What was your first ever scope and when did you decide to upgrade? And what too?

[Danny83uk]

So I've been gazing now with my SW Explorer 130/900 for 2years and wondering if it's time to step up to a bigger scope with goto(is that classed as cheating,i just don't know) so my question is: When did you know it was time to invest more into this glorious hobby? And what did you go from and too. 

[DRT]

My first scope was a Skywatcher Heritage 130P Flextube dob. I loved it from day one and then began reading stories about upgrading eyepieces so spent a couple of hundred quid on Celestron X-cells and then wanted to buy something even better. I then read a post from Moonshane here on SGL suggesting that it is often cheaper to buy a new telescope rather than upgrading eyepieces. I then bought a Skywatcher 200P Dob and realised I had entered a different world.

The rest of the story is very expensive

[estwing]

I went from this..

to this..

the first scope I had when I left school in 85...the next in 2011!..never had goto less fuss is a must with me!

now I'm using this one

[John]

My 1st scope was a 60mm refractor which I bought for a few quid over 35 years ago. I wanted to buy a larger scope for years but could not afford to as even 6" newtonians and 4" refractors (not apos) cost many hundreds of £'s back then.

Today the range of equipment available is simply astonishing and the prices are much lower in real terms and massively lower in relative terms.

No need to think of GOTO and or a bigger scope as cheating though - go for whatever gives you some more enjoyment in the hobby and is within financial reach

I doubt that most people coming into the hobby now get to the point where they have exhausted the potential of their first scopes or anywhere near it though.

 

[DRT]

@estwingThe most astonishing thing about this is that you were so young when you left school...

 

[Danny83uk]

29 minutes ago, DRT said:

My first scope was a Skywatcher Heritage 130P Flextube dob. I loved it from day one and then began reading stories about upgrading eyepieces so spent a couple of hundred quid on Celestron X-cells and then wanted to buy something even better. I then read a post from Moonshane here on SGL suggesting that it is often cheaper to buy a new telescope rather than upgrading eyepieces. I then bought a Skywatcher 200P Dob and realised I had entered a different world.

The rest of the story is very expensive

I'll be honest I'm looking at the SW 200 myself  

27 minutes ago, estwing said:

I went from this..

to this..

the first scope I had when I left school in 85...the next in 2011!..never had goto less fuss is a must with me!

now I'm using this one

Wow!!! That.  Just wow. I couldn't even imagine what you can see with that. Is it just framework behind the black cover not a full tube? 

[DRT]

4 minutes ago, Danny83uk said:

I'll be honest I'm looking at the SW 200 myself  

Wow!!! That.  Just wow. I couldn't even imagine what you can see with that. Is it just framework behind the black cover not a full tube? 

You would not regret buying a 200P - they are absolutely fantastic for the price and for what they allow you to see.

Wow indeed to estwing's cloaked beast. Hold the horses - you are not there yet

 

[romx]

I have a 200p was my first telescope and have loved every minute I get to use it, Just decided to get a second telescope for imaging with tracking etc but the 200p is remaining my more powerful scope. The reason I decided to get another one is simple yes it is amazing looking at the stars but living in badly light polluted area of the UK with our weather it is not that often it is clear enough this way I can take pictures and process them when the sky isnt nice.

[brantuk]

Started with a 150P on EQ3-2. Had it about 18mths and then upgraded to a CPC800. Eventually traded that one up to a CPC925, and had (or still have) just about every other scope type since. Currently exploring the joys of fracs, as well as fettling dobs.

[ollypenrice]

I first had a Tal 115mm Newtonian and moved to a Meade 8 inch SCT. These seemed to me to be the last word in high tec and the thing to go for. I no longer think that and am wary of the SCT unless you know exactly why you're buying it. A favourable relationship between aperture and overall volume is a good reason for buying one. But the very long focal length gives them tunnel vision when compared with shorter FL options. I find the stellar images ordinary but the planetary ones pretty good. They are pigs for fogging up and are a very bad choice for beginner deep sky imaging. I can't dislike them all that much though since I do have two!

Olly

[DaveS]

My first 'scope was a 60mm achro from Dixons back in '72 I think it was, all we could afford at the time, which I still have. My next was a 6" f/8 Newt, semi home-made (Bought the mirrors, which I considered cheating). Back then unless you were seriously well off making it yourself was the only way to get anything decent, books were full of weird-and-wonderful home-made contraptions. I then went to an 8" f/8, also semi home-made.

