Beginner advice please on motorised telescopes

[webmonkeyuk]

Hi all I just joined and am looking for a little advice on buying a telescope. 

 

I'm looking for something between £300-500 as a starter scope, but I'd like something motorised but not sure what to go for. I'm not sure which is the best system and have only heard of the GO-TO one, many years ago I had a Skywatcher Explore 130 I think it was 🤔 it did have a motorised mount but I could never get it set up right 😬 so I'd like something where you just press on the keypad and it automatically goes to that planet. 

I regularly go camping so something that would be relevantly easy to carry would be good and I'm just looking for something that would perform in general stargazing and planet observation. I know for that price range it's probably not going to be spectacular and you would probably struggle to see deep sky or galaxy stuff but I'd be more than happy observing some of the planets.  

Id appreciate any suggestions or tips on which scopes could suit my needs.

Thanks kindly 

Jonathan 

[malc-c]

Welcome,

You will end up being very confused as, like any subjects everyone has differing opinions and recommendations.  It is possible to get an AZ-Goto scope and mount in the budget range you have given, but they will have limitations.  Have a look on Firstlight Optics or Rother Valley Optics (other retailers available) websites and you'll see AZ-Go2 range of scopes.  Most people suggest Dobsonian  scopes, by the cheapest goto dob is outside your budget, almost double.

I would also recommend locating a retailer near you and go and see the package in question.  If that's not possible then give the guys at the two retailers mentioned a call and they could help you narrow down the options

[happy-kat]

hi

starsense is a push to system and there is a 6" tabletop dob with starsense is budget, or for example a skywatcher 106mm on the AZ-GTI motorised goto mount and tripod as two different examples

[Waddensky]

The Heritage 150P Virtuoso GTi is motorised and fits your budget. Of course, you need to align the telescope first before you can press a button and centre a target, but that's the case with all GoTo telescopes. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-virtuoso-gti.html

Why do you want something moterised? If you regularly go camping a manual telescope is probably the most portable option, not to mention you don't need to worry about a power source.

 

 

[happy-kat]

for manual some goto setups have freedom find which means the mounts will work manually if there is no power, for example the AZ-GTi and the virtuoso GTi

Edited June 19 by happy-kat

[Elp]

If you want goto you need to align, either polar align or with alt az level, align to true north then do multi star alignment.

The azgti is probably the cheapest goto you can get, it's gotos aren't super accurate but I believe you can get it good once you've done a few alignments.

I haven't used one but the suggestion of a manual starsense (not the starsense autoalign) may be better.

[Gfamily]

One neat feature of the Skywatcher systems that use Synscan (e.g. the AZ-Go2, Star Discovery, AZ-GTi, etc) is that they have Point and Track.

This doesn't need alignment, so for those targets that you can find anyway (Moon, planets, brighter nebulae, those easy Star-hop targets), you simply find it in the selection list on the app, point the scope at it manually or using the motors, and then select 'Point and Track', it'll keep it in the field of view for ages without having to track it yourself. Great for early evening observing of the Moon and planets when you might not be able to pick out enough alignment stars. 

Paired with a wide field refractor it's a delight. But be warned that if you're using a longer focal length scope like a Maksutov, it can be harder to get the target in the eyepiece to start with. 

Edited June 19 by Gfamily
Spelling and clarity

[webmonkeyuk]

Oh wow thanks for the help everyone, the main reason for wanting a GOTO system or equivalent was I thought it would just be easier to find the planets and other objects but it sounds like having to align them might be past my skills lol. And I hadn't factored in the power part as I thought they maybe have built in power packs or batteries.

Id realised that my budget would probably be a big limiting factor and been a novice I didn't really want to spend loads but I guess to get anything decent you would have to.

I'm not familiar with the push to systems or the Skywatcher syncscan ones, do these have to be linked to a smartphone or tablet?  I was having a quick look at some of those but wasn't sure about them.

I did say I'd be taking it camping but I'd be in the motorhome so I guess the power issue wouldn't be such a problem ☺️

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I think maybe some research is needed to see if anything fits what I'm after 

[Elp]

As I said, the azgti is probably the cheapest goto you can get commercially, I already did the research before I bought it (and another) though that was three years ago.

It CAN use 8x AA batteries but I'd advise strongly against because the WiFi has a habit of conking out and you'll wonder why it's not responding to your commands. A 12v out power pack sorts that out, the pack doesn't have to be large, all mine are fatter 12v out versions of the typical 20000mAh ones you can get for charging phones.

