looking to replace my dobsonian any suggestions?

[Olli]

Hi all, 

I am  unfortunately thinking of replacing my  dobsonian as I just find it to awkward and heavy to carry and as a result is putting me off using the telescope and haven’t used it as much as I’d like. I understand that I probably won’t find a better deal than the 200p but I was wondering if you guys had any suggest that might be a good replacement? I’m looking for something that’s a bit more light weight and I can take travelling.  though still powerful enough to give good views. I don’t have any particular targets that I enjoy looking at though I can be a bit obsessed with mars/ moon and star clusters. but I do enjoy trying to find the odd nebula and galaxy ( I know this isn’t probably very helpful) my price range is probably £300-350 I currently have a lot of equipment left over from my dob so I am okay on the eyepieces side of things. Hopefully with an easier set up I can find my passion for it again. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

many thanks

[cajen2]

If you like the view that a dob gives you but you want it smaller and easier to store/transport, try a Skywatcher Heritage 150p. This was my first scope and I still use it for grab and go. It's a fine all-rounder for the solar system and the brighter DSOs.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html

Edited April 10, 2022 by cajen2

[NGC 1502]

You can’t beat a Newtonian on price to get good views.  The post by Cajen2 is very relevant, and I agree that a 6” reflector is the way to go if you need something lighter than a 200p.

Lots of choices with 6” reflectors, choose wisely and enjoy 👍

[bosun21]

With your liking of the planets and moon then it’s a no brainer that a 127 Maksutov would fit the bill perfectly. They are fantastic on the planets and moon and pretty decent on the brighter DSO’s. They are also very compact and as a rule doesn’t require any collimation. It’s a win win.

[OK Apricot]

+1 for a 127 Mak for me. I have both the Skymax 127 and the 200P. On better nights both come with me, but for those opportunistic gaps between clouds the Mak is out in minutes without any stress. As said already it will excel on the moon and planets but is more than capable on DSOs - I've caught the spiral structure on M51 through the Mak. Excellent on globular clusters as well. M42 still fits within FOV, planetary nebula are there albeit not as bright as the 200P would show.

For its size and price its a very good all rounder. 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by OK Apricot
Spelling

[Carbon Brush]

Do you already have a mount that might be suitable for the new scope?
This may influence your choice.

 

[M40]

As Carbon Brush said, is the mount part of the budget? If the mount is part of the budget, then +1 for the 127 Mak.

I moved from the 200P to the Skymax for exactly the same reason as you as I knew that sooner or later I was going to drop the 200P. There is the argument that there isn't a lot of difference in weight, but the Skymax is far more manageable.

Also look very closely at the StellaLyra range. 

Edited April 11, 2022 by M40
spellign

[Olli]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sorry I forgot to mention the mount. With my 130ps I think  it has a az5 mount so I’m not sure if that’s  useful with the Mak? Before I got the dob I was very tempted by the maks as they do seem like a good choice.  For the budge if it’s not too expensive the mount can be separate from the original price.  Thanks again.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Olli

[OK Apricot]

15 minutes ago, Olli said:

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sorry I forgot to mention the mount. With my 130ps I think  it has a az5 mount so I’m not sure if that’s  useful with the Mak? Before I got the dob I was very tempted by the maks as they do seem like a good choice.  For the budge if it’s not too expensive the mount can be separate from the original price.  Thanks again.

I got mine with an AZ5, very sturdy and smooth on the controls, you won't have any issues. I went to the AZ GTi for the Goto. 

[banjaxed]

I have my 127 Mak on a AZ5 Mount and imo is a great combination.

[Olli]

23 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

I got mine with an AZ5, very sturdy and smooth on the controls, you won't have any issues. I went to the AZ GTi for the Goto. 

Would you say it’s worth upgrading to gti? Would be nice to have go to. 

[Ricochet]

46 minutes ago, Olli said:

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sorry I forgot to mention the mount. With my 130ps I think  it has a az5 mount so I’m not sure if that’s  useful with the Mak? Before I got the dob I was very tempted by the maks as they do seem like a good choice.  For the budge if it’s not too expensive the mount can be separate from the original price.  Thanks again.

You already have a 130ps? Does that get use and if it does what are you looking for in the new scope that the 130ps doesn't give you? 

[cajen2]

Oh and just to mention, if you prefer your reflector on a mount/tripod, the SW Heritage 150p has a Vixen dovetail already. So you'd be able to choose between that and the dob mount. I can carry the whole thing in one hand, so it's most certainly a good grab and go.

