130p significantly better than the 102 and I should just worry about collimation when it comes to it?

I will also be transporting the scope quite often, does anyone have any recommendations on how to transport it? In a bag or in a case? etc

Thanks!

[cussine]

Hi lpeek, if you can briefly say what your aspirations for your new scope is you should get some good advice. I personally chose to go for the Heritage 130p, had no need for a Eq and am more than happy, collimation is nothing to be frightened about, a visit to a local club/society would be a great help to you.

JimW

[Lpeek]

Thanks Cussine, My main hopes are to view some detail on planets and the moon (the rings of saturn and jupiter), and some of the brighter galaxies/nebulae if that is possible with a scope that small.

I'm not entirely sure what the EQ mount does different to the Altaz? you say you had no need for the EQ, does that mean there is a specific purpose to the EQ mount other than just being more stable?

[JG777]

The 130 is the better all rounder as it has the extra aperture so by default will pull in more, and none of the associated CA issues with the ST102. So the frac will not be as good on planets and very bright objects but will be practically maintenance free, will cool down very quick and will be easier to transport, having said that the 130 is not so huge to be a problem carting about.

Collimation... can you change a car wheel or tune a guitar?, that's about the technical level of it all, can seem hard at the start but once you have done it a few times then it is not such a huge task. It is something you can perfect at home so when you get to your site its usually only a tweak on the primary mirror required.

In any case you budget goes to £200, so how about add a fiver, visit FLO and get this http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html  which will be far better than both the other scopes, easy to transport and use, and will pull in a lot more detail on all of the objects you mention.

[Lpeek]

Thanks JG, the Dob's have been intriguing me. Everyone seems to recommend them, but they look like table-top scopes to me? or are they just relatively big and still stand on the floor? The reason I hadn't looked at a dob is exactly that, they looked like they have to sit on top of something else. Something with a tripod would be much more useful to me.

[JG777]

They are placed down on the ground, and are very stable. Because they are on the ground and you are standing it is very easy to access the eyepiece due to the alt-az nature of the mount. If you put a 130 on an EQ mount the eyepiece like any newt on an EQ can get into awkward positions. That does not make it impossible to observe it just means you have to move around a bit more and you may need something to stand on.

An EQ mount has the advantage you can put other scopes on it at a later date, I guess you may have other reasons or ideas as to why a tripod EQ set up is more useful to you.

[cussine]

The eq mount if correctly set up will follow the rotation of the sky. Very useful for astro photo and high x viewing, the 130p is quite capable of giving the views you want.

JimW

[Tiny Small]

Dobson are not table top scopes at all. The whole idea behind the Dobsonian mount was that you could mount a large newt cheaply. I have a dob and a newt on an eq mount and for viewing, I always choose the dob. Eq mounts are ok on refractors where you just need to spin the eyepiece. A dob mounted newt is as simple as get it out of the car, put it on the floor and crack on. An eq mount needs to be polar aligned even for simple viewing otherwise it's just an expensive, overly complicated alt/az mount. If you want to look at stuff, get the 150mm dob, or better yet, get on astrobuysell.com/uk and get that or bigger for less than your budget. If you don't drive or have access to a car/driver, then the refractor will be more suitable.

[Sammyb]

I have the ST102 as a "grab n' go" scope with minimal set up times and ease of transport.The ST102 is really a low mag widefield set up not great for the planets. It is OK on the moon (you do get some colour fringing but doesn't affect the view too much) but I don't think is very good for bright planets like jupiter due to the low magnification and colour fringing.

The 130P or the 150P dob would give better views of the planets, has more aperture but would require a little more maintenance (but collimating is not difficult - your local astro soc would be a good place for advice on this)

The reson for an EQ mount is that the objects move while observing and with an EQ mount the principle is you only need to alter one axis to keepo track whereas with an alt Az you need to move two in two axis. My ST102 is on an Alt/Az 

[Lpeek]

Thank you to everyone for the advice!

The Dob's are definitely much bigger than they look in the white-background retail photos, which is why I thought they were table-top. I can see the appeal now! Although to me they look much less manageable transport-wise than a reflector on a tripod. The problem seems to be the size, I can see the benefit of the all-in-one mount, but the size seems much larger than a folded/compact tripod, the reflector seems much easier to transport?

I just need to decide on the EQ2 vs the Supatrak Alt-Az now

[AlexB67]

The Heritage dob is very easy to transport, only 6kg and fits easily anywhere in a small car.  If you want to get a feel for the sizes next to a person take a look at the following, a 5 inch like the heritage

 

 

 the OTA will even come off the mount on the dovetail. Next the midsize ranges

 

 

or something that will collapse your coffee table if you dare to put it on there

when they get to 12 inch or larger

 

good luck with picking

[Tiny Small]

Eq mounts aren't that small and light. Even the cheap ones. If you have a car, a dob is fine. I have the 10 inch skywatcher and it goes in a hatchback no problem. FYI, I got the 10 inch on astrobuysell for about £250.

[Lpeek]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I'm swaying more towards the 130p with the altaz supatrak mount. I did consider the 130p heritage as the benefit of collapsing makes transport easier and the dob mount does seem good, but it still seems like I would need to put it on something else to use comfortably, using it on the ground seems like I would have to crouch down or kneel on the floor.

I think for now the 130p suits me, and I might consider upgrading to a much larger Dob in a couple of years.