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Hey folks. Looking for a little advice


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First of all, hello everyone. If my post count didn't give it away I am new here :p

I'm looking for a little bit of advice on a few things. First of all I am relatively new to astronomy, though I've had a keen interest in it since childhood and I've always been looking through friends telescopes whenever I've had the chance. Personally though I've only ever really gazed through binoculars for a long time now, but more often than not I'll just sit out and look with the naked eye. But now I think it's time to start with a telescope of my own.

Firstly I want to say that the starter section of this forum has been fantastic, I've read through a great deal of it and I've found it to be extremely informative. Without going into too much detail, I have ADHD and mild OCD and one of the biggest problems I have in my life is decision making. I've been looking for a telescope for the best part of a week now and I can't even begin to tell you what kind of nightmare it is to be slightly obsessive with reading articles and reviews! I'm pushing onto like day 4 now of finding a scope I like, reading about it, then googling reviews for it,stumbling across another in the reviews, and repeat. Nightmare!

Basically I am looking for a little help. Although I would consider myself a newbie when it comes to astronomy I do know my way around the sky better than average (likely another result of slightly obsessive behaviors!) and I am well read on most things astronomy related. The problem is now picking a scope that's right for me and I know that you guys are probably sick of getting the same questions repeatedly, and for this I apologise, but I feel like if I don't ask for a little help here I'll be researching for another month solid and not getting anywhere.

The long and short of it, I don't have a whopping budget to begin with (my car is currently eating away a lot of my earnings!) but I am looking for a good scope for my price range, I am looking to currently cap my first buy at £200.

I want something that's generally a good all rounder, maybe something I can view the odd galaxy, maybe Saturn, Jupiter and perhaps the occasionally moon view. I realise that £200 is not the biggest budget in the world but it's all I can afford at the moment. I don't mind about anything technical that will be related to any of the scopes as I am always willing to read things thoroughly before I dive in and I am always willing to learn to adapt and change things as I go. I need a scope that will last me a while, though I'd perhaps be looking to move "up" in scopes 6 months or so down the line.

If any of you more seasoned astronomers out there have any suggestions or advice for a good scope under £200 I'd love to hear it. I am not expecting miracles with the price, and I don't mind the size of it either. I just want something I can sit out with all night and really enjoy the universe with. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading this wall of text,and once again great beginners section on this forum. I think I'm going to like it here.

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Whoops, I should also probably point out that I've been looking at the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ lately after many, many days of reading and researching and it seems decent so far, but I am wondering if I should be looking at something else in this price range! Thanks again

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A Dob would do the job, a second hand would allow for a bigger size, but new this is inside your budget....

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

This is excellent. I've been looking through the Skywatcher scopes lately too and I have to say I like the idea of them too. I don't mind the size either, I will absolutely put more reading into these Dobs andlook at them in better detail. I really appreciate the help, thanks a bunch

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Suphix.......Hi, disorders or not, we all went through the frustration of what to buy. Everyone gets it.  This, one, that one, then before you know it, your looking back at things you've said, and learnt, and before long, you`ll be guiding others, just from your own experiences over the coming months. If you have tried a few scopes, can I suggest try some more until you find what's most suitable for you. I purchased a second hand Celestron 127EQ, and within 10 days my new Skyliner arrived, which says a lot about the Celestron? I have no regrets with the line-up in my signature. keep reading, studying, and asking questions before you dive in. It can take Weeks to make the correct decision, and hopefully the right one if you take your time. Even if it takes to the January sales before you buy something, the Stars will still be there. Take your time, study well, try to get some more hands on at a club or with friends. welcome to SGL.

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I can't really add anymore to this besides saying that a dob is the best way to get started as the money goes on the mirror not any fancy mounting or electronic gizmos. They are the best value inch per inch

That said I don't really get on with them since I am abit of a heavy handed bloke hence my current setup of a 4" frac on an EQ mount. Light and small enough to fit in the car with all the other paraphernalia that comes with two young children. My point being that what suits one person might not be for another.

I'd also recommend getting yourself to a astro club meeting to try before you buy.

