Jump to content

Narrowband

How much for an old Skymax 127?


Recommended Posts

What would you consider to be a reasonable price for a Skymax 127 on the old goto mount, like the one here: https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-skymax-127-synscan-az-goto-telescope.html but with white end bits? I have the opportunity to buy one for £200, although there is a little repair on the accessory tray.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the glass, body, mount and electronics are in good order, that is what matters.

If you aren't happy with the tray repair you can perhaps improve on the repair for yourself? Pick up one from Astrobbot? Make one using a 3D printer?
A year or two back I was trialling some tripod mods for holiday use and bought a selection of accessory trays from Astroboot for not much money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The hand controller alone costs around £150 to replace new, so I’d say £200 all-in is a very good price. I’ve had precisely one of these set-ups myself as well, bought from RVO a couple of years ago, and liked it very much. I’d still have it if I hadn’t been offered a free swap for a skymax 150.

cheers Magnus

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went ahead and bought it!

It was a three hour round trip, but I got some observing in. Need to get my head around proper alignment, but just resigned to slewing tonight. Even with the naff eyepieces, Saturn looked gorgeous. There was a 2x barlow and a reasonably nice non-stock 12.5mm. Using these together gave a great view of Saturn - really clear Cassini's division and some cloud banding.  

Just need to figure out alignment and buy some good eyepieces. 

 

Was a bit cross with him about the damage to the accessory tray struts through. He'd got it all set up looking sturdy when I viewed it, but as soon as I came to assemble it at home it fell apart. I've wrapped some electrical tape around it for now.

 

These are the seller's pics.

image.thumb.png.991cc63ed490c9c92c7680ea88e784a8.pngimage.thumb.png.3c8e7b8dc2e6b80fff1e0555415ff94a.pngimage.thumb.png.3a557928bd33919825a178191539cdef.pngimage.thumb.png.3e4114eabdcf43a3bf34dc695383a4a6.png

image.png

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are more often older then you think. Not thats that much of a problem. I find it hard to know what currents specs are.  Black dovetail or green as the latest edition etc.   I’ve bought a green dovetailed version last month for my daughter, looked better then the black dovetailed version i own.  Found a 9 years old advertisement of this guy, who tried to sell that green dovetailed one in 2011😬. I think he decided to keep it for a while.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Steve. Yes that looks well worth the money. I am sure it will give lots of enjoyment.

I think on the strut damage (carefully hidden in the seller photos) you can sort it out for little money. But there doesn't seem to be any rush.
Wait for the weather to turn bad😁

David.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've fallen into it works well for me so I have bothered, my handset is on a 3. point version and I've not bothered to update it.

I would use what you have then consider if you want to upgrade so your initial enjoyment isn't at risk of the update having issues.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a great little scope and a very fair price. Think of the tripod accessory tray problem as an "opportunity to excel" and you'll feel happier sorting it yourself.

When I last had one, I replaced the tripod with one off an EQ3 mount, so I had to do some drilling and fiddling, and for me it was a worthwhile upgrade (but I kinda like to tinker with scopes, so I'm probably not typical).

Hope you enjoy using it and a great time to get it too, with Jupiter, Saturn and Mars all making appearances!

:) 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, nfotis said:

Check the second hand market if you want something quick. Maksutovs are very tolerant of eyepieces, compared to fast scopes.

I would suggest looking for something around 7-8mm for planetary observation.

N.F.

Yes - 7 or 8mm is exactly what I'm after. There's an X-CEL on astroboot at £40 currently which I'm tempted by.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.