Orion Starblast 6/6i 6" f5 Newt - some impressions.

[ghostdance]

I'm hoping this small review of my Orion 6i is helpful to anyone needing a smallish, portable quality scope

As a pretty new-to-this stargazer myself I am thinking of beginners here, so more experienced members may prefer to go recalibrate their laser collimators or whatnots instead, but all are welcome to waste a few minutes with my goings on

It won't be a technical review (bear of little brain for that kind of thing) so few numbers or maths, but I hope this highly subjective summation of one members' telescope is still of use...or at least broadly entertaining/interesting. Don't think of it as a review ( I am not able or knowledgeable enough for that term)  - more just a conversation with the old fuzzy at the other end of the bar....

Note: I can't compare Orion to other brands as I've never owned, or indeed observed with, other brands...so please don't assume I'm asserting this brand over another. I simply don't have the hands-on experience to be qualified to do so.  

I've been quite a fan of the Orion Starblast 'tabletops' since I bought the 6/6i's little brother, the 4.5, about 11/2 / 2 years ago. Great widefield views, absolutely simple to use out of the box, set-up in comparative seconds, and good optics to boot. No need for a tripod/mount or other faff, just a solid table or other surface (upturned  builders bucket for example). I highly  recommend the 4.5 as a great starter and as a fab little grab n go...for kids and adults. And I am part-dinosaur enough,  in thinking that a manual scope and a good book/chart are still a great way to learn your skies...I wonder how many beginners to this wonderful pursuit give up on their first scope because of polar align, cranky soft/hardware...I think I would have, or at least found myself using the scope less. 

I changed to the 6i about September of last year. Why? Aperture and Intelliscope...plus, it looked easily stowable and as portable as its' predecessor had been. My lovely and I live in a smalll first floor flat with (thank the heavens) a small backyard/garden. Our flat (note I say our) is in danger of being Noah's-Arked by my records, books, binoculars, cycles, shoes, headphones, American Indian collections et cetera. My wife can be in despair at my predilection for accumulating stuff... Thus, small was a priority, or at least not intimidatingly large. The venerable 200P, for example, would have led straight to a decree nisi. Anyways, enough of this blather.

Unlike the 4.5, the 6/6i OTA is supplied ring-mounted, so can be used with the appropriate dovetail plate (I think it's called?) can be put into a EQ or other mount if you so wish down the line. 

To the StarBlast:

The difference twixt the 6 or 6i label is the Intelliscope system. Buy a Starblast 6 and you get a working-out-of-the-box 'tabletop' Newt. Base is pre-assembled, apply OTA to the rings, align finder and you're good to go. With the 'i' version, there is a debuild/rebuild the base to fit the electronic gubbins, and a once-only levelling procedure to tell the software that the scope is truly perpendicular. Set that once and forget it, you will not need to level it again in use. If the process sounds complicated - it's not! The manual takes you through the installation and setting-up with precision. About a couple of hours work if you go carefully and take each section slowly...or, like me, you check and recheck because you're a putz....

A quick word about the dreaded collimation: With the 4.5 it was spot-on out of the box. The 6i needed a slight tweak to the primary. This took me perhaps two minutes using the pierced eyepiece cap supplied with the scope - the adjustment knobs on the primary are big and easy to use ( as you can see from the pic below if it uploaded). So don't worry unduly about this...of course, later on you will spend hours worrying and wondering if your collimation is perfect, but that's all part of the fun, surely? In my experience of two Orions, they have it pretty good to go from box to caress

The two eyepieces supplied are 1.25" Orion Sirius, 9mm and 17mm (plossls I think, and I may have the mm wrong. Haven't used them in awhile). They're OK for first use. Honestly, don't think you have to immediately go on an eyepiece chase and spend all your hard-earned on exotic glass. These two will do you perfectly for at least awhile. And when you're ready to go broke and have a suitcase full of shiny things, you'll already know the skies, know where your interests lie (planets/ clusters/faint fuzzies etc) and where you need/want improvement. You'll also know more about eyepieces in general, and which 'budget' ones punch above their weight. 

