Anyone else got a scope they don't use ?

[spaceboy]

I would have thought the 200K was better for imaging. I often regret getting rid of mine. The fellow who had it off me is a member on SGL and he has achieved some quite remarkable planetary images with it http://stargazerslounge.com/gallery/image/12034-mars-070412-tal-200k/

[wuthton]

I had a Skywatcher 150 mak for four years that I never used, not even once before I sold it.

[L8-Nite]

My zeiss hardly worth keeping...

I told my Wife if I ever said that, to quickly get me into therapy.  

[Peter Drew]

A Takahashi Sky90 is one of my telescopes I don't use. 

[bond19]

I'm not a telescope horder so my 4" frac gets plenty of use (and recently acquired 12" dob will to hopefully). I do envy those with lots of scopes. But for me, too many scopes would likely cause a disruption in my marriage!

[Stu]

I'm not a telescope horder so my 4" frac gets plenty of use (and recently acquired 12" dob will to hopefully). I do envy those with lots of scopes. But for me, too many scopes would likely cause a disruption in my marriage!

That's the beauty of small black and white refractors, they all look very similar...... So long as you only ever get two out at once you are ok ;-)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JohnGlenn]

An Intes MK67 that I don't use as much I'd like to!!

[Laurie61]

I don't go out observing as often as I once did and try and pick the better nights when I do, not just clear. On these nights I want my most effective scope which is also the biggest. So it's my smaller scopes which tend to sit unused. I really should sell one or two but instead I am looking at a C14 barn find.    

[Zakalwe]

Given the crummy weather this year, ALL of my scopes are rarely used.... :mad: :clouds2: :clouds1:

[NotSoSuperNova]

A similar vain but slightly off topic. I rarely use my binos in favour of my only telescope (so no option of that sitting in the corner) But I'm always impressed with them when I do get them out and think I should use them more, but never do. I may just feel like I'm doing it properly with my telescope??? 

[cgarry]

I am terrible at letting go of old scopes, so I have a couple of 'spare' SCTs that I no longer need or use.  I have a C14 Edge HD and a C9.25 that I definitely should sell on in the new year to create a bit of space if nothing else.

Cheers,

Chris

[S.A.M]

Mine would be my 127 mm Meade 5000 triplet refractor on an EQ 6 mount.  Telescope is okay, the mount is the hard part to carry, not careful could put the back out and I do not really want to do that if possible!

Peter

[dezzie]

I am skint since being made redundant, started off with a mak127 as my first scope, lost interest within weeks as I have no patience for goto at the time, took it to a dark sky site with the Sunderland astro club last year and spent most of my time trying to align it until it dewed up then realised all the extra parephanalia you had to have with it, I wanted it easy and 1 of the lads lent me his binos, WOW I just loved the widefield view and sold my mak, had a p mount made and bought my 25x100 quantum 4s, fantastic views and although there is a lot I cant see, what I can see is fantastic, but setting up the beast is a 2 person affair and I have a dodgy back, so have sold them to the club for star parties we have at our club observatory, especially handy for wheelchair users who miss out being unable to get chairs etc in our small dome,  Getting back to the point, I have looked through some very high end bling scopes of every design, nothing has impressed me to be honest until I looked at one of the guys new ed80 apo he bought for astrophotography, great handy compact size, gorgeous crisp views, decent widefield views and obviously I can change the mags, so if and when I get myself out my slump, I will get myself one of these, its all I need unless I win the lottery and first thing I will get is some APM APO binoculars on a top notch mount, I just prefer bino views over everything else, even the club members loved my quantums, great for chasing the ISS, comets and everyone agreed the Andromeda galaxy and Orion's Nebula were the best views they had seen, as they brought out more nebulosity and brightness even though the scopes showed it bigger with more stars!

[steppenwolf]

I find it very hard indeed to part with older, now superseded equipment that has served me well in the past. My least used telescopes are also the first two I ever owned; a Sky-Watcher ST80 refractor and a Sky-Watcher 250PX reflector. The ST80 used to be my guide camera but I now use an off axis guider and I found the 1200mm focal length of the 250PX too long for the typical objects I want to image. I am hoping that the Dobsonian base I made earlier this year for the 250PX will give it a new lease of life even if only at star parties.

[m.tweedy]

Mine is the Megrez 90. Good scope but in the no mans land between the GT81 (imaging). C8 grab and go and C11 serious observing. believe it or not the most used is the WO66 as it is my holiday scope and warm clear nights abroad make it well used for observing and imaging.

[swamp thing]

Funnily enough my least used scope is probably the one that most would think to be the most convenient. My little 4.5" RFT. 

I'm a bit strange in that if i"m gonna make the effort to go observing, I figure  I might as well take some aperture and actually see something. 

