Cheapest way for HA Observing - advice, Suggestions Requited

[skippyinspace]

OK Could be a how long is a piece of string question but being a Scot every penny is a prisoner and Im looking for some advice on the cheapest way to get into HA Solar Observing and advice on what I should be looking for. 

Starting points for discussion.

Budget - As little as possible 

Astrophotography - Yes

Portability - Yes

Easy to set up

Quick to set up

Pros and cons of entry level HA Scopes

Daystar solar scout  SS60

Lunts (Cant see any under £1K anymore)

PST (Rust problems? )

(Are the 3 brands / items above the same as comparing apples or are they all different)

Any websites, etc that I could be pointed towards for help in gaining further knowledge.

Anything else that should be in the mix

 

Thanks

 

Ian

[Steve Clay]

If you already have a good refractor how about a quark.

I have the chromosphere with an Ed80. Works really well.

Steve

[skippyinspace]

Its a thought but Im slightly worried about frying my Newtonian

[Ricochet]

16 hours ago, skippyinspace said:

Its a thought but Im slightly worried about frying my Newtonian

You wouldn't use a quark with a newt. Any obstructed telescope needs a full aperture objective filter as far as I am aware.

When I started considering buying a solar scope the new and relatively cheap Solar Scout looked like a good option, but the reviews I found didn't seem quite as good as for the Lunt scopes. Shortly after I saw a new Lunt LS50/B600 for a relatively low sale price and that sealed the deal. To get you going you'll also want the Televue solar finder, which is a perfect fit for the Lunt clamshell, and a dovetail so you can mount the telescope. Beyond the initial purchases, I think you really need to upgrade the focuser as well. Initially, I spent a lot of time messing around with the pressure tuner trying to get the best view. Once I upgraded the focuser, it became obvious that all of the problems were down to the slop in the stock focuser. I would also recommend upgrading with the double stack unit as it really improves the views. The downside of this is the cost. The cost of the telescope, double stack filter and dual speed feather touch focuser (slightly cheaper options are available) at new prices is something like £3200. If you wait for the Lunt sale (assuming they do it every year) that knocks maybe £200 off both scope and double stack so with the cheaper Moonlight focuser you would be looking at something around £2550. Either way it is a lot of money, especially considering the telescope is only usable on one target, but personally I haven't regretted spending it for a second. 

In terms of setup time it will really depend on how you store the scope. I bought a case for the scope that requires the finder and double stack filter to be removed for storage. This means that most of my setup time is unscrewing the lens cap from the telescope, unscrewing the rear cap from the double stack, screwing the double stack to the telescope, unscrewing the front cap from the double stack and then fitting the finder. If you were to store the scope completely assembled then setup time would be reduced to the time it takes to tighten the dovetail clamp on your mount (plus however long you choice of mount takes to set up).