The history of my telescope collection - what’s yours?

[PeterW]

Good thing no-one has mentioned binoculars.... 😉

Peter

[Gina]

Can't remember what order I bought mine in but I started with a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ MD Newt but in which order I bought other scopes, I can't remember. I have a fair selection - mostly refractors.

[cloudsweeper]

5 minutes ago, Gina said:

Can't remember what order I bought mine in but I started with a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ MD Newt but in which order I bought other scopes, I can't remember. I have a fair selection - mostly refractors.

Same here, Gina - bought on an impulse at Curry's.  Didn't like it at all.  Swapped it for a Meade 70/700 (alt-az) which really got me started.  Then a 127 Mak on GoTo which  I should never have sold.  And so to the present stable of four (see sig).  

Future?  My next will be an ED127 on an iOptron AZ mount.  Plus a PST, and.......*dreaming on*

Doug.

[JeremyS]

Here’s my telescope history (dates given are approximate)

1.    60mm Tasco refractor aged 11, Xmas in 1973. Altaz yoke mount. 1 -inch eyepieces. Great performer – got me hook on astro for life. Sold after 2 years for:
2.    6-inch Fullerscopes reflector on MkIII eq mount. ‘A’ grade optics. Marvellous images. Sold on after 2 years for:
3.    10.25 inch truss tube Newtonian on fork EQ mount. My dad and I built 2 observatories for it. Sold in 1992 when I moved abroad
4.    3-inch achromatic refractor hand made by IR Poyser of Rochester. Bought in ~1987 after I moved into a tiny house after getting married. Crude, but good, let down by eq mount. Sold on after ~2 years
5.    C8 on Vixen Superpolaris mount and pedestal + Vixen Skysensor 3D computer. Custom assembled by Phil Stone of Superscopes of Bedford. Bought 1992 as I need something more portable when I moved to Belgium (then to Dubai, Singapore and back to UK). Used this when I first stared CCD imaging in 1996 onwards
6.    Ca 2000 bought Tak FS102 when in S’pore. Stunning performer. Best ever images of Mars during the 2001 perihelic opposition when the planet was overhead. Still have
7.    With a new dome in my permanent home back in the UK, aperture fever hit. I started with the FS102 but wanted more.2007 Orion Optics 20 cm new with 1/10 wave optics. Great performer, but I didn’t get on with the diffraction spikes. Sold on after ~1 year
8.    2007. C11. Light bucket for CCD photometry of variable stars. Still use this
9.    WO ZS66. Ca 2009. Lovely widefield views. Well built. Still have
10.    Tak FS60 C. Have 2 x (still)
11.    2018 Tak FC76 DCU. Optically perfect and splits into 2. Easily airline portable so joins me on lots of trips
12.    Pocket Borg 25 mm. The jewel in the Crown. Still have 🙂
13.    2017 C9.25. Mainly use for visual work, especially for outreach. Great for picking up faint and fuzzies. Jupiter and Saturn really impress the public…

What’s missing? High quality apo in the 5 to 6-inch range (anyone?)
 

Edited December 28, 2019 by JeremyS

[Benjam]

Here’s my telescope history and in no particular order.

 

April 2019 - 8” Celestron Edge HD. 
 

 

 

 

For my next scope, I would like either a RASA or the William Optics 2019 Zenithstar 73 II (Blue).

Edited December 28, 2019 by Benjam

[Rob Sellent]

In no manner has my own collection been as exhaustive or as profound as many of the other members'. My telescope history runs as:

Tal 100 - my first scope purchased about twenty years ago. Built like a tank, good optics and well corrected f/10 achromatic. To this day, I still consider it a fine first time scope. Worth more than any asking price the Russian gem was donated to charity in 2014.

TeleVue 76 - the little 3" is still arguably one of the most attractive scopes I've ever seen. Its primary function was for solar white-light but over the years I have grown to admire its night time capabilities: ease of use, swift cool down, compact, solidly built, with crisp, aberration free views.   

Lunt 60 B1200 - without doubt my most used scope. My astro-life changed with the Lunt. Now I could star gaze, sip on chilled cocktails and get a tan all at the same time. The revelation was more fundamental than the first time I viewed a faint fuzzy or Saturn at magnification.   

