Beginner Visual Setup Advice

[Cliffy Biro]

Good morning everyone! So after much deliberation (and saving) I'm close to pulling the trigger on a SW 120ED scope and quite likely a SW HEQ5 Pro mount. This will be my first 'proper' setup after dabbling in my teens with smaller scopes, and in more recent years with a tripod and moderately priced binoculars. I'll be purely visual initially and this will also be my first go-to/tracking mount which I'm looking forward to discovering and learning. I would like to try out photography in the future using this setup, but for now I'll just be purchasing for visual use to study the sky and spend time observing.

So, my question; do current owners have any tips or advice for this setup, and as a relative beginner is there anything I need to consider purchasing initially?

Budget for this setup is close to my top end already, but I'm okay to stretch for items which are considered 'must-haves' when getting started with viewing.

Skies here are classed as Bortle 4. Will be taking occasional trips to Bottle 3 and dark skies sites.

Thanks so much for any advice!

[SthBohemia]

Simply replying because nobody else did 🙂 One of my scopes is on a similar setup. Advise? None other than read the manual carefully when setting up the SW mount! Over time you will figure out what accessories you require. Eyepieces, filters etc etc, most of which depend upon personal preferences and what you wish to actually observe/photograph with the scope.

Rgds Rob.

[DaveL59]

Hi and welcome to the forum. 

Sounds like a nice setup you're starting with and should give good service. As said above, before getting caught up in buying lots of eyepieces its worth getting a feel for what comes with the scope and decide whether a good zoom might be easier than a big set of individual ones.

A couple things on the mount, you'll need a suitable power source >2A capable and do be careful of making the right connections, both power and the other cables too. It'd be worth installing the app for the mount as that will give you the location/date/time data you need to enter and in the correct format. Saves the frustration of forgetting its US date format then wondering why it slews to the wrong places etc 🙂 

 

[SthBohemia]

I must be a bit thick Dave as I forgot the obvious! A power supply which SkyWatcher don't supply! I might suggest a 12 volt regulated switching power suppy @ 8 amps, they cost very little to buy from dedicated PSU manufacturers. Then fabricate your own cable and connecters (available from most electrical supply stores), DIY saves a lot of cash!

[DaveL59]

9 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

I must be a bit thick Dave as I forgot the obvious! A power supply which SkyWatcher don't supply! I might suggest a 12 volt regulated switching power suppy @ 8 amps, they cost very little to buy from dedicated PSU manufacturers. Then fabricate your own cable and connecters (available from most electrical supply stores), DIY saves a lot of cash!

lol ya never know he may already have ordered one with the kit but worth a mention. For my EQ5 I use a 12v 5A regulated one or a LiPo car starter with a 12v 5A buck converter to regulate things. Best to never feed the mount more than 15v lest the magic grey smoke escapes and that LiPo pack can deliver 16v off-load, hence the buck converter. Accidental grounding or connecting into the wrong ports, accidentally hooking up a laptop psu etc has caused boards to blow from other posts so always worth taking care.

Edited July 6, 2022 by DaveL59

[AstroMuni]

On 02/07/2022 at 09:32, Cliffy Biro said:

I would like to try out photography in the future using this setup, but for now I'll just be purchasing for visual use to study the sky and spend time observing.

Worth bearing in mind that the 120ED is quite heavy and HEQ5 Pro may not be suited if you want to get into AP at a later point in time. Just a HEADS UP

[Clarkey]

2 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

Worth bearing in mind that the 120ED is quite heavy and HEQ5 Pro may not be suited if you want to get into AP at a later point in time. Just a HEADS UP

It is towards the top end but I think it should be ok. The ED120 is about 5.5kg and the HEQ5 is probably ok up to 10kg or so. Providing the other kit is not too excessive I don't see it struggling.

Having said that I would say a shorter FL may be a better starting choice of AP. Maybe start with your initial choice and consider buying a small refractor at a later date for imaging.

[AstroMuni]

20 hours ago, Clarkey said:

The ED120 is about 5.5kg

That sounds very light -are you sure? I thought the 80ED itself was around 4kg

Edited July 8, 2022 by AstroMuni

[Clarkey]

13 minutes ago, AstroMuni said:

That sounds very light -are you sure? I thought the 80ED itself was around 4kg

Skywatcher Website quotes 5.1kg for the OTA. Add a bit for the tube rings gives about 5.5kg. The ED80 is given as 2.5kg.

Sky-Watcher | Sky-Watcher Global Website (skywatcher.com)

 

[Carbon Brush]

I think the advice given above is all valid. It will work out of the box - given a 12V supply😄
It should be a nice package.

I would add that you should try the goto in a comfortable daylight place first.
Get used to the searching for calibration stars, weird date format entry, etc.
Far better to learn in daylight.