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Suphix.......Hi, disorders or not, we all went through the frustration of what to buy. Everyone gets it.  This, one, that one, then before you know it, your looking back at things you've said, and learnt, and before long, you`ll be guiding others, just from your own experiences over the coming months. If you have tried a few scopes, can I suggest try some more until you find what's most suitable for you. I purchased a second hand Celestron 127EQ, and within 10 days my new Skyliner arrived, which says a lot about the Celestron? I have no regrets with the line-up in my signature. keep reading, studying, and asking questions before you dive in. It can take Weeks to make the correct decision, and hopefully the right one if you take your time. Even if it takes to the January sales before you buy something, the Stars will still be there. Take your time, study well, try to get some more hands on at a club or with friends. welcome to SGL.

Wow, this is excellent advice, I can't begin to tell you how how much I appreciate this post thanks a bunch! As it happens, literally 2 minutes ago I may have stumbled upon a 200P that's never been unboxed or assembled that's been an unwanted gift for under £200. I absolutely fully intend to keep reading and researching as for me I know this is going to become somewhat of a very very addictive hobby for me. I have a massive interest in this and It's not the kind that passes that's for sure! I'm thinking that even so, this 200P might be too good an opportunity to pass up! I'll sleep on it tonight, once again thanks for the great post! Thanks for the warm welcome, I suspect I may be here quite a bit.

I can't really add anymore to this besides saying that a dob is the best way to get started as the money goes on the mirror not any fancy mounting or electronic gizmos. They are the best value inch per inch

That said I don't really get on with them since I am abit of a heavy handed bloke hence my current setup of a 4" frac on an EQ mount. Light and small enough to fit in the car with all the other paraphernalia that comes with two young children. My point being that what suits one person might not be for another.

I'd also recommend getting yourself to a astro club meeting to try before you buy.

Thanks for the advice Jim, and club meetings is actually something that did not cross my mind until now, I have no idea of whats even in my area but at the very least I could venture into Liverpool and Manchester I think, but there's bound to be somethign here in Cheshire! Thanks a lot

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I would go for the Skywatcher 200p Dobsonian but they require collimation and maintenance of the mirrors which is a job but I would also look seriously at the Skywatcher Supa Trak 127mm from First Light Optics but it's £295 so if you were to wait and save this would be a great buy also and an excellent all rounder. :) 

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A Dob would do the job, a second hand would allow for a bigger size, but new this is inside your budget.... http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

With your budget. This is as good as it gets IMO and I'm not putting your budget down. This is a superb scope. If I was starting out in astronomy tomorrow this is what I would buy.

Cheap

Portable

Ridiculously easy to set up....plonk, observe

Easy on eyepieces (long focal ratio)

Holds collimation unless dropped from an aircraft :D

Gives great views of the moon, planets and deep sky.

Simple to point and use. Basically if you can fall off a log you can use one.

And tough as old boots.

I've often thought of buying one of these, just because of its ridiculous simplicity. Great scope.

One last thing it's slightly bigger brother (200p) is the UK's most popular scope. It's this for a reason, it's brilliant and so is it's smaller brother.

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Thanks for the advice Jim, and club meetings is actually something that did not cross my mind until now, I have no idea of whats even in my area but at the very least I could venture into Liverpool and Manchester I think, but there's bound to be somethign here in Cheshire! Thanks a lot

No problem mate! This is what SGL is for. Altrincham astronomical society is probably your closest? http://www.altrinchamastro.org.uk

Good luck, you sound alot like me when I first started and I'm probably also on the spectrum as I'm sure are most astronomers and scientists :)

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Another thumbs up for the Skyliner 150. I have one and everything Steve says above is true.

Collimating is always cited as an 'issue' with Dobs and, of course, it has to be done. But the exercise helps you learn about your scope and, as far as my 150 goes, it holds collimation rock steady. (I would recommend fitting Bob's Knobs, but that's a bit down the line ...)

And I guess the SW 200 has all these good points PLUS it's bigger! And more light gathering is never a bad thing.

Most important though - you should have fun and enjoy what you're doing. That's the 'must have' ingredient for me.

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 I've been looking for a telescope for the best part of a week now and I can't even begin to tell you what kind of nightmare it is to be slightly obsessive with reading articles and reviews! I'm pushing onto like day 4 now of finding a scope I like, reading about it, then googling reviews for it,stumbling across another in the reviews, and repeat. Nightmare!