SkyWatcher 300p Skyliner - nice introduction to the universe 'Beyond Messier'. Decent aperture, quick set-up and good views. Sold in 2019.

SkyWatcher Mak 127 - everything about this scope I dislike. Weighty, long cool down dew magnet, narrow field of view, sloppy focus, mediocre optics. Will donate when appropriate charity/club hits my radar.

Celestron C8 - relatively light, compact and generally decent scope. However, it was sold on due to narrowish field, off axis aberrations, and uninspiring views.  

Ottiche Zen 10" Mirror Truss Dob - classic truss dob design, mirror from Italy. Solid, fluid, extremely compact offering outstanding views. If the Lunt is my most used scope this is probably my most travelled. It's been all over Spain and to France, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

Vixen FL 102s - absolutely stunning scope with incredible optics. The telescope staggered me at first light and hasn't let me down since.  

[RobertI]

Well clearly I haven't been trying hard enough!

7 hours ago, Stu said:

I would love to have a top notch 130mm triplet at some stage, AP or LZOS for example, a bit more manageable

You could always make @John an offer, I hear he is really fed up with his. 😉 Out of interest @Stu, you don't mention why you purchased any of your scopes - do you go through phases (you seemed to have an OO phase), or is to support your observing interests at the time, or do you buy when something interestibg comes along or do you just love trying out different scopes? I suspect the answer is all of the above!

[RobertI]

3 hours ago, PeterW said:

Good thing no-one has mentioned binoculars.... 😉

Peter

.....or eyepieces......or mounts!

[GavStar]

1) My first scope was a Celestron 6SE, purchased in 2012 after my childhood interest in astronomy had been rekindled after getting some binoculars for a Christmas present.

2) After that (and a fair bit of research on SGL) I soon (in early 2013) purchased a TV85 and got hooked on refractors. I still have the TV85.

3) The 6SE was soon exchanged for a skywatcher Equinox 120 but that got sold quickly once I got...

4) A Tak FC100DF in early 2014 when they were still a pretty unknown scope. I kept this lovely scope until just a few months ago when I sold it to a fellow Walton Austro club member in an effort to scale down the number of scopes I have.

5) Also in 2014 I got a Televue TV60 for an ultra portable option. This was sold a few years later since I wasn't very keen on the focused.

6) In 2016 I purchased some Kowa Highlander 85mm binoculars. I enjoyed using these, but after side by side comparison with the FC100DF and binoviewers I preferred the Tak and the Highlanders went pretty quickly.

7) Later in 2016, I purchased the newly launched Tak FC100DL to go alongside my DF. Being longer it was trickier to mount than the DF and the views were very similar so when I subsequently purchased some larger refractors the DF stayed and the DL went.

 

 8 ) In late 2016, I got a bit of aperture fever and made a significant jump to a TEC 140 - a lovely scope, so good in fact that I later upgraded it to something even bigger...

9) In 2017 I got into solar observing and purchased first a lunt 35mm (still got it)

10) And then a lunt 60mm (also still got it but now with doublestack filter)

11) I understood that Astro-Physics scopes were effectively not obtainable new, but in May 2017, a random internet search brought up that an Italian dealer, Skypoint, had a brand new 130GTX in stock so I took the plunge with the idea that I would compare with the TEC and sell the one I was less keen on. The AP is still with me - a very impressive and surprisingly portable scope.

12) I sold my Tak FC100DL shortly after getting the AP 130GTX, and then saw an opportunity to purchase the CFF 160mm F6.5. Unfortunately this scope was a disappointment given the price, it was badly out of collimator on arrival, had a noticeable ding on the OTA under the dewshield and generally I wasn't happy with the build quality relative to my TEC and AP so it went back to the dealer immediately for a full refund.

13) After the disappointment with the CFF, I decided to stick with my preferred companies and upgraded my TEC140 to a TEC160FL in late 2017 - an amazing scope which I always enjoy using and luckily I have reached my limit in terms of size of refractor ...