If you have any star chart software on a separate computer/tablet/phone, that is good enough to see if the scope looks to be going to the right place.

If, on your first night, goto seems to go somewhere else, forget it. Stick to manual positioning and enjoy the views.
There is a lot of daylight and many cloudy nights to learn about the mount/electronics.

HTH, David.

[AstroMuni]

43 minutes ago, Clarkey said:

Skywatcher Website quotes 5.1kg for the OTA. Add a bit for the tube rings gives about 5.5kg. The ED80 is given as 2.5kg.

Sky-Watcher | Sky-Watcher Global Website (skywatcher.com)

Interesting. The Evostar line up shown under their US website are heavier. https://www.skywatcherusa.com/products/evostar-80ed?_pos=1&_sid=c3ddca3c5&_ss=r

Wonder whats the difference 🤔

Edited July 8, 2022 by AstroMuni

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have the EQ-5 mount which uses the same software.  You will probably find that you don't get the uniform all-sky GoTO performance which an alt-azimuth GoTo mount usually delivers.  Use two alignment stars in the East and look for objects in the East - should give good results.  Use two alignment stars in the East and look for objects in the West - be prepared for major inaccuracy.

[Clarkey]

26 minutes ago, AstroMuni said:

Interesting. The Evostar line up shown under their US website are heavier

They do quote 'with accessories' which I assume is finder, diagonal and eyepiece plus tube rings and dovetail.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Clarkey

[Cliffy Biro]

On 06/07/2022 at 11:03, SthBohemia said:

Simply replying because nobody else did 🙂 One of my scopes is on a similar setup. Advise? None other than read the manual carefully when setting up the SW mount! Over time you will figure out what accessories you require. Eyepieces, filters etc etc, most of which depend upon personal preferences and what you wish to actually observe/photograph with the scope.

Rgds Rob.

Hi @SthBohemia. Definitely anticipating a steep learning curve as this will be the first powered mount I've owned, and first EQ style. My aim is to start with lunar viewing to get a feel for the equipment. I've been looking at the Baader Hyperion Zoom as a starter, then figure out single eyepieces as I go. I'll be fully visual to start with.

 

On 06/07/2022 at 11:28, DaveL59 said:

Hi and welcome to the forum. 

Sounds like a nice setup you're starting with and should give good service. As said above, before getting caught up in buying lots of eyepieces its worth getting a feel for what comes with the scope and decide whether a good zoom might be easier than a big set of individual ones.

A couple things on the mount, you'll need a suitable power source >2A capable and do be careful of making the right connections, both power and the other cables too. It'd be worth installing the app for the mount as that will give you the location/date/time data you need to enter and in the correct format. Saves the frustration of forgetting its US date format then wondering why it slews to the wrong places etc 🙂 

 

Thank you for the welcome and the advice @DaveL59. Totally agree on the zoom, I've actually been looking at the Baader Hyperion Zoom to get started. Noted on the cables and power 👍

 

7 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

I think the advice given above is all valid. It will work out of the box - given a 12V supply😄
It should be a nice package.

I would add that you should try the goto in a comfortable daylight place first.
Get used to the searching for calibration stars, weird date format entry, etc.
Far better to learn in daylight.

If you have any star chart software on a separate computer/tablet/phone, that is good enough to see if the scope looks to be going to the right place.

If, on your first night, goto seems to go somewhere else, forget it. Stick to manual positioning and enjoy the views.
There is a lot of daylight and many cloudy nights to learn about the mount/electronics.

HTH, David.

Thanks @Carbon Brush, great advice and 100% agree about starting in daylight. Looking forward to spending time getting to know the equipment. Fully expecting a lot of days and evenings working things out! I've been Ising Sky Safari for a few years so pretty familiar with that and I'm interested in hooking it up to the mount in future for goto.

 

On 07/07/2022 at 12:23, AstroMuni said:

Worth bearing in mind that the 120ED is quite heavy and HEQ5 Pro may not be suited if you want to get into AP at a later point in time. Just a HEADS UP

Thanks for the advice @AstroMuni. I'm thinking HEQ5 as it's the best at the top of my budget at the moment, so what I expect to happen is exactly what you said - I'll likely need a smaller second scope dedicated to AP later. From research it seems refractors in the 70–80 range are admired for photography, and those should work well with the HEQ5 without too many weight and guiding issues?

 

On 07/07/2022 at 14:33, Clarkey said:

It is towards the top end but I think it should be ok. The ED120 is about 5.5kg and the HEQ5 is probably ok up to 10kg or so. Providing the other kit is not too excessive I don't see it struggling.

Having said that I would say a shorter FL may be a better starting choice of AP. Maybe start with your initial choice and consider buying a small refractor at a later date for imaging.

 

Hi @Clarkey, completely agree. I'll be using the SW120ED for visual work and I think I'll have to look into something smaller for AP once the savings have built up again!