Manual vs Goto Mount & Scope

[TerryMcK]

Either one of the SW Dobs is going to be good. If you are in a relatively darker site then go for the 250P as it truly is a light bucket.

[johninderby]

Yes the SW watcher dobs are good basic dobs although there are alternatives such as the Bresser dobs that come better equipped with better build quality but cost a bit more.

Edited September 5, 2020 by johninderby

[Stu1smartcookie]

7 hours ago, johninderby said:

Yes the SW watcher dobs are good basic dobs although there are alternatives such as the Bresser dobs that come better equipped with better build quality but cost a bit more.

Having owned both i would agree with you and  add that the bresser has a better focusser than the SW, but the base is a little low . Optically i think they are really similar . 

[johninderby]

There are solutions if you want a higher base for the Bresser. 😁

Warning DIY skills required. 😬

Edited September 5, 2020 by johninderby

[Mark at Beaufort]

If you want a higher base you can place the Dob on a Water Butt Stand. I use the Wickes version to get extra height with my 12" Dob.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Universal-Water-Butt-Stand/p/189521

[Stu1smartcookie]

44 minutes ago, johninderby said:

There are solutions if you want a higher base for the Bresser. 😁

Warning DIY skills required. 😬

From what ive seen on here , John , your DIY skills far outweigh anything i could do , or even contemplate..

 

[MathewRimmington]

Hi guys,

At the risk of re-igniting this discussion, I thought I'd share that my 200P has finally arrived. Only been able to use it once, but so far I'm blown away by the views. Managed to get a good look at Saturn, never seen it in so much detail before.

Mat

[KeithP22]

37 minutes ago, MathewRimmington said:

Hi guys,

At the risk of re-igniting this discussion, I thought I'd share that my 200P has finally arrived. Only been able to use it once, but so far I'm blown away by the views. Managed to get a good look at Saturn, never seen it in so much detail before.

Mat

Enjoy, clear skies.

[M40]

16 hours ago, MathewRimmington said:

Hi guys,

At the risk of re-igniting this discussion, I thought I'd share that my 200P has finally arrived. Only been able to use it once, but so far I'm blown away by the views. Managed to get a good look at Saturn, never seen it in so much detail before.

Mat

👍 My first "proper scope" was a 200P. Get a good app for the phone, take your Dob outside, plonk it down where you can see the object of your choice , line it up and away you go 👍 Probably the most important thing is to get the finder scope lined up as close as you can get it, you can do that at anytime during the day so clear skies not needed. Pick the furthest object you can see to line it up and try and leave the finder in position when you put it all away. If you are a clutz like me, you will knock the finder scope but do try not to. You don't have to worry too much about dew, if you can, leave your Dob safe in a shed, that way temperature won't be too much of a problem either. You will be surprised at how fast things move, so the clutch and bolt torque will give you a learning curve. 

I couldn't get on with the phone holders so didn't really try too hard at afocal photography but its well worth a go as I did get a few "lucky" shots, so that will dip your toe in the astrophotography field 🤣 or there are all sorts of adapters for your DLSR.

Enjoy

 

[Nicola Hannah Butterfield]

On 17/08/2020 at 20:33, mikeDnight said:

've lost count of the number of people who bought go-to because they thought it would make things easier

Worked for me

[Nicola Hannah Butterfield]

On 18/08/2020 at 10:55, Cosmic Geoff said:

makers assume that you will want GoTo on a heavy duty mount

Anything from a Eq6 up is probably intended towards a permanent mount, as they are not things you want to set up every day, and once set up the goto functions work well.

[Nicola Hannah Butterfield]

On 18/08/2020 at 11:53, Sunshine said:

I just love the simplicity and, ruggedness of my Vixen GP mount (manual). Having owned a couple of tracking mounts, i found they were fun for a period of time but, i soon grew tired of having to consider a heavy battery every time i wanted to use the scope. Aside from this, the noise was a game changer, finding myself cringing every time the scope slewed at 2 am in my back garden with neighbours windows just feet away was nerve wracking.

Seriously, it really is only audible within a small distance, try slewing from one side of the sky to the other nip inside, see if you can hear it.

[Nicola Hannah Butterfield]

On 18/08/2020 at 10:55, Cosmic Geoff said:

EQ-5,

found this really wobbly with my 200P scope, the NEQ6 mount is far better than any image stabilization on camera or phone lenses. there is a rule of thumb in photography (not trying to draw a comparison with AP), but a stable mount always gives a better image, so in this respect a dob is the best

[Gfamily]

13 minutes ago, Nicola Hannah Butterfield said:

Seriously, it really is only audible within a small distance, try slewing from one side of the sky to the other nip inside, see if you can hear it.

Hmmm, I have a Meade LS and I'm pretty sure it would be loud enough to be audible by the neighbours on a warm summer night if they had their windows open !

But Meades have a bit of a reputation for this.

Fortunately, it's one I only really use at star parties or out in the middle of nowhere these days. 

[globular]

13 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

I'm pretty sure it would be loud enough to be audible by the neighbours on a warm summer night if they had their windows open !

I cringe at the noise of my Celestron Evolution goto "coffee grinder" too - but at 10pm or so I just reduce the slew speed down to about 30% of max and it's nice and quiet and neighbour friendly.