14) After thinking I was finished for telescope purchases, I purchased some night vision monoculars which had a big impact in terms of my scope preferences. I wanted some 'portable' aperture and decided to take a risk and get a C11 in early 2018 (the first non refractor purchase since my very first scope in 2012). It provides great views of galaxies and smaller nebulae and remains a much used scope for me.

 

15) I then embarked on a mission to get very widefield views. First I got a TS Optics 72mm.

16) Followed by a little Altair 60mm (which has much better focuser my previous TV60 and gives just as good views).

17) And finishing with a 72mm Altair which is basically the same as the TS Optics 72mm but with better mechanicals (TS got sold as a result)

18) Back onto the Night Vision theme, I purchased my third reflector in October 2018  - a Tak Epsilon 130d. A nice scope which worked well with NV but in the end I preferred refractors for widefield NV use and so it got sold a few months ago.

19) I really like my tv85 as a travel scope but just wanted a bit more aperture for future trips to the Canary Islands. Although indicated as being unavailable, I called Baader and discovered that you can still order a Bader Travel Companion 95mm f5.9. Mine arrived in late 2018 after a 9 month wait. This is a beautiful scope and made me feel comfortable selling my Take FC100DF.

20) The success of the C11 and night vision combo had prompted a bad case of aperture fever, which resulted in the purchase of a SkyVision 16 inch go to DOB. The sheer size of this scope was a bit of a shock to me and initially I found it a disappoint. However, I've now got more used to it and it resides at my dark site so is more convenient to use. Hopefully to have some fun with this on galaxies and Orion in the new year.

 

21) Then to challenge the Baader 95mm to my preferred travel scope role, an Astro-Physics 92mm Stowaway arrived in late 2018  shortly after launch courtesy of the Italian dealer, Skypoint, again.

22) I am so pleased with my standard C11, I purchased a Edge C11 which has turned out to be more of the same, but better.

23) My most recent (and final?) purchase is a Tak FSQ85 to replace my Epsilon 130d as a portable Night vision scope. The fsq85 is petzval and so gives lovely sharp stars to the edge of the fov (where I do get some fc with my other smallish refractors).

A pic of my refractors together (except the fsq85)

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by GavStar

[Stu]

2 hours ago, RobertI said:

Well clearly I haven't been trying hard enough!

You could always make @John an offer, I hear he is really fed up with his. 😉 Out of interest @Stu, you don't mention why you purchased any of your scopes - do you go through phases (you seemed to have an OO phase), or is to support your observing interests at the time, or do you buy when something interestibg comes along or do you just love trying out different scopes? I suspect the answer is all of the above!

First thing is that the list of scopes is not necessarily in order so these scopes have been owned over a period of time ie I didn't have all the OO scopes in succession.

I do love trying out different scopes, but also recognise that finances wax and wane and have always been prepared to sell scopes when other priorities arise. Sometimes I re-buy scopes that I had to sell as I feel there is unfinished business with them eg 120ED and OMC140.

The FC100 was a bit of a spoiler in some ways, in that it is so portable and capable that it replaced scopes from 80 to 120mm for me. I really enjoy the small size and light weight which makes it much more useable for me.

The Genesis I kept trying because of reports of good high power performance that didn't match my previous experience, and finally the last example does live up to that reputation.

My health has also dictated changes in scope choice, particularly for heavier scopes when my back has been bad; the 12" dobs went for those reasons. The Sumerian Alkaid meets that need although it has compromises, they are ones I'm happy to accept.

Generally I've bought and sold with minimal losses, although a couple of them I have had to take hefty mark downs to shift them on.

Oh, and I think i have already indicated to John that I would be interested the 130mm if he ever decides to move it on

 

[RobertI]

2 hours ago, GavStar said:

in an effort to scale down the number of scopes I have.

I would say you have failed! Lovely detailed history and background first light reports. I love 'wheel' on the TEC160 - something usually seen on massive observatory refractors of old. Some legendary refractors in your collection, nice to see them all laid out together. I've enjoyed your NV reports on SGL, I seem to remember the C11 produces excellent results for NV (different story for visual I would imagine). 