After a long hiatus I bought (No longer considered cheating) the Meg 90 in my sig (In 2009, I think about the time I joined SGL), then various other 'scope of more or less aperture.

Since I'm now almost 100% imaging I no longer have aperture fever (Yeah, right ) but mount fever. My latest upgrade (Yet to be completed, but incoming) is an ASA DDM 60. Bit of a step up from an HEQ5

[Davey-T]

First scope was a family hierloom, brass draw tube, probably about 40mm, the only thing that I could see through it was the Moon and Jupiter, views probably on a par with Galileo.

About 8 years old I guess, looked at American magazines with articles of guys making their own mirrors but it was only a dream.

Had some bin's also inherited but could never afford a "proper" scope until I started work, a Dixons special one that magnified 600X times 

Dave

[mikeDnight]

My first scope was a 60mm Astral equatorial mounted refractor which I bought from Dixon's in 1980. It cost me £110 in a sale, marked down from £130. It was beautiful, and gave me my first real views of the moon, Sun and planets. It was also much better made than today's offerings of similar apertures, though the eyepieces  left a bit to be desired. It was the scope that started the ball rolling and I have very fond memories of it. I wish I still had it! Unfortunately  in those early days I believed  the often repeated, but grossly inaccurate statement, that 3" is the minimum aperture for a refractor and so I let that lovely scope go.

The scope I replaced it with was a 4"F10 achromat manufactured by a local firm. In all honesty it was rubbish. It's uncoated objective would easily get knocked out of colimation and it showed a lot of red as I recall. Still, it was 4" and this meant a significant increase in light grasp. This was the scope that gave me my first real view of the Orion Nebula as well as many other brighter dso's. A few years down the line and I bought a beautiful 102mm F13 Vixen achromat from Peter Drew, and that started my never ending love of refractors. 

Mike

[Piero]

My first telescope was a Newton 114mm F8 and my sister inherited (or better stole ) from me! 

Although I wanted to upgrade it as soon as I realised that the mount was really bad, I didn't because back then telescope prices were just too high for my savings. I then bought a smaller, but better quality telescope when I started working. The reason why I upgraded with something smaller was due to portability and I don't regret. The good thing that I didn't even plan is that this 60mm is also great on solar observation :). If portability hadn't been an issue, a 8"-12" dobson would be my first choice for sure. I love dobsons!  

[Danny83uk]

14 hours ago, brantuk said:

Started with a 150P on EQ3-2. Had it about 18mths and then upgraded to a CPC800. Eventually traded that one up to a CPC925, and had (or still have) just about every other scope type since. Currently exploring the joys of fracs, as well as fettling dobs.

Thats some serious coinage to  spend. Im not at that stage but the £700 for the SW200 doesnt seem to bad now

 

[estwing]

in the flesh...

[Danny83uk]

4 hours ago, Davey-T said:

First scope was a family hierloom, brass draw tube, probably about 40mm, the only thing that I could see through it was the Moon and Jupiter, views probably on a par with Galileo.

About 8 years old I guess, looked at American magazines with articles of guys making their own mirrors but it was only a dream.

Had some bin's also inherited but could never afford a "proper" scope until I started work, a Dixons special one that magnified 600X times 

Dave

Yea ive seen those insane magnification scopes. Had to warn off several people who had said "I'm looking at this, what you think?"

[estwing]

6 minutes ago, Danny83uk said:

Thats some serious coinage to  spend. Im not at that stage but the £700 for the SW200 doesnt seem to bad now

 

second hand on Astro Buy and Sell.....will save you lots of dosh

[Danny83uk]

5 hours ago, estwing said:

in the flesh...

That my friend is a beautiful piece of aperatus. Does the top barrel rotate so you can see it when at different positions?

 

 

[estwing]

here you go...http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=112539

[Danny83uk]

4 minutes ago, estwing said:

second hand on Astro Buy and Sell.....will save you lots of dosh

Im seriously looking at that SW200P GOTO on the FLO clearance

[Danny83uk]

2 minutes ago, estwing said:

here you go...http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=112539

Your not suppost to tempt me

[estwing]

 

[estwing]

cant get any easier to use can it?

[estwing]

spending other peoples money is a great pastime on here!!