Need a stand for a telescope. Please help.

[Wageslave]

Hi, I  bought a telescope for a fiver (unseen) thinking I could just bung it on a cheap tripod and my 5 year old granddaughter and I would be able to watch the stars. I’ve now picked it up and this thing is enormous and very complicated looking. Not at all what I was expecting.

According to the instructions it’s a 300 power 60mm refractor telescope equatorial mount and it seems to be made by a company called Tasco. 

To call me a beginner is an insult to amateurs everywhere so I’d really appreciate some advice.  Is it worth getting a stand for this monstrosity and, if so, what do I buy or should I just hand it into the local charity shop and buy a cheap and cheerful telescope from Amazon?
 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

A few photos would help us see exactly what you have and give us a clue as to how to mount it on a tripod.  The telescope itself may be worth keeping - it might even be quite decent.  If you got this for a fiver, the cost of a decent mount for it may come as a nasty shock.  

Don't buy a cheap and cheerful scope from Amazon - asides from further enriching a billionaire, it is unlikely to be better than what you've got.

Tasco 60mm worth checking out? - Classic Telescopes - Cloudy Nights

Edited March 9, 2023 by Cosmic Geoff

[Carbon Brush]

A second to @Cosmic Geoff. If/when you buy anything related to astronomy, go to an astronomy retailer.

The retailer can help you make the right choices. He can help you with after sales advice.
He does after all want to see your granddaughter in a few months for additional eyepieces, a different finder, eventually a larger scope, etc.
All the Amazon/Currys/department stores can offer is refund under certain circumstances if something is not right.

You have dipped your toe in the water for the cost of a pint. Far too many come to SGL after discovering a £££hundreds Christmas present is entirely the wrong choice.
Keep asking the questions - we are always happy to help.
My granddaughter at 5 years old wanted to see the moon and had the typical 3 minutes attention span of a 5 year old.
I bought a table top dob scope - it worked out well.

Send us pic of the scope and we will throw in our thoughts.

Oh yes I almost forgot - Welcome to SGL.

David.

 

[Carbon Brush]

Just thought.

If you add your approximate location to your header, you may get an offer to help from someone local to you.

This Saturday 11th. There is a BIG practical astronomy show at Kettering. Free to get in loads of retailers selling anything from starter scopes to packages you have to sell your house to afford.
Not forgetting bits of meteorites and lots more.
If you happen to be anywhere near.....

[Nyctimene]

Hello, and welcome to SGL from a German stargazer!

2 hours ago, Wageslave said:

300 power 60mm refractor telescope equatorial mount and it seems to be made by a company called Tasco. 

Forget the 300x magnification - a telescope with 60 mm objective lens diameter (aperture) will be useful for magnifications of 100-120x. But this will be enough to get some nice views of the moon, of planets, double stars, open star clusters  - a whole new world to discover is waiting for your granddaughter and you!

Have a read in the Beginner section, and keep asking and posting. SGL is a very helpful community.

Here a short YouTube instruction regarding 60 mm refracting scopes on equatorial mounts:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-lm&q=Tasco+60+mm+telescope+youtube#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:63d603db,vid:F0R55KbInnY

Enjoy the journey!

Stephan

[Wageslave]

Thanks for all your help! The telescope is in the car and it’s snowing so I’ll grab it and photograph it for you tomorrow. It has a large bit of kit on the side (?) which looks as though it should be screwed on to something  - three screws - so yes, I suspect a cheap stand is probably unlikely. 
I have found a pic online that looks like it’s what I have spent my fiver on. 
Many, many thanks for all your patience.

Maggie

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Wageslave
Missed a bit

[Nyctimene]

I'm a bit confused. The picture you posted shows a quite different scope, compared to your quoted Tasco 60 mm refracting telescope. I've looked it up; and it's a reflector scope, that uses  mirrors to create a view of the sky (a larger mirror, the primary, at the lower/back end of the tube, and a smaller one, the secondary mirror, at the upper end). In this case, it would be a 4 1/2" Newtonian telescope (114/900 mm); even better and very good as a starter scope.

Refractor telescopes use a big lens, like a camera lens, to give a picture of the sky, and are usually smaller than reflectors

When you take photos tomorrow, include please, at any rate, a picture of the type plate.