[PeterW]

The view of m42 with the c11 very focal reduced with NV recently was memorable for sure!

Peter

[Mark at Beaufort]

I have been trying for a few days to remember the various scope that I have owned.

• 1965 - a 60mm refractor made in Japan - last used showing Halleys Comet then sold
• 1967? - a 6" Wooden Tube Newt - too heavy although I found later that it had a Jim Hysom mirror
• 1999 - after many years away from Astronomy I bought a 5" Celestron Nexstar goto SCT - sold
• dates are now difficult - William Optics 66 - lovely small frac - which I had kept it
• PST - bought for the Annular Eclipse Spain 2005 - still use it but have added a double stack
• 10" Skywatcher Flextube - saw more DSOs than any other scope - sold
• Astrotech 4" ED  frac - lovely scope - can't believe I sold it
• 6" Celestron SCT - bought from Hinds as a brilliant deal - sold
• 6" Meade Achro frac - really too heavy for my alt/az mount - sold
• 80mm Towa f/15 frac - always wanted this scope but did not enjoy it - sold
• Skywatcher 180mm Mak/Cass - sold
• Skywatcher 150mm P-DS Newt - used this scope side by side with @John at a SGL star party - only sold because of the next item
• Orion VX8 Newt - lovely scope - should not have sold it.
• Orion VX6L - lovely Newt - too many scopes so sold it.
• Opticstar 80mm frac - again too many scopes - sold
• Altair Astro 72mm APO frac - lovely little scope - sold
• Relevation 12" Dob - still have it - great light bucket
• Skywatcher Heritage 130P - my grab and go - still have it
• Finally missed my Orion VX8 so bought a Skywatcher  150P from @AdeKing at a SGL star party. Still have it - used for outreach

So a number of scopes, some of which in hindsight I wish I had kept.

[knightware2]

This thread brings back some happy memories. As I have thought about my own history, it seems I don't like getting rid of telescopes!

• C8 - To see Comet Halley and fulfill a childhood dream of having a telescope.
• 8" Homemade Dob - Fulfilling another childhood dream of grinding a mirror and building a telescope. Still use this one.
• Sold C8. Sad to see it go, but the 8" Dob has better optics.
• 20" f/5 Dob - Built by Tectron (USA) and eventually rebuilt by me. Excellent views but ultimately too heavy and required a ladder (which my knees did not like).
• Fujinon 16x70 binoculars. Viewed Comet Hyakutake through a friend's Fujinons and was hooked. Still use these on a parallelogram mount.
• Sold 20" Dob to a friend. Very sad to part with it.
• 14.5" f/4.5 Dob - Built by Teeter's Telescopes (USA). Wonderful telescope customized for me by Rob Teeter; still use this one.
• Leitz 7x50 binoculars - Inherited these and restored them. This 1945 model has excellent optics; still use these.

Just think, if the clouds ever clear, I could use some of these!

- Phyllis

[Piero]

Compared to some of the previous posts, the history of my telescopes is rather simple and short!

My first telescope was a Celestron 114mm f8 bought in 1998. I observed with that instrument for about 4 years. Due to moving to a new house, then university, then moving to a new country, I didn't observe for years, until early 2014. At the time I visited an observatory in Northumberland and regain interest in astronomy. I decided to get a 15x70 bins first and then a TV-60. The latter served me for a few years until I decided to get a Tak 100. This year, i finally bought a 12" dobson.

In Italy I have a 8" f6 Skywatcher Dobson which I use when visiting that country. 

Last summer I bought and quickly sold a Lunt 50Tha. I was not particularly impressed by this telescope, and for some reason by h-alpha in general. 

As for eyepieces, I am not particularly curious in trying new equipment. I am comfortable with a simple but functional set. I have found that I like a focal ratio of F6-ish. This also helps keep one eyepiece set. 

