Transporting Skywatcher 200P

[David Burgess]

I’ve just received my Skywatcher 200 and I knew that it was a big bit of kit but was surprised that it was even bigger than I thought. This is not a problem as it will be primarily used in my garden but I would obviously like to take it in the car from time to time to better observation sites and was wondering if people had any tips on how to ensure that you transport it without jarring it or doing anything else untoward. Also the instructions recommend setting up the finder alignment by looking at an object in daylight at least 500 metres distant and from my garden the only thing that would meet this distance criterion is a tree that is probably nearer 400 than the 500 mentioned. Does this make a difference or should I transport it somewhere before I start using it in anger where I can reliably target an object that is far enough away to achieve the correct alignment. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

[John]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

400m would be far enough to get a roughly accurate alignment of the finder. You can always "fine tune" it using a star at the beginning of a session.

Carrying the scope around just take care not to bash it and it should be fine.

If you take it on a car journey you will probably need to re-adjust the collimation of the primary and secondary mirrors again. Most likely the primary tilt because that is the heavier piece of glass.

I tend to tweak the finder alignment and check the collimation each time I start a session with my dobsonian. It only takes a couple of minutes.

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by John

[David Burgess]

Thanks John, much appreciated.