Stephan

[DaveL59]

if the whole mount head is complete and all that's missing is the legs for it, then perhaps a punt on this might be worthwhile

Telescope On Tripod No Insides Not Working | eBay

just transplant the legs and dispose of the rest 🙂 

[dweller25]

16 hours ago, Wageslave said:

Hi, I  bought a telescope for a fiver (unseen) thinking I could just bung it on a cheap tripod and my 5 year old granddaughter and I would be able to watch the stars. I’ve now picked it up and this thing is enormous and very complicated looking. Not at all what I was expecting.

According to the instructions it’s a 300 power 60mm refractor telescope equatorial mount and it seems to be made by a company called Tasco. 

To call me a beginner is an insult to amateurs everywhere so I’d really appreciate some advice.  Is it worth getting a stand for this monstrosity and, if so, what do I buy or should I just hand it into the local charity shop and buy a cheap and cheerful telescope from Amazon?
 

 

Hello Maggie and welcome to SGL 🙂

It sounds like your scope is missing the three wooden tripod legs that attach to the equatorial mount which attaches to the telescope.

Here are some possible options….

1. Try to source some cheap legs that will fit - someone on SGL may be able to help.

2. Buy a pair of binoculars.

3. Take your Granddaughter to your local Astronomy club and use their kit.

4. Rather than buy something cheap on Amazon - which may not be all that good, consider this…..

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-76-mini-dobsonian.html

Good luck 👍

Edited March 10, 2023 by dweller25

[Wageslave]

I have pics? Not very good pics but pics all the same. I looked at the base plate and the telescope is a Tasco 11T. I’ve left it in the car because there’s a better than even chance it’s going to the charity shop.
I’m not sure about attaching legs. It seems like a good idea on the surface but is it worth it? I really liked the little table top thingy posted by dweller25.

It’s really easy to fall down a rabbit hole with this stuff. I had no idea telescopes were so varied. I’m finding it all surprisingly interesting.

 

 

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Maggie.

If you are thinking of getting this scope running, the next step is a photo of the main mirror.
Just point your phone down the tube, No need to remove anything at this stage.
If it is half decent, you can move on. If it is seriously mottled, the scope is scrap.
Depending on the photo, we may be able to tell the difference between a mirror that just needs some time in a washing up bowl, and a mirror with damaged coating.
Mirror state defines whether you throw a few £ and time at this scope, or start again.

From my earlier post......

If you add your approximate location to your header, you may get an offer to help from someone local to you.

This Saturday 11th. There is a BIG practical astronomy show at Kettering. Free to get in loads of retailers selling anything from starter scopes to packages you have to sell your house to afford.
Not forgetting bits of meteorites and lots more.
If you happen to be anywhere near..... 

[Wageslave]

22 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

Hi Maggie.

If you are thinking of getting this scope running, the next step is a photo of the main mirror.
Just point your phone down the tube, No need to remove anything at this stage.
If it is half decent, you can move on. If it is seriously mottled, the scope is scrap.
Depending on the photo, we may be able to tell the difference between a mirror that just needs some time in a washing up bowl, and a mirror with damaged coating.
Mirror state defines whether you throw a few £ and time at this scope, or start again.

From my earlier post......

If you add your approximate location to your header, you may get an offer to help from someone local to you.

This Saturday 11th. There is a BIG practical astronomy show at Kettering. Free to get in loads of retailers selling anything from starter scopes to packages you have to sell your house to afford.
Not forgetting bits of meteorites and lots more.
If you happen to be anywhere near..... 

To my very ignorant eye the mirror looks fine and here’s the pic to prove me wrong.

I'm in the wilds of Scotland (and I do mean the wilds) so no shops or shows near me I’m afraid. Luckily I have fallen amongst experts 

[Jasonb]

Just to note, the instructions are for a completely different telescope, from what I can see!

Edited March 10, 2023 by Jasonb

[StevieDvd]

It will need a fair bit of TLC to get it into a working condition and the purchase of the missing parts (legs & tray for the tripod). Also, the eyepieces it would use are no a standard size fit we use today.

The expense to get it back in working order would probably be more than it's resale value so I'd also recommend looking at a new item as suggested by @dweller25 which may cost less than getting the old scope working and would probably be easier to use/store.

 

[Tiny Clanger]

There's a vid showing the 'scope in a more or less complete state which might help you see if you have the important bits (and enable good advice remotely on here !) I've no idea if the video maker is a good source of advice on telescopes though.

 

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Maggie. A long way to Kettering!

That mirror does look good enough to allow you to continue.
Scope mirrors can look really awful when subject to torch or phone light, but give good results.