After much thought, I decided to let all my 1.25" equipment go, with the exception of my Nikon zoom, Baader Q 2.25x and possibly 24 Pan, to be used with the 8" dob in Italy.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Piero

[mikeDnight]

My interest in all things astro began long before any telescope arrived on the scene. As a small child I was fascinated by programs like Fireball XL5. I remember being woken by my dad and standing in my little striped pyjamas in front of a blazing coal fire, watching the moon landing in 1969 in black & white. I was 7years old. Around that time I remember my first, lone, astro expedition, where after I'd noticed a crescent moon in the south west while looking from my bedroom window, I thought I'd walk down the road until I saw the moon from beneath rather than from the side. It seemed logical to me that if i could see it from underneath, it would look like a cheese triangle. Thick or what!? Anyway, suffice it is to say I never managed to get beneath the moon.

In 1979, while traversing the no man's land that was later to become the M65 motorway, (I made this journey every night to visit my girlfriend), id be transfixed by the sheer blackness of the night sky and the brilliance and beauty of the stars. I bought a little observers book of astronomy by Patrick one saturday morning, and the following weekend i bought Guide to the Moon. I read that book from front to back in six and a half hours without moving. Life for me was never the same after that. From then on its been as if astronomy was flowing through my blood. It's an illness!

My first telescope was a 60mm Astral refractor which I bought in 1980 from Dixon's for £130.00. 

In 1983 I bought a 4" F10 achromat from a local telescope manufacturer, but it wasn't the best. It had some false colour issues, so in 1986 I bought my first really serious scope, a 4" F13 Vixen achromat. That was a great scope!

During my stint at university I sold my Vixen to fund text books, (I told you I was thick!), and very quickly began to miss my Vixen. I somehow ended up with a 6" F15 Schmidt Cassegrain made by the same manufacturer who made the iffy 4" achromat. It too wasn't up to much. So in 1999 I bought a 120mm Helios Achromat. That was a nice scope, and after being starved of a good scope for a few years I soon fell in love with it. 

Then came a 150mm Helios Achromat, at which point I felt I'd reached my goal of owning a big refractor. But that didn't last long.

2003 saw a Takahashi FS128 fall through my letterbox

2007 a Takahashi FS152.

2008 a TVNP101

2009 a SW 120ED followed by a SW 120Equinox ED, followed by a SW100 ED, and yet another SW 120 Equinox ED.

Then back to Takahashi in March 2015 when I bought a Takahashi FC100DC. And that's where I've stayed ever since. Just the one beautiful little fluorite refractor.

Oh I almost forgot, I've also got the loan of a 10" F6.3 Dob.

 

[kirkster501]

I have converged now on my TEC140, a Meade 14" ACF, FSQ85 and a 12" Dob.

Bought CPC1100 from new.  Great scope.  Sold and wish I kept it.

Bought a SW ED80 used  and kept concurrently with CPC1100- sold when upgraded to FSQ85.

Bought 12"Dob Goto.  - keeper.  Heavily modded it.

Bought FSQ85 and reducer.   Under review whether I keep it.  I'm more interested in prime DSLR lenses nowadays for wider field.

Bought RC8.  Great scope but sold it - too fiddly (IMO)

C925 for travel on my NEQ6.   Keeper I think for now.  Will review.

Bought TEC140 - keeper.  This is my favourite scope.

Bought Meade 14".  Keeper for now.  Planets are so poorly placed I am not using it as much as I thought I would do and skies where I live not dark enough to do it justice.

 

[MattJenko]

All the secrets coming out. Must limit the visibility of this thread.

1: Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ. Purchased with my wife as we lived out in countryside and wanted to give astronomy a go after years of little interest. Rapidly hooked. Sold.

2: Skywatcher ED80. Bought as a move into imaging was inevitable. Eventually sold after years of loving use. Regret letting it go. Not that I want this model again, I just want this particular scope back!

3: ST80. What a scope. Arguably the most used scope in my whole collection. Has guided pretty much everything.

4: Skywatcher 250px. Sometimes you just have to see for yourself!

5: Altair Astro RC6. Awesome purchase as an ex display from AA at Kelling. Best astro bargain ever.

6: Altair Astro Starwave 60. Despite my best efforts, we sucked as a couple and this one moved on.

7: Altair Astro Wave 115. Bought off a lovely chap down Gatwick way. Now my main instrument. Not letting this go.

8: TS60ED. This scope makes me smile. Keeper.