I lurked here for at least 6 weeks before deciding on what scope. I regard it as 'considered research'! 

I found this article useful in shaping my thinking. http://www.deepastronomy.com/what-you-need-to-know-before-buying-a-telescope.html

I'd say if you can get a 200p in good condition, within your budget, grab it!

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As a fellow sufferer of related disorders I would say go for a Dobsonian. Simplicity is king for me as I have found out the long, hard and very, very expensive way.

Perhaps check out some field of view simulations here http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fov.htm with various eyepiece/scope combinations to see what will give you what you want to see. Ignore detail for now but image scale is spot on.

Also I have problems with equipment not being how I expected it, quality control etc. so second hand gear can be an issue for me. The stuff on the boards here is usually A1 and the people are decent but If you are the same, I would recommend going to First Light Optics. They sponsor this site but I am not otherwise affiliated with them, however I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone who values good support and after-care as much as I do. Their stuff is well priced, delivery is super fast, and most importantly for me customer service is second to absolutely none. If you have dodgy equipment they will collect and return it no questions asked. Steve and the boys really have looked after me when other retailers would probably have told me to 'do one' !!!

Long story short, I spent over an hour writing, re-writing and editing this post; this is just how I am so imagine me choosing equipment for an imaging rig! Hilarious. I now have a simple 10 inch Dob which I have tinkered with a bit over the last few months but basically it gives me the best views I can afford and is set up in under a minute. It needs a bit of collimation from time to time but this is just enough technical involvement to keep me happy without getting too involved.

I'm now building an equatorial wedge mount for it just to keep busy. There's no need really but the materials cost £8 and I like DIY projects. Dobs are good for that and I've tweaked mine a bit as you can see here http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/217162-basic-dob-tweaks/ so I'm still tinkering but I've got the obsessive fiddling in check due to the simple nature of the dob mount itself.

If I had to pick a scope for you it would be the 150 from FLO at £199 or second hand 200 for the same money. As long as you're happy with the second hand issues that might arise. Sounds good though.

Wait for more opinions though, people here know what they are talking about.

cheers and all the best

Chris

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Hi. I just wanted to add that I got my first scope last year, the astromaster 130eq from gumtree used for the pricely sum of £50! I have always had an interest in astronomy but didn't know if I would get in to it so chose to spend very little on my first scope.

I like the 130eq but the mount it comes with is not great. It suffers vibration and to track anything you need the motor drive (about £30 on its own) and an accurate polar align. It's not really a quick grab and go solution like the 150/200p mentioned above would be.

I've actually found that I prefer wide field astrophotography which the mount is great for with a camera fitted instead of the acope!

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I had the same dilemma recently & almost went down the dob route, however after looking at a couple  of 10" models I realised that storage would be a problem as well as being a little bulky for my aged arthritic frame to move around, finally found a used skywatcher 127 mak, tripod, lenses & a few other useful bits for £250, if you can stretch your budget a little further it will open up a lot of possibilities for you to choose from, best of luck in your quest, mike b.

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My Celestron 127EQ is much smaller than my 8" Dob, but the tripod takes up more floor space if left assembled. The Skyliner uses as much floor space as a dining room chair and stands chest high, Im 5'8"! Any telescope is difficult to move around once the legs are extended, or the weights involved, but hopefully this provides a simplistic image for a Dobsonian . How many folk had the same shock when the Skyliner arrived in its two part shipment boxes. In reality, the Dob sits quietly in the corner,

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It took me three months to select the 200p Dob after taking advice from the good people here.  Had my mind set on one scope then someone suggested another so after a roller coaster ride the Dob won.  Haven't regretted it.  Mind you I do intend in a year or two to buy amother scope for Astro Photography.

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The thing is the scope is not the last expense then there is the temptation of a new eyepeice... :-)

My heritage 130p is under budget but you might want more apparature which the 150 gives. I also really enjoy my small refractor.

I did lots and lots of reading I think many do :-)

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Suphix, I'm back again.

The article to which Andy provided a link is the business. I read it more than once when I was looking for my first scope - and I've read it more than once since.

You mention 'disorders' but I think it's just common sense to research, think, research some more and think, etc., etc.

If actually making and taking the decision is where it all breaks down then you are the only one who can do it. But don't worry about it. Enjoy the trip!

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