The 6/6i is F5, a 'fast' scope. This means I believe that it is more suited to wider-field adventures, but believe me it is no slouch in getting relatively up close and personal. You will find your sky quality a major factor here...the 6" aperture similarly may not bring you the warts n all feeling depending on your sky quality and darkness. However, I have seen, for example, the GRS and Cassini Division despite the fact that I have lighter skies and poor seeing on a lot of my evenings. You get used to it, and patience certainly helps.  

The Starblast 6/6i stands about the height of a 8 year-old (sorry, I don't have a tape measure to hand). Standing vertical, it comes to my hip (I'm 5'7 ish). It weighs about 23kg. Transporting it up and down the stairs is a doddle, carrying it in the car is easy - it straps up on the rear seat like having a tall child in there. My wife has a Nissan Micra - the Starblast sits there quite comfortably. There is custom case available, sort of backpack-like. It does make carrying and storing the scope quite easy, although you probably wouldn't want to walk carrying it to a dark site  more than a couple of miles away (but you could, if you have Popeye shoulders).

Using Intelliscope:

Intelliscope is a 'push-to' system using a hand controller to input your (pre-loaded) targets. The controller screen then tells you to push the scope this way or thataway (up/down and across i.e. Dec and RA). Easy. Bear in mind that the target may not necessarily be slap-bang in the middle of your FOV once you reach '0 -0, 0-0' on the controller screen. In part this depends on your initial alignment:

Once you have done your once-only levelling set up as above, to use Intelliscope you will need to align to two stars. These are all pre-loaded and labelled on your handset. You do not need to polar-align. The trick here is speed. A nice easy summer star is, say, Arcturus (first star align), followed by, say, Deneb (second star align). Do it fast and accurately enough (star in centre of FOV) and you get a numerical rating of accuracy (lower=better). You will need a higher power eyepiece in to do this alignment more accurately. It really is no biggie, trust me.

Intelliscope has some useful skills - point it at an area of sky, or find something you're not sure of, and it will tell you what you're looking at - if it's in its database, but as that is several thousand entries long, I'll think you'll be OK. If you wish, it can give you 'tours' of your current seasonal sky...I've not done this so can't really comment.

For me, Intelliscope's major benefit is that if I don't want to use it, I just don't switch it on and have a nice evening looking about, or revisiting old friends. The telescope is as happy being fully manual as being semi-guided. However, I do appreciate Intelliscope for finding the Dumbbell Nebula for me ( I'd searched for ages in my light-polluted sky) and in getting me right next door to Uranus (a tiny bluey green dot), and for checking out a few faint clusters I wasn't sure of. 

Using the Starblast:

It's easy.

Leave it out for half an hour for mirror cool-down is ample time. A lot of folks seem to voice concerns about 'needing a steady table' etc. Yes you do need a steady base, no doubt but something as simple as an upturned builder's bucket on concrete (better) or even decking (okayish) is fine. I used to use mine on an iron garden table. It worked. I currently use an ali tripod with a wooden platform - it's pretty good but could be improved. But my point is there are loads of options (some people use storage crates for examples)...being a 'tabletop' is not necessarily a handicap. And if you're handy in woodwork, a superb custom stand at your preferred height would not only be a doddle to make, it would be a pleasure. And would look way better than my bucket or tripod! 

Do your two-star align if you want Intelliscope's company. Have scope in its' fully upright position: the handset when you first turn it on asks if the scope has been vertically aligned: this refers to your one-off alignment when you put it together. The answer is yes, assuming you have done that! Don't forget to put the scope fully vertically before confirming - you'll get some really strange directions if you don't....and yes, I speak from experience. Told you I was a putz....

And off to the races. This little devil can give you excellent views dependent on seeing...Look at the Moon, Jupiter or Saturn with an orthoscopic in the focuser, and I guarantee you won't come up for air for awhile. Same with a wider-field view with 25-32mm eyepieces. You'll be lost to all senses but sheer humbled pleasure...

