Advice.

[moonsat]

Just joined the group i have been playing at this for a while now and just have a cheap supermarket Dobson 76/350 with a H20 mm and sr 4mm (What does the H and R mean ) i want to progress now to a better scope any advice ?

 

[dave34]

Welcome to the lounge.

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

[wulfrun]

Welcome to SGL. The H prefix probably means "Huygens" and the R in SR might be "Ramsden" but I'm not sure on that one. Both refer to the optical design IF that's what the manufacturer meant, which isn't certain. Take it with a pinch of salt.

[Tiny Clanger]

31 minutes ago, moonsat said:

Just joined the group i have been playing at this for a while now and just have a cheap supermarket Dobson 76/350 with a H20 mm and sr 4mm (What does the H and R mean ) i want to progress now to a better scope any advice ?

 

Welcome.

The 'H' means Huygens, which is a type of lens arrangement ,' SR; is Symmetric Ramsden  another one. Both are old designs, simple and cheap to make. I'd suggest you make a first , bargain upgrade to a more modern plossl design , these are easiest to use when in mm of about 12 or over, and can be had for around £25 . Something like a 15mm woild sit nicely between the ones you already have and show you what an improvement can be made . Like one of these https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials-eyepieces/astro-essentials-super-plossl-eyepiece.html

Some further reading on eyepieces for you here  and here

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL.

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun on the learning curve. 🙂

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL 

[Neil H]

Hi welcome to a big friendly family

[sloz1664]

Hi, and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[Waddensky]

On 02/03/2021 at 12:38, moonsat said:

Just joined the group i have been playing at this for a while now and just have a cheap supermarket Dobson 76/350 with a H20 mm and sr 4mm (What does the H and R mean ) i want to progress now to a better scope any advice ?

Hi, and welcome! Excellent explanations in this thread when it comes to the eyepieces. Both the Huygens and the Ramsden are fairly basic designs, and the 4 mm SR is next to useless (although my first wonderful telecope experiences were with one of these years ago!). If you'd like to progress to a better scope, you might consider a larger dobsonian, a 6" or 8". They usually come with plössl eyepieces, they are basic too but a lot better than the ones you have now.

Still, your next telescope also depends on your budget, primary observing targets and some other considerations as ability to lift weight and where you'd like to observe (back garden or required to travel). So, enlighten us, so we can help you - but above all - enjoy your stay! 🙂

[moonsat]

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian Telescope - Mint

Is this a decent one to buy it comes with a Super 10 and 25 eyepieces 25 says wide angle eye relief and it is under 300 £ hardly used

[johninderby]

It is a good scope but the eyepieces are cheap low end stuff. The 25mm is usable but the 10mm is poor and are usually replaced fairly soon. Think of the stock eyepieces as something to get you started.

A few weeks ago before the big price increase the scope sold for £299.00 or so new and could be picked up second hand for about £200.00 so it looks like the seller is trying to get what they paid for it if they are a private seller. However now they are bringing more now what with the price increase.

[Waddensky]

15 minutes ago, moonsat said:

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian Telescope - Mint

Is this a decent one to buy it comes with a Super 10 and 25 eyepieces 25 says wide angle eye relief and it is under 300 £ hardly used

Yes, excellent telescope. Those eyepieces are the plössls I mentioned. Not high-end of course but good enough to get started. Not familiar with the British prices on the used market but I'm sure others will chime in.

[Tiny Clanger]

21 minutes ago, moonsat said:

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian Telescope - Mint

Is this a decent one to buy it comes with a Super 10 and 25 eyepieces 25 says wide angle eye relief and it is under 300 £ hardly used

A good 'scope, but do be aware of the size and weight of the thing before making a decision !

[bingevader]

I agree with John, unless it was purchased very recently, then that does seem a lot for a second hand 200P!

 

[Tiny Clanger]

Those two eyepieces are the standard modified achromat (MA) ones supplied with many skywatcher 'scopes,  the 25mm is OK, the 10mm not. You woud want to upgrade the 10mm to something better at the very least

[johninderby]

The Svbony Super Plossls can be picked up cheap on eBay at the moment. They are actually pretty decent eyepieces despite the price.  

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SVBONY-Super-Plossl-Eyepiece-1-25-52-SPL-FMC-Eyepiece-for-Astro-Telescope-UK/392911234626?epid=4040205546&hash=item5b7b55a642:g:noQAAOSwxCZgM2ub

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SVBONY-1-25inc-SPL-Super-Plossl-Eyepieces-26mm-FMC-52-for-Astro-telescope-SV118/164266116070

Edited March 3, 2021 by johninderby

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi there and welcome. 

[Spile]

Yes the 200P is a great Dobsonian. That used price is more than I paid for a new one last year though 😞

I would get use to it before considering any upgrades but it was a very short time before I replaced the EPs and got a Telrad.

I've put my first impressions of the Skywatcher here and I would definitely recommend the finder safety harness.

 

[Waddensky]

10 minutes ago, Spile said:

I would definitely recommend the finder safety harness

This. I always wondered why it was designed this way.

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire  🙂