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Bit of a quandry between 3 scopes - advice & opinion sought


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After reading through lots of posts and speaking to the great folks @FLO, I'm still in a bit of a quandry over my first large scope purchase.

My interest is mainly visual and all-round interest - some planets, galaxies, nebulae etc. A wide range until I can narrow down my interest more. I have a WO 73 III for imaging

I love the appeal of grab and go astronomy and hence my thoughts have largely been in 'fracs. I am torn between a used Meade 6000 115 ED triplet and a new Altair Starwave Accent 115 ED Triplet. The Meade is a bundle with case, diagonal, 25mm lens and finder - the Altair is the OTA alone. However, I can use the guidescope from the WO 73 III and also the WO diagonal and 12mm BST Starguider for it. Case I'm not worried about.

 

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I love the lesser cooldown in the fracs and the general ease of living with.

However, my third choice is the StellaLyra Classical Cassegrain 6" from FLO. The only concerns I have here are the maybe narrower useage - its more a planets and narrowfield use and also requires more 'management' in potential collimation and cooldown, dew shield etc etc. The cost is a LOT less than the fracs but when you add things like an extra dovetail, balance counterweight etc on it's not going to be that much cheaper overall. The Stella however does have the advantage of higher potential magnifications and might stir a lot of interest in planetary observing...?

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Thoughts and opinions HUGELY welcome as I am really stuck as to what route to take.

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Edited by StarWomble
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The classical cassegrain is open tube so cooldown is not going to be an issue, especially for a 6 inch mirror. Dew should not be a problem either. I have used a 6 inch Newtonian in winter and had no problem at all. The CC is even better because the secondary mirror is facing directly back into the tube. S

The refractors are slightly more versatile with shorter focal length and will not need collimation, so that's an advantage. If money is no object go for them, otherwise the stellalyra will give more value for money. Btw, why would you need an extra dovetail bar on the CC if you are doing visual?

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I was thinking more to adapt for a carry handle on the CC Nik. I can stretch to the refractors and don't really think the magnification advantage of the CC will be useful for me on visual so your advice is sound.

Now the only consideration is the Meade over the Starwave as I already have the additional diagonal and eyepiece. For some reason I'm thinking the Meade is a bit overpriced at £1000 for a 6 year old scope when comparing to a new Starwave at £1199?

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The Classical Cassegrain shouldn’t need collimation when received and holds collimation about as well as a mak so not a problem. Cooldown will be faster than a 115 triplet.

To fit a handle get a pair of radius blocks (I used ADM ones) so no mods to the scope. FLO sells the radius blocks and dovetail bar under their StellaLyra brand.

The stock focuser is usable but I replaced it with a Baader RT Steeltrack. Much  nicer. 👍🏻

BTW the pic on FLOs site of the front of the scope is wrong. They used the pic of the RC which has a much bigger secondary.

 

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Edited by johninderby
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Ease of use is the main reason for the CC6. Small enough for a grab’n’go setup but big enough to give some great views. No dewing.  Usable straight away without cooldown although views do improve after about twenty minutes.

Will have better resolution than a 115 refractor but narrower fov of course.Sharpness should be similar but the refractor might have slightly more contrast. No CA but the triplet will have hardly any.. Depends on what you are looking at but think the CC6 would be better for lunar / planetary.

I have other scopes but it all depends on which I use on any given night. For quick looks or when I don’t feel like taking the time to set up something bigger it’s the CC6. 

125mm APO and CC8” on my AZ100.

         John

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Edited by johninderby
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Hello @StarWomble and welcome to SGL.

I am visual only and have found that doublet refractors work just fine.

The Skywatcher 100ED may be worth considering as you said you wanted grab and go.

But perhaps a better all-rounder would be the skywatcher 120ED ?

There are suggestions that the CC6 has a working aperture of around 138mm and it’s quite heavy but it’s relatively cheap and dew will not be much of an issue.

Good luck in your search…..