The smaller diagonal mirror (known as the secondary mirror) is visible when you look down the focus tube.
It is reasonable to assume it is in a similar state to the big (primary) mirror.

In your photos you don't appear to have any eyepieces, or a finder scope.
The eyepiece is one question to answer early.

Carefully measure the internal diameter of the focus tube.
It will be meant to take either 0.965" or 1.25" barrel eyepieces.
Knowing this tells us what to look for next.

The scope is cosmetically challenged. OK it looks a bit tatty!
It is the glass bits and whether they are held in correctly that matters.
So far you have not showed us anything to mean big money spend.
If you are happy to spend a bit of time, you potentially have a good starter scope.

David.
 

 

 

[Tiny Clanger]

Images of a handbook for a telescope with that same designation have been posted here

https://www.cloudynights.com/gallery/album/8277-tasco-11t-manual/

 

[Jasonb]

5 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Images of a handbook for a telescope with that same designation have been posted here

https://www.cloudynights.com/gallery/album/8277-tasco-11t-manual/

 

And those instructions are from 1980, which gives an estimate as to the age of the scope...

[Wageslave]

It really is quite beautiful when restored isn’t it. The wooden legs are glorious.

The inside of the tube is 14cm and two scopes came with it.

 

[PeterStudz]

I agree with what @Carbon Brush says. 

After getting hold of a telescope for free from a nice member on here I was able (from knowing nothing) to completely take it apart, fix it, make it better than new and put it back together again. This was with my then 9 yr old daughter. There’s a whole thread on it here…

If you take things slowly, bit by bit and have plenty of patience then it’s perfectly possible. Although I’d suggest making something called a Dobsonian base (surprisingly simple) over a tripoid.

And at the time we had a small telescope plus binoculars to use which helped keep up enthusiasm while I slowly fixed our “new” telescope. 

[Stickey]

38 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

Just to note, the instructions are for a complete different telescope, from what I can see!

It might be that the instructions cover the mount as well, but the image is definitely for a different scope. 

It seems that Maggie has a half decent scope for a fiver. The scope is a 114mm (4 1/2") REFLECTOR, not a refractor. That's a lot more aperture than 60mm. The mirror seems reasonably clean, but the issue is whether the mount can be sorted. 

It seems to be missing its legs, but it's difficult to be sure what it needs until the whole thing is laid out and a picture or 3 taken. 

If you can arrange that, Maggie, then the good people on here will be happy to offer advice on where to go next

[Wageslave]

Peter what a lovely story. I take it that’s your granddaughter in your profile pic. She looks joyous and full of life. 
Right, the telescope has now entered the building and I have even more pics although they probably aren’t the right ones. Apart from anything else, it needs a really good clean. 
 

[PeterStudz]

If you go down the tripod route it might turn out easier, certainly more stable and comfortable to use, if you purchased something like a steel EQ5 tripod. I got one second hand for £70 (they aren’t cheap) for our smaller telescope. It was done as an upgrade to the wobbly tripod it came with which had a EQ type mount which yours has. However, it certainly won’t fit the tripod as is. I got around this with a block of wood and some bolts. 

Although before you make that investment you’d want to ensure that the telescope is in some sort of working order and actually worth the effort. When we restored ours and before I got a working base, I’d literally prop it up with some wood and get it focused on something like the moon or random stars. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by PeterStudz

[Carbon Brush]

You have everything in there (except legs) to get you started.
Maybe the previous owner used them for kindling?

Just keep an eye open for either a complete heavy duty tripod, or some legs and you can work out how to fasten things together.
An old tripod that is wood or heavy and no lnger wanted might be found in a charity shop.
If it doesn't have the bling, nobody wants it!

Maybe someone on this forum has something suitable?

When buying a new package, the manufacturers always use the cheapest most flimsy tripod they can to meet the budget.
Here you have the opportunity to look for a decent tripod so help this scope, and whatever comes next.

[PeterStudz]

@Wageslave, yes, that’s my daughter in my profile pic. Taken just over 2 yrs ago on our first night with our first telescope. It’s enormous fun doing something like this with your kids. Although there are frustrations and compromises. Eg sitting out in the cold getting their eyes use to the dark. We go around some of this by looking at the moon and planets - they are bright so no need to get dark adapted. Or camping out in the garden without a tent (my daughter likes camping anyway) which included looking up at the stars with/without binoculars, looking for shooting stars, making hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows PLUS looking through our telescope.