Problems setting up new SW130P

[Nads75]

Hello, 

I have bought my daughter a Telescope for Christmas.  The skywatcher 130p.

I have tried to set it up using instructions and I am at a complete loss :(

I have watched online videos but I still cant see anything, day or night.

there are so many dials I just have no idea what to point where.  Please can you help a novice in Wales.

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

The best advise would be to follow the instruction manual. If you can't see anything I would suggest that you do not have it focused. Best to try it in daylight by looking at a distant object - NOT THE SUN.

Peter

[banjaxed]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Setting up a telescope can be a bit daunting to a beginner but with practise and patience it is a very rewarding hobby. I would agree with Peter that you should follow the instructions and also try adjusting the focuser both ways and try to get your eye acclimatised to viewing through a lens. Also make sure you use the 25 or 20mm eyepiece and check you have removed any lens caps.

[Aramcheck]

Which mount is it on? (The 130p is available with manual EQ / AZ, Dobsonian and GoTo mounts).

We started out on the similar Skywatcher 130 EQ-2 just over a year ago. Personally, I'd largely forget the dials. The RA/Dec were not accurate enough to use and the Altitude one was out by approx 4 degrees (The RA/Dec were however useful in getting the scope roughly aligned in the start position).

As @PeterCPC and @banjaxed say, try to see if you can see something in the distance in daytime (obviously not pointing anywhere near the sun), using the lowest magnification eyepiece and having removed the cap from the front of the scope. Once you've managed to focus on something in the distance (which will appear upside down), you'll then need to align the red dot finder - probably done when it gets dark or at dusk.

Once you have the red dot finder aligned to the tube, it will be easier to find objects in the night sky, but in my experience with an Explorer 130, I found that replacing it with a Telrad and a 9x50 right angled viewfinder made it easier to use. (When I upgraded a few months back I got a 130pds and a 200pds OTA & found that on the 130pds I needed to use a 9x30 viewfinder & Rigel Quickfinder, due to space & balance problems)

Hope you have success... The first outings with our 1st scope were quite fraught... try looking at the moon once you have the focus issue sorted!

Cheers
Ivor

[joe aguiar]

just in case is the dust cap off? and the open tube is pointed outward right?

if that correct yes try it on a distant building etc.

with everything we have that auto focus a lot people are not used to manual focusing as that's a lost art.

joejaguar