[AndyWB]

I'm a bit strange in that if i"m gonna make the effort to go observing, I figure  I might as well take some aperture and actually see something. 

Aren't you a bit worried then that with a mere 20" you might be missing something? 

[estwing]

I told my Wife if I ever said that, to quickly get me into therapy.

after seeing the title of the thread I couldn't resist putting that Mike especially with what's in my signature!

[L8-Nite]

after seeing the title of the thread I couldn't resist putting that Mike especially with what's in my signature!

Glad to hear that, thought you were being tempted by the dark side.  

[Astro_Baby]

I have 5 scopes I never get to use courtesy of the weather

I never use my two Unitrons - they have been out a few times just out of curiosity but they are a pain to use for real - so they stay in regal splendour in their cases.

My least used scope on the whole is my 8" Newt cos its mostly too heavy and bulky and mostly I cant be bothered to drag it around so I tend to stick with my TAL 100RS and my SkyMax 180.

[moriniboy]

In a vain attempt to use more of my scopes I added another saddle onto my Stytee 2, the theory being that when seeing is good I can use one either side ( I use the top saddle as a finder shoe)

Great idea I thought, however the 2014 weaher soon wiped the smile off my face.......

Back on topic, the scope I would be least likely to use is my OO 150pl as I have been doing up my AE Hex 150pl and I've been trying it out whenever I can.

[Luke]

Least used at the moment is my SolarMax 60 hydrogen-alpha scope for solar observing/imaging. Reason being I now have a Quark h-alpha "eyepiece" that lets me use my regular fracs for solar. But I want to hang onto the SM60 as it has a few nice little tricks up its sleeve, like it can image the whole solar disc in one tile with my camera, whereas I need four tiles at least when using the Quark.

The SM60 came in handy on Sunday, even though I didn't use it! The forecast was not great but there was a slim chance and instead of setting up the Quark and the goto mount etc. I just thought, if I spot a clear gap, I'll run out with the SM60 and camera tripod, I can be imaging with that in about a minute or so whereas the Quark needs to warm up for about 10 minutes and needs power, so the SM60 is handy (in theory at least) for a quick smash and grab on the sun.

I'm thinking that over a period of years it will get a fair bit of usage and as I saw on Sunday even when it doesn't get used it can be handy to save me the hassle of setting up the other gear just in case it clears...

[NGC188]

Well, there's only one of the three (3) telescopes I own which sees very little time out under the stars, and that is an Edmund Scientific RFT (rich field telescope) called the Astro-Scan. Yes, that odd one which looks like a butternut squash except it's red. Very handy, no mount (so to speak), and with no finder scope it's really just a point at the sky and hope something interesting comes into view. The mirror is approximately 125mm and it usually is fitted with a 24 to 32mm Plossl eyepiece...

My other two (2) telescopes get about equal time: an old pre-1975 C8" - SCT on the original wedge and dual-tubed non extendable tripod, and a TeleVue 101NP on a Genesis wooden (ash) legged tripod with original TV mounting. Both are set-up for 2" and use a large selection of TV and Pentax eyepieces with a 2X TeleVue PowerMate Barlow...

The reason I mentioned the two scopes I use versus the one which gathers dust is to show 'why' they get used more than the Astro-Scan. Without the fine support accessories, neither the C8 or the TV101 would get much use. The little Astro-Scan has a decent mirror, but a horrible base and with no finder of any type, is not too very useful except for pure 'point & peck'. To me that is of little value. The two scope that get used have terrific support equipment which make both of them a joy to use and both have the ability to locate interesting DSO's without any 'Go-To' features...

So, I'm wondering how many of the telescopes you guys and gals don't use has more to do with ease of use as it is for basic star gazing. Is the mount a problem? Do you have difficulty with the finder equipment or type the telescope incorporates? Is tracking a problem or is the telescope difficult to align with Polaris?

I don't know exactly what I'm attempting to bring across except their might be another reason you're not using the said optics. I certainly understand weight and transporting the equipment. But, perhaps, it's something else that 'puts you off' that particular telescope...

Cya...

[Astro_Baby]

Well I dont use my Unitrons because they are a pain to use all over.  My 200P rarely goes out because of the bulk.  Mostly I lug my Skymax 180 with me because its compact and will do good on most targets.  My other choice is the TAL 100 as its more compact and an excellent all rounder.

I never take the newt unless I am planning to look at something thats quite dispersed or there is some 'outreach' aspect.

[nightfisher]

Maybe the answer to these least used scopes is to sell them to people that might use them, and yes this really applies to me, i am always banging on about wanting less scopes, and today i am of to get a 200p explorer, but i have 2 scopes up for sale, and i am looking at my other scopes wondering if i should keep them but no decisions just yet