 

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Yes I have both the CC6 & 8. The CC8 is the TS version but identical to the StellaLyra.except for the colour. You do notice a big difference between the CC6 and CC8 though but the CC8 is a lot heavier.

Dod see a report where someone had found the CC6 was a full 150mm working aperture.

The big problem of course is that both scopes would be the ideal,solution. 😁

 

 

Edited by johninderby
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1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Yes I have both the CC6 & 8. The CC8 is the TS version but identical to the StellaLyra.except for the colour. You do notice a big difference between the CC6 and CC8 though but the CC8 is a lot heavier.

Dod see a report where someone had found the CC6 was a full 150mm working aperture.

The big problem of course is that both scopes would be the ideal,solution. 😁

 

 

Oh, thats good news @johninderby, maybe I saw an old CC6 report ??
Do you remember where you saw the report you mention ? would like to read it.

Edited by dweller25
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5 hours ago, dweller25 said:

I am visual only and have found that doublet refractors work just fine.

Agreed on triplets.  I have a 90mm FPL-53 triplet, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach equilibrium, which is quite annoying for a grab and go scope.

@StarWomble Since neither triplet you're looking at has FPL-53/55 or FCD-100 glass, you might as well get a FPL-53/55 or FCD-100 doublet.  The CA will be about the same, but it will be lighter and quicker to equilibriate.  The Altair Wave Series 125 EDF, TS-Optics Doublet SD-APO 125mm, etc. have been well received and have an FPL-53 doublet in your price range.

Edited by Louis D
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The 125 doublet is a bit heavy but very solidly built and a few hundred more than the triplet 115. BTW Astrograph is a great place to buy a scope and even though they deal in a lot of high end equipment they are super helpful to any customer. Rupert (the owner) is really knowledgable. Even though Tecnosky in Italy bench tests the scope Rupert testis it again to make sure it is perfect.  

https://astrograph.net

https://astrograph.net/epages/www_astrograph_net.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/www_astrograph_net/Products/AGTEC125F78

Edited by johninderby
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20 hours ago, dweller25 said:

Hello @StarWomble and welcome to SGL.

I am visual only and have found that doublet refractors work just fine.

The Skywatcher 100ED may be worth considering as you said you wanted grab and go.

But perhaps a better all-rounder would be the skywatcher 120ED ?

There are suggestions that the CC6 has a working aperture of around 138mm and it’s quite heavy but it’s relatively cheap and dew will not be much of an issue.

Good luck in your search…..

 

I think the skywatcher 120ED is great but outside my budget right now. I really am torn between the StellaLyra which will save a lot of £ and produce great views or the Meade which I'm going to see on Saturday as it's just down the road from where I live.

And the Starwave as I can use my WO guiderscope and diagonal/eyepiece... I just worry no the Meade being 6-7 years old now and will most likely have the old focusser.

@Johninderby - the Technosky comment re Rupert testing everything is really useful as it gives a lot of confidence - the 125 is currently a long way out of my budget but the 115 could be a good option as its only £50 more than the Altair

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Ruperts customer service is second to none. Nice to deal with someone who doesn’t just sell scopes and accesories but has the technical expertise and will answer your questions to help you make the best choice. 👍🏻

Dealers like Astrograph and FLO know how to look after their customers.👍🏻

BTW there is no connection between Astrograph and FLO. They are both just great people to deal with.

Edited by johninderby
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Yep - Dave was a lovely guy to deal with on and the Meade is in great condition with no flaws to its operation and optics. The 3" focusser is great to use I must admit..

Was too good a deal to pass on with the case, finder scope, 25mm Meade ED eyepiece and mirror diagonal. Very happy with it and gave it a whirl on Saturday night between the clouds... Very impressed.

It's actually the review scope that BBC sky at night used for their review on the Meade 6000... bit of 'provenance' haha !

All that said, I'm 90% sure I'll get the StellaLyra or larger scope for planetary as well as a xmas present to myself - might go for the 8" to try and get some decent views of Jupiter etc. The StellaLyra just seems to be a really good deal and slightly easier to live with than a Mak..

Edited by StarWomble
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