Ok its down to 2 (well maybe 3)

[Rogue Leader]

I have sold the 130PM and am now having to seriously think about what to get next. I have narrowed it down to (in a sort of preferential order)

A Skyliner 200P

A Skymax 127 Supatrak

or as a distant 3rd option that will have to wait until well into the summer

A Celestron Nexstar 6 SE.

I know they are quite varied choices, I really enjoyed the 130 but I found that I didnt always have time to be faffing around polar aligning the mount and just used it as a support for the scope while I starhopped to stuff with the RDF. I need to make the most of my viewing time so that is why I have not gone for a bigger GEM set up, for me I do not think I need all that.

I mainly enjoyed viewing the moon and the usual assortment of M numbers , I have a relatively decent viewing area in my garden but I am within 15 minutes drive of superb light free viewing sites, so when I have a weekend off and the weather is decent (read rarely) I like to travel out and observe.

Thats about it, any advice or options I have missed greatly appreciated. I know the 6SE is nearly 3 times the price of the other two, and I find myself wondering if it is worth it, but the speed of getting it setup and viewing appeals to me with my limited viewing time. Then again I can get around quite fast on the dob with a wixey gauge. This is why I have posted it all I am talking myself in circles.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

Mike.

[John]

Hi Mike,

Your needs match my own pretty closely. I'm a visual observer and I need a scope that can be set up quickly and be used without exensive setup. Mine also live in the house so portability is a must.

I've owned over 20 scopes now ( :shock: ) but I've now settled on a Skywatcher Skyliner 200P dobsonian and a Vixen ED102SS refactor on a simple alt-azimuth mount.

These scopes meet my needs very well I find but the dobsonian is so easy to use and capable of excellent views (8 inches is a good aperture) of both DSO's and planets, that the refractor is not getting much of a look in even though it's an apochromat.

So, of the 3 scopes you list I would give my vote to the Skyliner 200P - it's just so good for the money

John

[The Warthog]

I concur, as long as you are comfortable with a Dob. Have you considered an equatorially mounted 8" scope?

[Casus belli]

If you want to go observing DSO's then go for the Dob. I'm set up coliminated and ready to observe in 5 minutes.

I've done all the Messier objects that are easily visible from my location and have taken to making charts from Cartes du Ciel to hunt down more faint fuzzies. I laminate the charts and use an eyebrow pencil* to cross my targets off. And its been great fun.

I don't like faffing around either although I am now getting to the stage of wanting to photograph some of the things I've seen. I wont be getting rid of the Dob though, its a keeper! I just cant see myself getting bored with it.

*Don't ask. I've already suffered enough embarrassment over this. That's one chemist's I wont be going back to.

[scotastro]

Certainly a varied list. Don't want to throw a spanner, but wondered why you chose the 8 inch dob rather than the 10 inch - the latter is only slightly more expensive than the Mak on your list, but would give great DSO views.

Your choice is whether a Dob which is quick to set up, but finding the object can take a while is better than the GOTO as it takes a while to align, but then can zip through objects with ease.

Scotastro

[Rogue Leader]

Thanks for all the replies, every one seems to be in favour of the dob. I didnt list the 10 inch as I have to get it into the garden and want to be able to carry it about a bit if I go out and observe away from home.The 200 seemed to be the best compromise between seeing and portability.

In a somewhat unexpected turn of events,however, my wife has decided that she likes the nexstar best as it is orange and small looking. I informed her it was vastly more expensive but she didnt care, she just liked the colour and the fact it is GOTO. She didnt say GOTO but I know what she meant. Maybe I can sneak both in then? the dob and the 6SE.

[dogfish]

Just to add my 2p's worth. Of all on your list, I'd probably choose the Dob as I know how quick these things are to set up and use and the extra aperture would win it for me. I did have the 6SE but did an exchange plus cash for a C8S on a CG5GT mount. One thing I would say about the 6SE is it is much quicker to set up and align than the EQ mounted scope. Partly because you can do the '3 bright objects alignment' but also because you can speed things up by doing a 2 star alignment when you know the names of the stars. My experience was that this was just as reliable as the 3 star align. You also don't have to faff with balancing, polar alignment, and you always have a comfortable viewing angle, but the same advantages apply to a dob. What about a second hand LX90 as a 4th choice?

Cheers, Martin

[A McEwan]

Hi Mike,

Even though I have a 127SupaTrak Mak, I'd still say go for the 8" Dob. But, I'd recommend an 8" f6 over the f5 Skyliner if you have a choice. Reason being it should give a slightly higher contrast view when observing the gas giants, and collimation will be slightly easier to achieve and maintain when transporting the scope. The 8" (regardless of f-ratio) will show a lot more detail than the 127 Mak (I once sold a 127Mak to fund my Dob, before buying another 127 later to complement it) for exactly that reason.

Plus it's an absolute bargain and will give you loads of mods, projects and tweaks to apply to make it 'yours'!