Which type of scope

[Beardy30]

Hi all

 

im considering buying some new equipment - my main interest is observation with some basic smart phone AP on occasion-

im considering a 250p dob goto/ 127 azi GTI Mak or - a refractor which has been suggested to me - 

which  in everyone’s opinion would give me the best set up for dark sky observation-(I’m relevantly experienced to know the cool down issues of Maks and the collmination issue of reflectiors).

 

thanks 😊

 

 

 

[Carbon Brush]

If storage and carrying to/from your site is not a problem, the dob every time.

Not necessarily a 250. You will still get 'wow' views from a 150 or 200 - and money left over.

[Beardy30]

I’m after a goto system 

[Beardy30]

Also to add I’ve had a 130p and 8se in the past 

[Carbon Brush]

Hi James.

Perhaps a good starting point would be for you to say what you liked, or didn't like about your previous scopes?
The 130P was on a wobbly mount. The 8SE was too heavy, etc.

Are you looking to buy new or used? What sort of spend?

Going back to the SW250. I owned a 250 flextube goto for a while. Sold it last year.
Lots of bang for your buck. Held collimation well. Reasonable goto at the price band.
The nice thing about a scope like this is that you can improve it without great skills, special tools, or spending a lot of money.
Tube flocking helps contrast. Little tweaks to gear mesh on the goto to help backlash.
Clutch adjustment to allow push or goto. Balance weight, etc.
The biggest spend was a RACI finder as I hated the original straight finder. Though not everyone agrees on finders😁

David.

[Beardy30]

The 130 was fine it had  good views etc but just wasn’t the right system For me as I soon learnt a goto is what I prefer although the mount was very wobbly - the 8se was a super scope and I loved it, I regret selling it tbh - however it’s the 127 Mak on the azi GTI where my next purchase lies I think - reading the positive reviews of it I think it’s the way forward 

[Louis D]

Do you like goto because you have difficulties finding objects or because it tracks or both?  You could always put DSCs on a Dob to find objects and the Dob on an EQ platform (with the DSCs in tracking mode) to get both with a large aperture.

[Beardy30]

I’m not a dob fan tbh - I know there are many that love them but a reflector that needs to have collmination puts me off having jad one in the past plus they are too big to store and I want a quick simple set up , I love the goto set ups as I love the geeky side of the hobby in all the tablets and wireless capabilities it offers - I personally find this a really joy to use as I had it in my 8se set up 

 

all just personal choice 👍🏼

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, Beardy30 said:

I want a quick simple set up

I just carry my 8" Dob outdoors in one go snugged up against my body using carrying handles on either side of the rocker box.  Next, I remove the Telrad from its storage box and attach it to the tube.  I then remove the scope's end caps and check collimation (usually still spot on), and I'm good to go in under 2 minutes.  Of course, it needs to cool down, so I do this 30 minutes to an hour ahead of time.

For the Mak or frac, I have to get the tripod out, spread the legs, level it, get the scope out of a case, attach it to the mount head on the tripod, remove end caps, retrieve diagonal from OTA case, remove caps, insert it into the scope, retrieve and attach a Rigel QuikFinder, lock the axis clutches, carry the top heavy tripod/mount/OTA combo out the backdoor, and set it down to let the OTA cool.  This takes no less than 5 minutes.  Honestly, I much prefer the Dob; but I do use the others just to mix things up a bit.

The Dob has much less assembly required and just sits at the back of the coat closet upright and out of sight.  The collapsed tripod/mount combo is tucked in toward the front corner of the coat closet since it is much slimmer.  The Mak and frac cases rest on the floor at the back of the closet in a stack.  The Mak/frac/tripod/mount combined take up less space than the Dob, but each has a much smaller aperture, so is it really a fair comparison?

I do like the DSCs on my Dob, but they're a pain to align because I have been reduced over the years to a narrow sliver of southern sky due to tree maturation in my backyard.  I generally can't see two bright stars at the same time, so I guesstimate on Polaris, align on a bright star, and then refine the alignment on easy to find objects like a planet or bright DSOs.  I've found SkEye on the smaller scopes to be really helpful since it needs no alignment and gets me within a few degrees every time.  It would be neat if the developer added plate solving using the camera and a 45 degree mirror like Celestron's StarSense.

Of course, I've learned to make do without tracking over the years.  I did make a crude, homemade EQ platform early on, but it was just one more heavy piece to carry out each time to observe, so it became scrap.  Perhaps an integrated aluminum one would be acceptable to me now.

Amateur astronomy is a journey, and preferences can change over time.