Skyliner 200p goto or Nexstar 6se?

[lonebod]

Right, i've been looking arround for ages trying to decide on the right scope for me. I though I had decided on the 200p until I say how portable the 6se is. I would be looking to take my scope to a few sights away from home on a fairly regular basis.

Anyone got any thoughts?

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[GuillermoBarrancos]

Depends if you go by car or by foot.

If by car, then the Skyliner 200p is still portable enough with larger aperture.

If by foot, then forget the Skyliner and get the 6se.

[CodnorPaul]

I would choose the 200p due to the aperture - you will get to the limitations of a 6" quicker than an 8" OTA.  Now if it were the 8SE or the 200P then I would say get the 8" SCT on the AVX mount (forget the SE mount) - I love my SCT, the optics are sharp and I feel it gives better views than comparable dobs which I can find a little soft just from my experience (bet I have woken the dob squad now and will be in for it).

My next scope - if I upgrade from my 8" SCT it will be to an 11" SCT

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Lonebod, there really isn't going to be a great deal of difference in a 2" increase in aperture but there are more factors to consider, the mount as mentioned above, its at the limit, a couple of owners have said the same, how much light pollution are you going to do the majority of your observing from, the 6" will perform very well under dark skies and if you can put up with a narrow field of view - the majority of the objects your looking for will fit into the FOV with a few exceptions, but if you want widefield then a frac would be better - but these tend to have much smaller apertures.

I've also settled with the SCT after owning a couple of dobs and the increase in aperture from 6" to 8" is going to be marginal at best - maybe a slightly brighter image and you could probably push the magnification up a little, but thats all - just a little.   I observe from mainly light polluted skies in my back garden - you just learn to put up with it - so if your light polluted - you need to push your "low power" magnification up a little to darken the background sky more to increase contrast, but the SCT's are very portable - even the 1100 can be carried quite a distance if held right against my chest and with the well placed carry handles makes it very easy to mount onto the tripod.

If it were me, i would go for what Codnorpaul mentioned - a well mounted SCT - but that's me.  You'll get alot more advice here, so just soak up the advice.   Paul.

[lonebod]

Was thinking about the mount as a future upgrade. The SE mount should last me for observation until I can afford a decent heq5 or 6..... Any idea why the 8se is such a big jump from the 6 in price?

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[CodnorPaul]

Bigger, better, and more = good

No on a serious note bigger glass and a bigger mirror - but in reality it is not that much more.  I want a C11 which is about £700 more than a C8 - bigger mirror, bigger glass.

I would highly recommend the 8" rather than the 6" - it lets in a lot more light and will make a difference under dark skies, plus it will slow the aperture fever.  And as for a mount upgrade I believe an 8" on an AVX is only a hundred pounds more which will work out a lot cheaper in the long run.  I was lucky that I managed to sell my SE mount - they are not very sought after, so you may end up with an SE mount doing nothing and paying more for another mount.  Plus the SE mount is not very stable which make viewing a PITA

[lonebod]

thanks for the comments guys. Was a bit concerned about the mount. If I hold off a few months more I could afford the 8 on the avx mount. Think that'll be the plan.

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[LouisJB]

I'm not familiar with the 6 but going from a 130mm (5.1") which is closer to 6" to an 8" was a massive difference visually, almost night and day! It's really those dim DSOs and nebula that it makes a difference on. For brighter things it makes less difference. The 8" is a good all rounder. Either would be good though. Depends on priorities. I'd always take an EQ mount if possible, esp. if any AP is on the horizon or you might collect different OTAs (lets face it, likely) and want versatility to swap then over on the same mount depending what you're doing.

[Northern Soul man]

Nice plan I had an 8" Meade for about 5 years and absolutely loved it and only sold it to part fund the 1100 the increase in aperure is Nice but its only marginal again, as I said before, the jump in aperture was just à progression with a slight light increase and the ability to increase the mag, over the years I have fully understood and realise what to expect in each jump in mirror size ans being Able to understand that being new to the Hobby everyone thinks that its all about aperture fever and the more scopes you look through, you Soon realise that this is far from what Astronomy is all about. Paul.

[Northern Soul man]

Nice plan I had an 8" Meade for about 5 years and absolutely loved it and only sold it to part fund the 1100 the increase in aperure is Nice but its only marginal again, as I said before, the jump in aperture was just à progression with a slight light increase and the ability to increase the mag, over the years I have fully understood and realise what to expect in each jump in mirror size and being Able to understand that being new to the Hobby everyone thinks that its all about aperture fever and the more scopes you look through, you Soon realise that this is far from what Astronomy is all about. Paul.

[rowan46]

I just thought I would stick up for the 6se its fine on its mount its the 8se thats on the limit (they share the same mount). As to portability if you are using a car both are as portable as each other and if you are talking foot portability after a few hundred yards you will find the 6se is not that comfortable by the time you have factored in the power pack. Which gives the better views in my opinion the 200p. Its also a lot cheaper. If you are going away for the weekend the 6se takes slightly less space in the car but that is really the only thing going for it against  the dob. (although the goto is nice once you have learned to use it)

[lonebod]

Have any of you guys got any experience of columination on act scopes? Does it need done? Is it difficult to do? How regularly does it need done? Can you use the same tools as a reflector?

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[ChrisLX200]

Have any of you guys got any experience of columination on act scopes? Does it need done? Is it difficult to do? How regularly does it need done? Can you use the same tools as a reflector?

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Yes it needs doing, good colimation is critical to best performance of these scopes. If you transport you scope then it will need doing more often, but it should be checked using a bright star before each use anyway (takes a few seconds to check). I made replacement colimation screws for mine so they could be adjusted by hand rather than use a tiny screwdriver or hex wrench. Practice is all that's needed to know how to quickly re-colimate if found needed.

ChrisH

[lonebod]

Thanks Chris.

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[rowan46]

The 6se holds collimation very well. It needs doing occasionally but doesn't need it that often. Bobs knobs are useful things if you don't fancy putting a screwdriver to the corrector plate.