That tricky second scope...

[Bridgehouse]

I have an NP101is. I'm using it visually on a Gibraltar Mount at the moment. However, I'm putting together an imaging rig for next year - Losmandy GM811G on order, along with various other bits of kit. I'm going to use the NP101is for it's intended purpose and use it primarily for imaging.

However, I'm beginning to think I might need a simpler, lighter, and ultimately cheaper second quick grab and go set up for quick looks whilst I'm imaging, or for much shorter sessions when there just isn't time to set up the main rig. In the future, I'm planning a garden dome observatory, and I suspect the NP101is will end up permanently set up in there.. 

Now, I could use the Gibraltar mount, but I'm also tempted by something like an AZ GTI and find a small lightweight refractor to put on it for a one-trip outside setup. 

Assume a limited budget (all the cash is going into imaging stuff at the moment!) and potentially buying used to save some money (but new isn't ruled out) - key criteria is lightweight, quick to set up, a slight preference for goto, and an irritating penchant for refractors. What should I be looking at?

 

[johninderby]

And for something different there is the StellaLyra Classical Cassegrain 6” . I use one as a grab’n’go setup. 6” aperture and very fast cooldown and no dewing problems. Is ready to use minutes after putting it out. More suited to lunar / planetary and small DSOs though. Great performer. 👍🏻. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellalyra-6-f12-m-crf-classical-cassegrain-telescope-ota.html

[Bridgehouse]

6 minutes ago, johninderby said:

And for something different there is the StellaLyra Classical Cassegrain 6” . I use one as a grab’n’go setup. 6” aperture and very fast cooldown and no dewing problems. Is ready to use minutes after putting it out. More suited to lunar / planetary and small DSOs though. Great performer. 👍🏻. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellalyra-6-f12-m-crf-classical-cassegrain-telescope-ota.html

Looks nice! Might be a bit heavy for me at over 5kg OTA.. wouldn’t be able to mount it on an AZ GTI for goto if I was feeling lazy, and I doubt it would squeeze on to the Gibraltar either!

[johninderby]

Or perhaps one of the 102ED refractors. OTA is about 4kg. They are well regarded for visual use.

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/altair-starwave-102f7.html#SID=1706

[Bridgehouse]

20 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Or perhaps one of the 102ED refractors. OTA is about 4kg. They are well regarded for visual use.

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/altair-starwave-102f7.html#SID=1706

Yes that looks good - they do an 80ED as well by the looks of it

[Concordia000]

From my experience you really want 4” or above for a refractor and 5-6” and above for a SCT/Mak. The 127mm Synta Mak will be a good choice or if you wish the splurge, OOUK makes 140mm Maks and Intes-Micro also makes more expensive 127mm Maks.

Have you ruled out Dobsonians? An 8” full size Dob shouldn’t be still relatively portable while being a blast to use visually. Alternatively there’s this but you will have to stomach the “helical focuser”.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-virtuoso-gti.html

I believe it attaches to a tripod.

[iantaylor2uk]

You can sometimes find second hand Orion Optics OMC140s coming up at a reasonable price, and these are usually pretty good optically, with a focal length of 2000 mm. 

[Bridgehouse]

2 minutes ago, iantaylor2uk said:

You can sometimes find second hand Orion Optics OMC140s coming up at a reasonable price, and these are usually pretty good optically, with a focal length of 2000 mm. 

Interesting option! Will look out for that

[johninderby]

Had an OMC140 but soon moved it on as it was super sensitive to good seeing. When seeing was great it did give great views but in average seeing conditions was a very poor performer and very disapointing. 

[Arneb]

Had you not been looking for a more budget option, and given your penchant for refractors, as a fellow NP101 owner I would have had no problem suggesting the Tak FC-76DCU. I bought one for use originally as a compact, lightweight travel scope and for those opportunistic short sessions at home. It cools rapidly, is very light, and the optics are superb. It also has a similar focal length to the NP101 so your existing eyepieces would afford near identical field of views in the Tak. It would fit onto the Gibraltar and should ride an AZ GTI just fine (I'll have to try it on mine!). It meets all your criteria except, potentially, the most important one!

For more budget friendly options, I've always been impressed by the Skywatcher/Orion 80EDs though their standard focuser can sometimes require a bit of attention. I've also been impressed with the Skywatcher 72 ED it is a very lightweight, compact option and generally a bit of a bargain IMO.

For non-refractor options, I also enjoy using my Celestron C6 SCT for grab and go (though presumably it wouldn't fit on your Gibraltar - it might be marginal on the AZ GTI as well). The Celestron C5 (or one its guises e.g. Omni 127, Astrofi) are typically well regarded and might squeeze onto the Gibraltar but would certainly ride an AZ GTI. Both used to be available OTA only. I'd imagine, given their popularity, they would appear on the secondhand market reasonably often. The C6 in one of its guises can be bought with a go-to mount from FLO here though I've no idea how good or otherwise that mount is.

A Skywatcher 130 P-DS Newtonian could also be worth looking at too.

Despite the lure of a quality refractor, if the NP101 was my only scope I'd be tempted to pick up something with more aperture. Then again I do love the Tak...

 

[Andrew_B]

I've got an AZ GTi and I can confirm that my FC-76DCU worked absolutely fine on it.

Seems to work even with larger scopes such as the FC-100D models although I would have thought the DF and DZ versions might be pushing it a bit given their weight.

