Skywatcher Heritage 130P, now TOTALLY hooked!

[steve wiz]

Hi Guys

 I have recently got the above along with 3  BST Starguider EP's and a x2 Barlow upgrade.

Absolutely love it! so fascinating. My Teenage Son also loves it and is very interested, I want to get him a scope for his up coming Birthday. I understand now that Aperture is everything, more light the better. What would be an upgrade from the great scope I already have? Problem is, as much as I like the Dobsonian for its convenience, I see the Skywatcher 150 and 200 are massively bulk and heavy, is there any alternatives? I'm open to any suggestions, I will say I would prefer something without any motors, fully manual operation. Interested in Deep space objects and planets.

      Many Thanks Guys.

   

[billyharris72]

Glad you're enjoying the scope - I think at that size there isn't a better scope on the market, at any price (happy to be corrected if anyone has one). The price being riduculously good is an added bonus of course.

You're right about aperture, and this is why, if you do want a significant upgrade, you will need to bite the bullet on size. There just isn't a better option that isn't significantly bulkier. To see a real improvement over what you have I'd skip the 150 and go straight to 200mm in a Newtonian (where a Dob is the easiest option). They're a bit of a faff, but surprisingly portable when you get used to it (at least for back garden use or car travel - I wouldn't go hiking with one!). 

A Schmidt or Maksutov cassegrain could be a less bulky alternative in terms of the tube, but you'll lose both field of view and (a little) in terms of optical performance (again, skip the 150mm - the 130 Hertiage is optically the equal of Skywatcher's 150mm Mak even on planets, and is better on everything else). Also, by the time you mount it it's not really less bulky. I'd say the same for a refractor - you'd need at least a 120mm ED, to equal or surpass the Heritage, both bulky and expensive.

If it were me, I'd consider a bigger Dob or sticking with the (very capable) scope you already have for now. In terms of a present that is astro focused, what about a good set of binoculars?

Billy.

[happy-kat]

You might like to do the messier 100 and the lunar 100 with your heritage, that will keep you busy for some time.

[happy-kat]

I would look to tripod mount the heritage tube and then take it to a dark location to see more with what you have.

[Sky-searcher]

Glad you like the heritage Steve. It’s a great little scope & there is a lot you can do to improve on it. The problem with upgrading, is you will be looking at getting something much more bigger, heavier & costing considerably more. I would use the heritage a little bit more & think about what matters to you ( portability, storage, setup time, etc ). The heritage is good at all of them. Going bigger means you’re setup times are longer, cooling of the scope takes longer & the misses in your ear about the mass of equipment stored in the house 😂. A larger dobsonion maybe the best next step, ( cost effective & good all rounder) but big to move & store. You maybe better getting a Mak127 as next scope to work along with heritage. The planetary & lunar views fantastic, but not much use on DSO. You could also mount it on the heritage dob base at 1st before you look at what mount you would like ( another mine field ). There’s a lot to take in, give it a lot of thought before you make the next step. Thanks Andy 

[Nyctimene]

Fully agree with  the replies of Billy, happy-kat and Andy. Learn to use your excellent scope - it will give you years of pleasure before you really need to upgrade; so resist the "aperture fever". I'd try to complete the 130 P with accessories as e.g. a UHC filter (Astronomik), as well as a decent star atlas (Pocket Sky Atlas), a red/white dimmable torch, smartphone apps as SkySafari ("Plus" version will do) and LunarMap HD. Then get some experience at your location (where?) and under really dark skies. Try to visit a star party and have a look at and through other scopes, before you decide to upgrade. Binoculars 8X40 or 10x50 are an excellent suggestion as a birthday gift.

Enjoy the journey!

Stephan

[steve wiz]

Thanks for the replies Fella's.

I was VERY close to buying the Skywatcher 200 Dob, again, just the shear bulk size put me off...And when I showed the Home Secretary she said..'Where are you gonna put that'!!!...I had Two answers for her in mind put keep my lips sealed!

She hasn't actually looked through my Heritage yet, so im hoping once she does, size wont matter! and she too will be hooked, that's when I bag the 200...Up here for thinking...Down here for dancing!

[Nyctimene]

2 hours ago, Sky-searcher said:

It’s a great little scope & there is a lot you can do to improve on it

Have a look at the huge thread on the CloudyNights forum (148 pages!); the OneSky Newtonian is identical with the 130 P Flextube:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/463109-onesky-newtonian-astronomers-without-borders/

and the overview concerning improvements:

Mods thus far:

• PTFE Tape on Focuser Threads (a.k.a. Teflon Tape)
• Light Shroud
• Staple Shim on Red Dot Finder
• Super Simple Tripod 2x4
• DIY Tripod Spreader
• Printed Azimuth Circle
• Digital Angle Gauge
• NexYZ Smartphone Adapter

Edited May 27, 2019 by Nyctimene

[eifionglyn]

On 27/05/2019 at 13:43, steve wiz said:

I was VERY close to buying the Skywatcher 200 Dob, again, just the shear bulk size put me off...And when I showed the Home Secretary she said..'Where are you gonna put that'!!!...I had Two answers for her in mind put keep my lips sealed!

 

They're not *that* big - have you seen one in the flesh (in the metal?)

The base of the 200 (and the 250 if I remember right - I've had both) fits with room to spare on a 600 x 600mm paving slab, and they're about four or five foot tall. Could be squeezed in a corner or behind a sofa somewhere. Certainly less of a storage issue than anything that sits on a tripod (assuming you're not collapsing the tripod every time). As for Home Office approval - it's always better to seek forgiveness than permission!

The 250 was about the limit for what could be shifted about the garden by one person. It also comes in a flextube version which is more compact to store - but heavier. The 200 is easy - often didn't bother taking the tube off the rocker box, just carry the entire thing out in one go. 

I have the heritage and a 102 mak at the moment - just getting back into the hobby. If I find by the winter I'm getting good use of them I'll definitely be adding an 8 or 10 inch dob to the collection. Probably an 8 - they seem to come up for sale more often, but I do remember the 10 showing me stuff the 8 couldn't - from my skies anyway. I have an ebay alert set should one come up for a good price locally.

Jupiter is nearing opposition if you want to impress the Home Sec. Bright, but annoyingly low in the sky in the south east after sunset.

[steve wiz]

Hi,

This is a great post, very informative, its also very interesting that you carry the 200 fully assembled, that would be my idea too.

  Thanks.

[cletrac1922]

Steve

I have Skywatcher 250mm collapsible Dob

Out couple of times per month with my club doing presentations primary schools/ joeys, cubs, scouts groups

Easy to transport and store

Just separate to carry 

You can go the 200mm  and will not lose much compared to the 250

Attached pic taken at recent public viewing night

200mm is in background

You can also use the Dob for solar viewing

The hard plastic lid has removable cap

Cap fits over other detent for storage

Sticky tape some visual baader solar film under side of lid, over the whole

Place above secondary mirror, of have collapsible Dob

John

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2019 by cletrac1922