Mercury I've observed as a small orange ball, Venus with it's phases but no surface detail, and Mars...well, let's wait for opposition. A red something, not too great thus far....

It is near impossible for me to see a lot of the faint stuff clearly if at all (thinking especially of the Leo triplet and other faint galaxies) because of where I live, but using the Starblast I have seen M81, M57, M13 and thus far about 12/13 other Messiers including the usual suspects. I am sure that my observing skiils improve I will (finally) spot others - although a darker site would be the best thing. The deciding factor here is 'my eyes, my skies' I think - not a failing of the Starblast itself.

OK, of course the Starblast 6/6i is not perfect...I could wish for more aperture but then I'd be dangerously near the Family Courts.

Had I woodworky skills, I would look at not only a custom stand, but cutting out a new base from solid wood - a nice walnut maybe...

I certainly could wish for a better focuser, in many ways the weakest part of the package. It can be tweaked to be better (note the Skywatcher wheels I put on, which do aid somewhat with fine focus), and following Astro-Baby's excellent advice on her website, changing the grease from the supplied goo to nicely slippy stuff really does make a difference. But it is a very basic focuser at the end of the day. Luckily, if you have some £££ to spare, killer focusers are available...and one day, I will have and will get a trick little two-speed. With red bits. 

If you are thinking of good optics, portability, simplicity in set up and use, and you want push-to available should you need it........ladies and gentlemen I am pleased to commend the Starblast 6i as a viable consideration. I certainly love mine. It has given me much sensory pleasure, and has even induced a form of dancing (when I first saw Saturn spinning her beautful rings and Jupiter's Great Red Spot).

I hope all this was a bit helpful. Or at least - not unhelpful

Steve

ps Dead stickers are of course purely optional. Though I like to think that Orion staff would not be too far from joining in on 'Uncle John's Band'

pps Apologies about the sig in the pictures -for the life of me I can't remember how to turn it off!

[trynda1701]

Very nice report about your scope. :cool: :cool:

Persevere with the DSO's. Like you said, your eyes and skies are the key. A few weeks ago, I was out in the garden with my Heritage 130P. Despite the street lamp ten foot outside our garden, I managed to see M65 and M66 of the Leo Triplet. That was a first for me. Faint, but really there going by the positions shown in "Turn Left at Orion". Took my time to make sure I wasn't seeing them via wishful thinking!

The scope does look the part, and your additinal decoration adds to it's uniquness!

Mark

[damnut]

Wow a great read. Thanks for posting, and enjoy your new scope.

[ghostdance]

Thanks Mark!

Your seeing M65 and 66 gives me hope

I will keep on trying.

Thanks damnut

[wheresthetorch?]

Excellent review - thank you very much. I like the stickers as well!

[ghostdance]

Glad it was of some help, wtt?

Nice bike btw!

[wheresthetorch?]

Ah - I need to change my avatar as I don't own it any more. Sold it and bought an old Russian sidecar outfit - but that's another story...

[LoneStar]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review! You've covered everything I was wondering/worrying about and clarified so much. The photos helped me get a much better idea of the size. At 5 feet tall myself, I think it will be on the big side but by no means too big....I could always stand on a box myself lol!

Joking aside..I think I'm sold You're a star! (No pun intended lol)

THANK YOU!

[trynda1701]

I'd love to see someone compare the Starblast 6 with the Heritage 130P Flexitube, as to build quality etc. I know that the almost extra inch of aperture counts more, of course.

If it wasn't for lack of storage space which is what sold me on the Flexitube, had I known about this scope, I might have considered it, even the non guided version (cheaper, of course) looks tempting!

Mark

[ghostdance]

Orion and Skywatcher are both Synta-built I think (or is it the other Chinese factory whose name I forget?) so I'd imagine build-quality would be close.

Would be interesting to have a comparison.

If anyone nearby with a Heritage wants to team up, I'd be more than happy to...

[Astroscot2]

Good reiew, I was looking at these a few months back as a quick look around the sky while imaging. I did concider the Heritage 130 but the focuser put me off.