To control it you switch the mount on, install the Synscan Pro app on your mobile or tablet, connect to the WiFi of the mount, open the app, and you're generally ready to go. If the azgti has the latest EQ firmware installed then when you start the app you'll be asked if you want to use it in alt az or eq mode and select which one. There isn't a more simpler goto system out there I think, maybe ZWOs app for their am3/5 using it for alt az observation but theyre more expensive mounts.

Edited June 19 by Elp

[M40]

Hello webmonkeyuk and welcome to the site. Just for something to consider, have a look at the Seestar S50. It's a self contained smart telescope so not one you look through, is no good for planets (they would be too small) but is great on the sun, moon and a whole host of deep sky objects. Pefectly portable and couldn't be easier to use. All the best.

[Gfamily]

3 hours ago, webmonkeyuk said:

 

I'd say I'd be taking it camping but I'd be in the motorhome so I guess the power issue wouldn't be such a problem ☺️

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I think maybe some research is needed to see if anything fits what I'm after 

If you're a motorhome user I can very highly recommend visiting a Star Party - you'll find details of upcoming ones on this site under the Star Parties and Astro Events forum. 

The one that I (and several others from here) go to is the Astrocamp star party, which is held at Cwmdu (near Crickhowell in South Wales) in the Spring and Autumn. The next one is at the end of September.  We can't guarantee the weather, but the crowd is friendly, there should be lots of people with different levels of equipment and most people will be happy to talk about their kit, and give advice.  

Booking for September isn't open yet, but there's an Astrocamp Facebook group that will let you know when you can book - booking usually starts on a Saturday morning about 6 or 8 weeks before the date.  Lovely campsite, great company, and talks and demonstrations during the day.

Other Star Parties exist, there's one at Kelling Heath in Norfolk, and another in Galloway in Scotland. A new Star Party is being organised in Dorset for the first weekend in September, by a member of this forum. I've no doubt it'll be friendly too. 

Do you have an Astro Society near you?  If you go to the https://gostargazing.co.uk/events-map/ webpage it'll let you know where and when nearby groups meet.  

Edited June 19 by Gfamily
spelling

[malc-c]

17 hours ago, webmonkeyuk said:

Oh wow thanks for the help everyone, the main reason for wanting a GOTO system or equivalent was I thought it would just be easier to find the planets and other objects but it sounds like having to align them might be past my skills lol. And I hadn't factored in the power part as I thought they maybe have built in power packs or batteries.

Id realised that my budget would probably be a big limiting factor and been a novice I didn't really want to spend loads but I guess to get anything decent you would have to.

I'm not familiar with the push to systems or the Skywatcher syncscan ones, do these have to be linked to a smartphone or tablet?  I was having a quick look at some of those but wasn't sure about them.

I did say I'd be taking it camping but I'd be in the motorhome so I guess the power issue wouldn't be such a problem ☺️

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I think maybe some research is needed to see if anything fits what I'm after 

Not being condescending, but I think you need to do a little research to grasp the fundamentals and terminology used.  There is no system that you can just plonk down and press a button and Jupiter is bang in the middle of the eyepiece, at least not in your budget.  All systems require calibration or alignment.  It first needs to be told where two or three targets are, which is done through the handset that will come with the goto system.  It normally starts by placing the mount in a starting position, typically with the scope pointing North, and then instructing the mount to go to a target, and then it monitors the corrections you enter to centre the object in the eyepiece.  When it has a few of these points it works out the error and applies that to subsequent targets so the target does appear in the eyepiece.

Any motorised system requires power, typically 6 or 12v.  When slewing a mount can draw anything between 2 and 4 amps, so battery packs can get low fairly quick, especially in winter when the nights are so cold.  Power packs are a better option than using 4 x C or D cells, but do cost a fair bit so would need budgeting for.  If you are using a motorhome and have the ability of parking where you want to observe then using its 12v aux outlets is one option, or if you have main supply to the plot then a suitable mains power block will work.  In tracking power consumption is low, its the gotos that will drain batteries.

As far as control, yes some mounts are wifi enabled so you can connect to them as an access point and run applications on a tablet / smart phone / laptop.  Others have a handset which contain thousands of targets and can be operated as a search and select action and then press goto.  Or you can replace the handset with a special cable and have direct connection to a laptop or computer and run software that can control the mount simply by right clicking on a target and select the "slew to target" option on the resulting dropdown list.

Some of the goto scopes have systems that have encoders on both axis so once aligned you can simply push or pull the scope to a target and it will know where the scope is pointing, so if you then select a goto target via the handset it will slew to the correct point in the sky.

I didn't purposely mention particular scopes that would suit the task.  Planetary viewing / imaging needs a different scope compared to one that is more suitable for seeing bright nebula and galaxies.  There is no one scope fits all.  The main reason I didn't recommend a particular set up is these days there is so much variety.  A decade ago the choice of mounts were limited, and most goto system revolved around a GEM design and there were typically just 4 to choose from depending on the size of the scope that was going to be used, so it was easier to recommend a system.