[Bridgehouse]

3 hours ago, Arneb said:

Had you not been looking for a more budget option, and given your penchant for refractors, as a fellow NP101 owner I would have had no problem suggesting the Tak FC-76DCU. I bought one for use originally as a compact, lightweight travel scope and for those opportunistic short sessions at home. It cools rapidly, is very light, and the optics are superb. It also has a similar focal length to the NP101 so your existing eyepieces would afford near identical field of views in the Tak. It would fit onto the Gibraltar and should ride an AZ GTI just fine (I'll have to try it on mine!). It meets all your criteria except, potentially, the most important one!

For more budget friendly options, I've always been impressed by the Skywatcher/Orion 80EDs though their standard focuser can sometimes require a bit of attention. I've also been impressed with the Skywatcher 72 ED it is a very lightweight, compact option and generally a bit of a bargain IMO.

For non-refractor options, I also enjoy using my Celestron C6 SCT for grab and go (though presumably it wouldn't fit on your Gibraltar - it might be marginal on the AZ GTI as well). The Celestron C5 (or one its guises e.g. Omni 127, Astrofi) are typically well regarded and might squeeze onto the Gibraltar but would certainly ride an AZ GTI. Both used to be available OTA only. I'd imagine, given their popularity, they would appear on the secondhand market reasonably often. The C6 in one of its guises can be bought with a go-to mount from FLO here though I've no idea how good or otherwise that mount is.

A Skywatcher 130 P-DS Newtonian could also be worth looking at too.

Despite the lure of a quality refractor, if the NP101 was my only scope I'd be tempted to pick up something with more aperture. Then again I do love the Tak...

 

I must admit something like the 130P-DS does appeal - bit more aperture and a bit different to a small bore refractor for a change. If it works on the AZ GTI then that would be good - it wouldn’t work on the Gibraltar (lol!)

The Celestron C5 is another good shout!

[Bridgehouse]

Right. A quick update. 
 

I have an AZ GTI with extension pillar on the way used for a decent price. I also had a rummage around the “spares” cupboard and unearthed a Manfrotto 055b I didn’t know I had (!). So that’s the mount sorted.

It does mean that in reality I want to keep a suitable scope to under 5kg all up weight to stay broadly within the payload limit of the GTI..

I reckon that means it’s definitely something in the 70-90mm refractor size. Much as a Newtonian around 130mm appeals, I think a compact refractor would be easier to lug outside quickly. I’m happy to be dispelled of that idea tho!

If budget wasn’t an issue I’d be looking for a TV76/85 or a Tak 76 - but I’ve dropped quite a bit on the NP101IS and Losmandy GM811G already and there’s cameras to get yet…!

[Stardaze]

On 17/10/2021 at 18:42, johninderby said:

And for something different there is the StellaLyra Classical Cassegrain 6” . I use one as a grab’n’go setup. 6” aperture and very fast cooldown and no dewing problems. Is ready to use minutes after putting it out. More suited to lunar / planetary and small DSOs though. Great performer. 👍🏻. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellalyra-6-f12-m-crf-classical-cassegrain-telescope-ota.html

Think I fancy one of these next year John. Might push it to the 8” though. Which berleback is that one? 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Stardaze

[johninderby]

17 minutes ago, Stardaze said:

Think I fancy one of these next year John. Might push it to the 8” though. Which berleback is that one? 

That’s a Report tripod. Surprisingly solid for it’s size. The 8” is a much heavier OTA and nearly 10kg with all the bits so needs a decent mount. I use my CC8”on a Berlebach Planet with an AZ100 athough a Skytee is a good budget option. 

Edited October 23, 2021 by johninderby

[Stardaze]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

That’s a Report tripod. Surprisingly solid for it’s size. The 8” is a much heavier OTA and nearly 10kg with all the bits so needs a decent mount. I use my CC8”on a Berlebach Planet with an AZ100 athough a Skytee is a good budget option. 

Yeah the sky tee was what I’ve been thinking. Sorry to butt into this thread but how much extra do you get out of the 8” over the 6” John, is it worth twice the cost plus the extra for a planet?

Edited October 23, 2021 by Stardaze

[johninderby]

While I’m really pleased with the performance of the CC6” have to admit the CC8” is just in another class and will show a lot more.

The 8” has roughly 77% more light gathering area and resolution increases from about 0.77" arc seconds to 0.57" arc, that's a fairly significant increase. You gain about 0.6 magnitude or about 1.5 times brighter.

The CC6” is a great buy though but would you feel like you settled for the cheaper option rather than the one you really wanted. Of course the solution is to get both like I did. 😁😁😁

Edited October 23, 2021 by johninderby

[Stardaze]

58 minutes ago, johninderby said:

While I’m really pleased with the performance of the CC6” have to admit the CC8” is just in another class and will show a lot more.

The 8” has roughly 77% more light gathering area and resolution increases from about 0.77" arc seconds to 0.57" arc, that's a fairly significant increase. You gain about 0.6 magnitude or about 1.5 times brighter.

The CC6” is a great buy though but would you feel like you settled for the cheaper option rather than the one you really wanted. Of course the solution is to get both like I did. 😁😁😁

Thanks John. I think you’re right, in the end I’ll probably be lusting after the bigger version. Better get saving..

I had got my heart set on a 102ED frac but have really been surprised as to how much I’ve enjoyed the planets again this year.