Bedroom astronomy

[Thalestris24]

41 minutes ago, ShaunyC said:

Got the chance of a 2nd hand telescope.... 150pds £190 looks like new in the box with wrapping on still.. Got the black dovetail bar tho, does that just me its an old model? 

Can also supply eq3-2 mount £120 which he says used just waiting on pictures.... 

I know its not the best combination bit heavy bit flimsy but have seen decent pictures done with same set up.... 

My main query is, is £310 for both a little bit too much considering I can wait till mid February and get a new set for £70 more? 

Should I go for it or not!?!? 

Thanks

Shaun

You can get a brand new one for £229 from FLO - with warranty! The eq3-2 isn't a motorised/goto mount. I wouldn't bother with it. For imaging, even a eq3-pro goto is a bit weak for loading it with a 150pds plus bits. I've said before you'd be much better off with a small frac on a eq3-pro, for example.

Louise

[ShaunyC]

36 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Have you looked at the for sale section on here.

Yea been scouring for weeks the buy and sell on here, flo clearance, astrobuysell, ebay, Facebook, gumtree, wholesalers... Even started to widen my search field to refractors of similar qualities to the pds's

[ShaunyC]

3 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

You can get a brand new one for £229 from FLO - with warranty! The eq3-2 isn't a motorised/goto mount. I wouldn't bother with it. For imaging, even a eq3-pro goto is a bit weak for loading it with a 150pds plus bits. I've said before you'd be much better off with a small frac on a eq3-pro, for example.

Louise

Lol... Snap, I just responded with msg about expanding search into fracs 👍

Edit: 120 startravel in particular I think

Apparently a thread I found on here someone saying they have similar usable apature of about 114mm I think.. After taking into actount the focuser tube and secondary mirror of the pds and the multicoated lenses of st

Edited January 15, 2021 by ShaunyC

[Thalestris24]

1 minute ago, ShaunyC said:

Lol... Snap, I just responded with msg about expanding search into fracs 👍

Edit: 120 startravel in particular I think

You don't want a Startravel - you want an ED Scope for imaging - a 72ED or 80ED

Louise

[ShaunyC]

1 minute ago, Thalestris24 said:

You don't want a Startravel - you want an ED Scope for imaging - a 72ED or 80ED

Louise

OK thank you I'll l add this to my list to look out for 👍 

So regards the pds for sale do you think its too close to rrp? Take away the mount/scope discrepancies.. I want to get shooting and can upgrade later if I go full flow at the hobby 👍

[Thalestris24]

16 minutes ago, ShaunyC said:

OK thank you I'll l add this to my list to look out for 👍 

So regards the pds for sale do you think its too close to rrp? Take away the mount/scope discrepancies.. I want to get shooting and can upgrade later if I go full flow at the hobby 👍

Well, why buy a second hand scope that you don't know much about, for £190 when you can get a brand new one for £229 with a warranty. Makes no sense to me! Get a new 72ED from Flo! Easy to handle, easy to guide. I mean you wouldn't buy an old Transit as a runaround town vehicle for two people when a Mini or a Fiesta would serve you better! With the wrong scope/mount combo you'll be wasting your time and money! Post a question on here in a separate thread - "should I get an old 150pds and an inadequate eq3-2 for imaging, or should I get an EQ3-Pro goto and a small ed frac?"

Louise

[ShaunyC]

Jst been and collected a new toy..... 

£250.. bought new last Feb still has years warrenty and even the receipt.. Looks mint

Well happy... 

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[AstroNebulee]

34 minutes ago, ShaunyC said:

Jst been and collected a new toy..... 

£250.. bought new last Feb still has years warrenty and even the receipt.. Looks mint

Well happy... 

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

What have you got? 

[ShaunyC]

150pds on eq3-2 mount  looks brand new... Only marks are on the dovetail and theres a new one of those in the box anyway.... 

I know someone's gona pipe up and say the 3-2 mount won't be enough but it seemed pretty sturdy.... And for me I think it's a good starting point at a reasonable price.... I can upgrade later if I fall head over heals for the hobby... 

When I get time I'm gona do some reaserch motorising it with rasbery pi and NEMA 17 motors, that looks interesting.... 

[Thalestris24]

1 hour ago, ShaunyC said:

Jst been and collected a new toy..... 

£250.. bought new last Feb still has years warrenty and even the receipt.. Looks mint

Well happy... 

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

It's a manual mount....

Louise

[ShaunyC]

Atm 😉😁

[Thalestris24]

Even with a motor upgrade it won't take the weight of the 150pds. In general, a mount's payload for imaging is taken as ~half the quoted max value. Without a camera and accessories, the 150pds is already too heavy for it. With motors it might be ok to mount just the camera. Even so, you won't have a computer interface hence no goto or guiding capability.

Louise

[Thalestris24]

One of these would have just about done you though an heq5 pro would have been much better.

Louise

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, ShaunyC said:

150pds on eq3-2 mount  looks brand new... Only marks are on the dovetail and theres a new one of those in the box anyway.... 

I know someone's gona pipe up and say the 3-2 mount won't be enough but it seemed pretty sturdy.... And for me I think it's a good starting point at a reasonable price.... I can upgrade later if I fall head over heals for the hobby... 

When I get time I'm gona do some reaserch motorising it with rasbery pi and NEMA 17 motors, that looks interesting.... 

I had a sw 150p (not pds) on eq3-2 mount and tripod with an RA motor and got some good images with my dslr, though never got it outside to properly polar align it, if I were you got a RA motor and see where you go from there, but I'm a newbie also but it did me well. These were taken through a window pane also, I'm all for pushing the limits on equipment to see what can be achieved. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by LeeHore7
Spelling

[ShaunyC]

1 hour ago, Thalestris24 said:

Even with a motor upgrade it won't take the weight of the 150pds. In general, a mount's payload for imaging is taken as ~half the quoted max value. Without a camera and accessories, the 150pds is already too heavy for it. With motors it might be ok to mount just the camera. Even so, you won't have a computer interface hence no goto or guiding capability.

Louise

 

1 hour ago, Thalestris24 said:

One of these would have just about done you though an heq5 pro would have been much better.

Louise

I apreciate that there is better mounts out there... But "one of these" alone was over what I was willing to spend.... I want a hobby not another debt... 

Lees pictures shows you don't need to spend a fortune to get something I would be proud of.... 

Its been mentioned several times in this thread that buying the most expensive gear possible isn't what it's all about.... 

And where would the expense stop? The hubble telescope? The James Web telescope..... 

I'm looking fwd to getting out with what I have and doing my best to get something half as decent as Lees photos.... 

And I've read a few posts on here about diy tracker goto on the 3-2 so nothings impossible 👌