Also, do a search for a local astronomical society and pop along to one of their meetings or start parties.  My local society runs "telescope workshops" where members bring their scopes along and people like yourself can come along and ask questions, see the things in action and chat to members about anything astronomical.

[webmonkeyuk]

Appreciate the help and advice from everyone 👍. It's something I will research and read up more about before I jump into anything.

I actually got myself up into the loft and found my old telescope which I thought I'd got rid of ages ago lol It's a Skywatcher Explorer 130p. Now I've been unable to find the eyepieces yet but will continue looking, so I'm thinking I could probably get more use out of this than buying something else that doesn't fit what I'm after. So what sort of eyepieces should I look for and what are the best quality, I've found the tripod and motor but I think I'd just use it manually and I'm thinking maybe download a good Night sky app and track planets and stars using that.

No point spending hundreds on a telescope that wouldn't actually suit my needs.

If anyone could recommend some eyepieces I'd be very grateful and once again thanks for the suggestions 🙏

[happy-kat]

That's super, the eyepieces I expect will be a standard 1.25 size, for pp, on the pc there is stellarium which is excellent and free, for a mobile google sky which is a map you point at the sky and it's what you are seeing.

The mount can be made more stable I think by hanging something from the middle of the tripod.

[Elp]

Eyepieces, BST Starguider and Vixen NPLs give good bang for buck, slightly higher and the Celestron Xcel LX.

[Gfamily]

4 hours ago, webmonkeyuk said:

Appreciate the help and advice from everyone 👍. It's something I will research and read up more about before I jump into anything.

I actually got myself up into the loft and found my old telescope which I thought I'd got rid of ages ago lol It's a Skywatcher Explorer 130p. Now I've been unable to find the eyepieces yet but will continue looking, so I'm thinking I could probably get more use out of this than buying something else that doesn't fit what I'm after. So what sort of eyepieces should I look for and what are the best quality, I've found the tripod and motor but I think I'd just use it manually and I'm thinking maybe download a good Night sky app and track planets and stars using that.

No point spending hundreds on a telescope that wouldn't actually suit my needs.

If anyone could recommend some eyepieces I'd be very grateful and once again thanks for the suggestions 🙏

From your description of it coming with 'a motor' it sounds as though it currently has an equatorial mount. 

If the Scope has 'tube rings' and a dovetail wedge you will be able to use it with a simpler Alt-Az mount. If you buy something like the AZ-GTi,  it will give you a very capable GOTO mount without having to buy a complete setup. 

As for eyepieces, I would suggest a 30 or 32mm eyepiece and a 21-7mm zoom. The 30/32mm will give you a low power (~20x) wide field view, which can be very helpful when finally getting on target - the zoom will give you a range of powers from ~30x to ~90x.  

I have heard of good things about BST for fixed power Eyepieces, and for the Zoom, I can say that the Svbony 7-21mm (~£50) is basic but competent (and very affordable) - you can easily spend 5x more for a better one, but I don't know if you'll find it 5x better. 

[happy-kat]

You can adjust an eq2 mount to operate in altaz mode ie left right up down I think, there's a YT I saw mention it, though I do use counter weight in my altaz setup so unlike the video I'd keep the weight on, I don't personally have an eq2 to show a picture

[Neil H]

How about a nice telescope and mount then use astro hopper which is free , so all you need to do is fit a phone mount to your scope then astro hopper will guide you to a target you want to look at 

[Jules Tohpipi]

For the OP, on your budget, the act of finding objects is most easily achieved by using one of the Celestron StarSense Explorer telescopes.

As you've already discovered, motorised Goto systems are not a magic bullet. But require careful levelling and alignment to achieve good accuracy. Even then, the telescope will not know if it's actually pointing at the right spot in the sky. Because the telescope is not linked to any kind of camera to confirm what it's looking at i.e. if it moved correctly.

The Celestron StarSense telescopes try to overcome these issues by using the camera in your phone to look at the night sky. The telescopes have a phone holder which serves several purposes. Firstly, the arrows on the screen will indicate where to manually push the telescope. Then secondly, the phone's camera is then confirming whether or not you are at your correct destination. If not, then the arrows will appear again to make the correcting movements. Now, this might sound like some hopeless gimmick that won't possibly work, but lots of knowledgeable users have confirmed that it works wonderfully well in real life.

So, if you're looking for simplicity, reliability and accuracy when finding objects then investigate the Celestron StarSense Explorer telescopes. If Goto and tracking objects is a must-have then a motorised system will be required (and some learning and patience).

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Jules Tohpipi