[Stu1smartcookie]

1 hour ago, Olli said:

Would you say it’s worth upgrading to gti? Would be nice to have go to. 

The AZ-Gti is a great mount. The convenience of goto in a small lightweight package , coupled with a nice 102 or 127 mak , or a small refractor = a great combination 

[OK Apricot]

2 hours ago, Olli said:

Would you say it’s worth upgrading to gti? Would be nice to have go to. 

Absolutely! Once I manged to get my head together and carry out a good alignment, the gotos are spot on and the tracking very reasonable. Seems just as robust as the AZ5 in my experience and its smaller so more portable. Obviously you'd need power and connectivity (handset or mobile app). 

Check out the AZ GTi owners thread in the mounts discussion forum, loads of info and help to be had there - helped me massively. 

Edited April 11, 2022 by OK Apricot

[AstroMuni]

3 hours ago, Ricochet said:

You already have a 130ps? Does that get use and if it does what are you looking for in the new scope that the 130ps doesn't give you? 

Exactly what came to my mind too 🙂

[Olli]

3 hours ago, Ricochet said:

You already have a 130ps? Does that get use and if it does what are you looking for in the new scope that the 130ps doesn't give you? 

Unfortunately this doesn’t get used and will be passed onto a friend who wanted a new OTA.

[Olli]

1 hour ago, OK Apricot said:

Absolutely! Once I manged to get my head together and carry out a good alignment, the gotos are spot on and the tracking very reasonable. Seems just as robust as the AZ5 in my experience and its smaller so more portable. Obviously you'd need power and connectivity (handset or mobile app). 

Check out the AZ GTi owners thread in the mounts discussion forum, loads of info and help to be had there - helped me massively. 

I appreciate the help, I am definitely leaning towards a 127. Will look at them more in depth. Which brand would you recommend?  as there’s a sky watcher as well as a bresser model will have a look in the discussion forum. 

[OK Apricot]

1 hour ago, Olli said:

I appreciate the help, I am definitely leaning towards a 127. Will look at them more in depth. Which brand would you recommend?  as there’s a sky watcher as well as a bresser model will have a look in the discussion forum. 

I can only recommend what I've got experience using, which is the Skymax 127. Only thing I'd be aware of is that the mirror on this OTA is actually 120mm so they're doing you out of 7mm. Have a Google search and it'll explain a bit more. I'm sure there are some more premium tubes out there, though you're going to be paying for what you get. 

[Toltec]

34 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

I can only recommend what I've got experience using, which is the Skymax 127. Only thing I'd be aware of is that the mirror on this OTA is actually 120mm so they're doing you out of 7mm. Have a Google search and it'll explain a bit more. I'm sure there are some more premium tubes out there, though you're going to be paying for what you get. 

My understanding is that the mirror in a mak needs to be larger than the aperture so while the mirror is 127mm the effective aperture is less. I have seen 118mm mentioned before. This is why the OO omc140 has a 152mm mirror. 

[Dr Strange]

I love Dob's and how intimate they are when observing. I DON'T love the weight and bulk! 

If you want to keep your existing mount then a Skywatcher 120mm refractor, 102mm refractor, 127mm Mak, or 130 Newt is a good option.

If you want to combine GOTO and the option to star hop (because the built in encoders keep track of your alignment) then the Skywatcher AZ-GTi and the 130mm Newt are a great combination.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-gti.html

[Olli]

Thank you everyone for The advice I think I am going to go with the 127 mak though will read more into it but it looks like the best scope for me. I previously mentioned I had a az5 mount however it seems it’s the az pronto. Would this be sufficient for the mak or will I need to buy a new mount all together?

[Stu1smartcookie]

The pronto mount comfortably holds a 102 mak but , whist it will hold  a 127 i think the additional weight will make it a frustrating experience . This is due to the focal length of the scope which in turn produces narrow field of view and high magnification.. why is that a problem? Well if the mount is not sturdy enough for that scope the vibrations  will be a complete pain when moving or even touching the scope . 

If you could stretch your budget i would say the 150 heritage virtuoso... or indeed the 127 mak on the same mount 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Stu1smartcookie

[Guest]

Man it is so hard to beat the performance a dob gives you.  You sure there isn't a way that you can't make it more portable?  Mine lives on a cart in the garage and it's pretty much grab and go.

[Louis D]

If you're handy, you could rebuild your Dob into a suitcase Dob.