9: Takahashi Mewlon 180. Bought just because someone was selling it and I wanted something classy. That it is. Imaging with it is "interesting", but the views, my god the views!

TBC...

Edited May 2, 2020 by MattJenko
numbering fail

[RobertI]

10 hours ago, MattJenko said:

All the secrets coming out. Must limit the visibility of this thread.

1: Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ. Purchased with my wife as we lived out in countryside and wanted to give astronomy a go after years of little interest. Rapidly hooked. Sold.

2: Skywatcher ED80. Bought as a move into imaging was inevitable. Eventually sold after years of loving use. Regret letting it go. Not that I want this model again, I just want this particular scope back!

3: ST80. What a scope. Arguably the most used scope in my whole collection. Has guided pretty much everything.

4: Skywatcher 250px. Sometimes you just have to see for yourself!

5: Altair Astro RC6. Awesome purchase as an ex display from AA at Kelling. Best astro bargain ever.

6: Altair Astro Starwave 60. Despite my best efforts, we sucked as a couple and this one moved on.

7: Altair Astro Wave 115. Bought off a lovely chap down Gatwick way. Now my main instrument. Not letting this go.

8: TS60ED. This scope makes me smile. Keeper.

9: Takahashi Mewlon 180. Bought just because someone was selling it and I wanted something classy. That it is. Imaging with it is "interesting", but the views, my god the views!

TBC...

Nice history Matt. Shame I never got to properly try the 250px when you lent it to me 🙁 Interesting to hear about how good the Mewlon is visually. How does it compare to the 250px?

[MattJenko]

11 hours ago, RobertI said:

Interesting to hear about how good the Mewlon is visually. How does it compare to the 250px?

Hi Rob,

To my eyes, its got better contrast, tighter stars and just has an overall crisper feel to the views. Its way more tunnel visioned given the different optical characteristics. The 250px is brighter with the huge aperture advantage, and I use it more than the Mewlon as its a Dob, and I have yet to get a simple AltAz for the Mewlon, but whether its imperfect collimation or something else with the 250px, I just think the views through the Mewlon do it for me. My first light report still holds true : Mewlon First Light

 

 

 

[RobertI]

58 minutes ago, MattJenko said:

Hi Rob,

To my eyes, its got better contrast, tighter stars and just has an overall crisper feel to the views. Its way more tunnel visioned given the different optical characteristics. The 250px is brighter with the huge aperture advantage, and I use it more than the Mewlon as its a Dob, and I have yet to get a simple AltAz for the Mewlon, but whether its imperfect collimation or something else with the 250px, I just think the views through the Mewlon do it for me. My first light report still holds true : Mewlon First Light

 

 

 

Nice first light report Matt, sorry I missed that (now four years ago 😲). Hope you're getting out under the stars. 

[dweller25]

Here are mine......

1985 - Astro Systems (Bedford) 8.5" F/5 Newtonian - A brilliant first scope - should have kept it - sold
1986 - Beacon Hill 6" F/8 Newtonian - Hinds optics, very nice but kids came along so no time - sold
2007 - Celestron 102SLT refractor - not really good at anything - sold
2008 - Celestron C9.25 SCT - very disappointing - sold
2008 - TAL 125R - very nice but too much CA - regretfully sold
2008 - Skywatcher 127 Maksutov - a bit too small - sold
2008 - Skywatcher 8" F/6 Dobsonian - superb optics - should never have sold it - sold
2009 - Skywatcher 120ED refractor - pinched optics - returned
2009 - Takahashi TSA102 refractor - 4" perfection - KEEPER
2009 - Helios 6" F/8 refractor - too much CA - sold
2009 - Takahashi FS128 refractor - superb scope - KEEPER
2010 - Celestron C102ED refractor - excellent lightweight travel scope - should have kept it - sold
2010 - Skywatcher 180 Pro Maksutov - would not cool down - sold
2010 - Skywatcher 8" F/6 Dobsonian - disappointing optics - sold
2010 - Skywatcher 10" F/5 Dobsonian - superb optics but this scope did my back in, otherwise a keeper - sold

