Travel scopes

[devdusty]

I am interested in buying an 80 mm  travel scope, which I can use for both astronomy and birdwatching. As it seems to be fairly portable, I can take it to a dark sky site, as my back garden suffers from light pollution, and surrounded by houses and trees. The manufacturers seem to be Celestron, Orion, and Meade. Any advice or information would be useful.

Chris P

[Stefek]

Hi, when you say astronomy , do you have only visual/observing on your mind , or you are also thinking towards astrophotography ? . 

[Franklin]

Short tube 80 (ST80) is a better scope than the actual Travelscope 80/70. I know they come in a little rucksack, which is nice, but the tripod they supply with them is not really useable. The optics are actually quite good on the Travelscopes for what they are, but you would really need to pair them up with a better mount. A sturdy photo tripod and a pan head, for example. When I had a Celestron Travelscope 70, I ditched the tripod that it came with and put it on a monopod with a swivelhead. With a 32mm plossl eyepiece It was great for low power sweeping and the whole thing still fitted in the little rucksack. You can pick them up on Ebay, used for under £40.

[Stu]

What sort of budget do you have in mind @devdusty? The ST80 type scopes are excellent, low cost and pretty robust so are good for travelling. Optically they are fast achromats so will show a fair amount of false colour and will generally be happier at lower powers than high. Moving up to an ED apo of some sort will cost a fair amount more but will give you better views.

Don’t forget that you will likely need a 45 degree erecting prism for birding, whilst a 90 degree mirror diagonal would be best suited to, and most comfortable for astronomy.

[johninderby]

Perhaps a spotting scope if you are after something super portable.and not very expensive.

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by johninderby

[Mark at Beaufort]

I recently went on holiday and wanted to purchase a small refractor which I could use for astronomy and general terrestrial viewing.

I bought this scope - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284334028570?epid=9037411843&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4233a0f71a:g:MLQAAOSwwrlctHO2&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACoPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSwcmzw5CLtzTE60FqHcnq2J0zUmY9eHB%2FTPvqPO%2B933rKaBovkDcU3j6CQaYZA9ioqe%2FS0OtseGb3KCCzkqoTBi%2FKy3Xgoo5GT3ZDnQNhEx3w%2B2PKJbFGXTKO0DYCgir7RfBGPr9urkYBB05Cj3fM0YxVB0g0ZEOy6D%2B%2FGDkjJwYpc0nyOeTF3sXa4QzvkNZ1KVdn50szOgWEGVP67bv7Pmi271k4S4LddH58iKgF5762s9Qgaxe7B7GGkXEgt1Pf9WBLSBMXM5kOVJEjng7z5lD5Vj00IYAN%2Bq4fZsGSKvLiYyL70ORVgRB16rd7EGR9U11ajIVFX%2FRbJ0lgmWXPH5LGmOEZ9X0kwspmxLgqNX54SvG3kByPJ7kdHqJzUTBw5S4M0RPVqQzIXoSh3gaUrsxK8wBnDjSud1zVTLon2jr%2Fp5D%2BEIqpd62y8sbtBSS8j3AO5AFPH2nJdUjCgW%2BOO2N9LYWGXcXT72bwg8WVnVnB%2FBXUkmSaDpryYQZ4yCD8Gif6CtQYq0EEkeZHJsj5no%2FusCTMRVD0g6tEI0zrGU3zoMSu3DVjMIv3K4wj7O%2F2%2FyFujDePr2ZlBL3WX4sL8DuHWlsTFbVke%2FawOypqCvKqNhVzWqG4cIBr%2BwqhDt1ZB6K39%2BOKSDzXYC7xW5Rwo2l0SLbkHDXL221Yv%2B96KtmsVw%2FmjRB3eK02iGT1VhyHlJP%2BaSmjDfgSDI5%2BxkAeRZmp%2B0Vp5Dw8N9Eu90OSYeQN7AgXAn9fHxUth2HXdvcwMJC0k5Rg8AxHx5U0rDOlt9uPo%2F7CWBNz5RyN86h3vcNfTJ51flD5nM5HIzX4%2BzFbLqQ%2F4jy8xy05c1uaR%2F%2Bzuw%3D%3D|clp%3A2334524|tkp%3ABFBMnon1kaFf

In addition I purchased this diagonal from FLO -https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/stellamira-125-90-erecting-prism-diagonal.html

I am really pleased with this scope - it has very little CA and the double speed focuser is very good. I also purchased a Svbony 7-21mm zoom which is very lightweight but provides a good image.

Whilst away I had some good observing sessions picking up a number of DSOs. More recently I purchased a white light solar filter and a Baader continuum filter and have had many good sessions observing the Sun.

Okay I have a number of good and reasonable large scopes and some quality eyepieces but I am really pleased I bought this small refractor which is brilliant for quick grab and go.

 

[johninderby]

This scope has been sold under a number of brand names.

Had one of the StarSky branded ones and thought the optics were very good for an achro.

http://www.opticstar.com/Run/Astronomy/Astro-Telescopes-Opticstar.asp?p=0_10_1_1_62

Edited November 10, 2021 by johninderby

[RT65CB-SWL]

This is one my three 'portable' 'scopes...

my 're-modded' Meade ETX105 ---> 

The other two are a Celestron C6/SCT and a TeleVue Ranger ---> 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Philip R

[devdusty]

Thanks for all your replies. My budget you asked about Stu is very limited ,only 120 pounds,  with a stretch say 150 pounds, which would put the ST 80 beyond my reach. The next option would be the Mercury 705 ( 70  mm), which comes with a 45 degree erecting diagonal. Is this a reasonable telescope?.

Chris P

[Tiny Clanger]

As you realise, unfortunately £120 is a pretty low budget for a whole set up.

Do  you by any  chance own a photographic tripod ? Needn't be a particularly wonderful one, and if you can sit to observe (which is a good idea anyway) it won't need to go very high . You can attach an ST80 like the £120 ish startravel https://www.firstlightoptics.com/startravel/skywatcher-startravel-80-ota.html

to a standard photo tripod screw ( the screw which usually holds a camera) with an adapter like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/baader-vixen-style-dovetail-clamp.html . That is a rather expensive one at £40, I suspect you could find something similar but cheaper on ebay, I'm linking to that one because I know it does the job, as I have an ST80 on a photo tripod using that clamp myself.

If you don't have a tripod, I'd suggest you do a few things : first, mention that you need a tripod to friends & family , lots of folk have one they don't really want tucked away somewhere. Worth looking in the widows of any 'cash converters' type shops too .

Second, put a wanted message on here asking for an ST80 , someone may have one they'd sell you, the usual price is around £70 or £80, and they are not too big to be posted . You might strike lucky , there may even be someone with a suitable mount/tripod they don't need.

Third, if people never know what to get you for Christmas, ask for a voucher you can use here https://www.firstlightoptics.com/first-light-optics-gift-vouchers/first-light-optics-gift-voucher.html

Heather

[devdusty]

Thanks for your suggestions Heather.  I have got a small tripod, which my daughter bought for me from the charity shop where she works, but I don't think it will be strong enough to support an ST 80 .!

Chris P