2012 - Takahashi Mewlon 210 - this brand new scope from Tak Europe was actually three years old! and had bad mirror shift - returned
2012 - Celestron C8 SCT - Nice optics but the OO 8" was better - sold
2012 - Orion Optics 8" F/6 Dobsonian 1/10th wave - superb optics - Sadly sold as it bothered my back.
2013 - Intes Micro 715 Maksutov - Superb optics - views match the FS128 - relatively light/compact - KEEPER

2014 - Orion Optics OMC200 F/20 Maksutov - Carbon fibre beauty - would not cool down - sold

2014 - Lunt 60 H-Alpha solar scope - always at work when the Sun came out! - sold

2014 - Skymax 127 Maksutov - still a bit too small! - sold

2017 - Tal 100RS - objective tilted, focuser tilted, sold with full disclosure.

2018 - Celestron C6 - VERY light and when wrapped in reflectix is truly grab and go.

2019 - TS 152mm Classical Cassegrain - challenging to collimate but once done it is very sharp and does not dew up 🙂

[cloudsweeper]

Good thread!

2015 - Astromaster 130 Newt on Eq MD - impulse buy from a Currys store - never liked it, so hardly used it (didn't know what I was doing!) - got rid, for:

2015 - Meade Infinity 70 frac on Altaz - really got me going, passed to family member, and rapidly on to:

2015 - Celestron Nexstar 127 GoTo Mak - lovely 'scope, grab 'n' go, foolishly sold, but then:

2016 - Celestron Nexstar 8SE GoTo SCT - fine instrument, a keeper.  Fancied another grab 'n' go, so:

2016 - Skywatcher ST120 frac on Altaz - a nice widefield grab 'n' go 'scope, later sold on, but aperture fever kicked in, so:  

2018 - Bresser 10" Dob - worried about collimation issues, soon realised unfounded - love it, a keeper.  Fancied an RFT/Guidescope, so:

2019 - Exp Sci ED80 Apo Triplet - goes on AZ4, GoTo, and SkyTee II - love it, another keeper.  Learning so much more, fancied a slow frac:

2020 - Bresser AR 127L frac - a beast, but easily manageable on the SkyTee II.  Great characteristics, another keeper.  But a good grab 'n' go was called for, so:

2020 - Bresser AR 102S frac - SkyTee II or AZ4 - fits the bill perfectly, another keeper.  

So five remain, and that's it........(Did someone mention solar?)

And a pair of stock EPs with the latest Bressers got me into Binoviewing, and what a joy that is.  Next stop, more EPs for doubling up!

Doug.

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by cloudsweeper

[bingevader]

Hadn't noticed this thread before!

Mine is simple, over the past 20 years I have had 2!

etx90 and SW 8" dob.

[AstroFin]

Here's my list. Because in this hobby it's very easy for equipment to start collecting dust, I've tried to limit myself to only 2 telescopes at a time. If I want something bigger, I can always use the equipment of my local observatory. 🙂

2008 - Sky-Watcher Skymax 102 - My first telescope. An excellent instrument for observing planets and the Moon. Taught me so much about the night sky. Memories of staying outside for hours during those cold February nights just to see Saturn still make me smile. I hated the EQ-2 mount, though. Had it had a sturdier mount, I might have kept it.  

2010 - Celestron CPC 800 - My current telescope. I've had this for 10 years now, still works like a dream. The mount is so sturdy that you can lean on it. Goto is spot on. Great for almost everything, I've even taken some pretty decent deep sky images with it. This scope is often taken to dark sky sites, it's compact and easy to carry. I've upgraded the focus knob and installed a DIY built-in dew heater. 

2015 - Celestron Firstscope 76/300 mini Dobsonian - Bought this just to see how well it would perform. Terrible spherical aberration. Didn't like it so I gave it away.

2017 - Sky-Watcher Startravel 80 - My first refractor that was given to me by a friend. A very capable scope for it's price range. Eventually sold it because I didn't have a proper mount for it.

2019 - Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED - My first ED scope. Suberb optics in a lightweight package and for a very reasonable price. Great for both visual and astrophotography. The first light was during a lunar eclipse last summer. A keeper for sure!