Name the scopes you've owned...

[GazOC]

Here goes...

102mm f5 refractor

120mm f5 refractor

150mmf5 refractor

120mm f8 refractor

127mm f9 refractor

80mm f15 refractor

80mm f5 refractor

250mm f5 reflector

300mm f 4.75 relector

200mm f6 reflector

200mm f10 SCT (Meade LX90)

127mm f 12 Mak/Cass

russ, James....?

[OXO]

Blimey thats a list and a half matey :shock: :)

Ok my seemingly smaller list is as follow's

Ah hum....Tasco 4.5 reflector F/6 (Had this for Ages years and years)

Skywatcher 70mm Refractor F/L 700 (Grants soon)

Skywatcher 200mm F/5 Reflector (Had this over 2yr's and now getting a brand new one)

Scopes this year deff something russ put in my Tea.

ETX90 MAK F/12

ETX 125 F/11

Celestron C6-R F/8

Back to Skywatcher 200mm scope

James

[OXO]

Can all so Add my fav scope too which would be the Skywatcher 8" easy to use and comfortable if the C6-R refractor had this then that would of taken the lead so to speak.......

James

[russ]

Bit of short list but i'll list them anyway:

Tasco 11TR - 1983-1987 (most used scope i'll ever own - fond memories)

8.5" homemade dob - 1987-1989 (awesome optics - borrowed it for 2yrs)

10" Fullerscope on MkIII - 1989-1989 (totally Rubbish scope, couldn't get rid of it fast enough)

Meade LX5 8" f10 SCT - on 1yr loan - 1990 (1yr loan, loved it)

Celestron Orange tube C8 SCT - 1991 (bought for Vgood price, sold for profit)

Celestron Orange tube 5.5" SN Comet Catcher - 1995 (loved this scope)

Orion Optics 8" f4 on MkII - 1998 (Optics good, rest junk)

Orion USA XT10 10" f5 dob - 2001 (joint best scope with 127, loved it)

Celestron WA80 on EQ1 - 2001 (a good little scope)

Meade LX6 10" f10 SCT - 2002 (okayish - Rubbish fork mount)

Skywatcher Evostar 120 on EQ5 - 2002 (not bad but not a patch on the 127)

Skywatcher Viewmax 127 on EQ5 - 2003 (joint best scope, loved it)

Skywatcher Startravel 120 on EQ5 - 2003 (really enjoyed this scope, great partner for 127)

Skywatcher Explorer 200 on EQ5 - 2003 (one of my favs)

Skywatcher Explorer 250 on EQ6 - 2003 (Rubbish optics, rest good)

Orion Optics DX250 on EQ6 - 2003 (good optics, rest Rubbish)

Intes-Micro M603 6" f10 MCT on EQ6 - 2003 (love it - shame the focuser broke)

Skywatcher Startravel 102 on EQ6 - 2004 (too much false colour, much worse with camera)

Skywatcher Startravel 150 on EQ6 - 2004 (huge let down - Intes beat hands down on DSO)

Meade LX200 10" f6.3 on EQ6 - 2004 (okay but i missed the Intes, so swapped back)

Skywatcher Explorer 200 on EQ6 - 2005 (okay but would rather use the Skymax)

Skywatcher Skymax 127 on EQ6 - 2005 (awesome on planets, surprising on DSO @ f8)

Note: that's the same EQ5 and EQ6. Only ever seen the need to change the OTA. If I had done things right, i would kept the XT10 and added the EQ6, Viewmax 127 and Startravel 120. Perfect setup!

Russ

[OXO]

:o

Russ do you work for Telescope House?

I forgot one a 6" Meade Dob had it 2 weeks...

James :shock:

[Ant]

3" F15 refractor. Unknow brand

10" F/4 Reflector BC&F on a MKIII EQ head and pedestal.

10" Meade LX200

6" F/5 Refector on EQ5 Dual Drives.

8" F/5 Reflector on EQ5 Dual Drives

8" F/5 Reflector on HEQ5.

ST80 F/5 Skywatcher refractor OTA

ST102 F/5 Skywatcher refactor OTA

Not as many as some, but I actually think that out of all the scopes that I've had the best one is the currect one 8" on HEQ5.

Ant

[AndyMac]

From wimps corner..................

60mm Taso refractor (does that count as a scope?)

102mm f/10 (second hand) Bresser refractor

200mm f/10 (second hand) Celestron C8, and (since 1991)

11" Celestron Ultima f/10 SCT (new)

[OXO]

60mm Taso refractor (does that count as a scope?)

Certainly does Andy i bet you loved the views from it when you had it?...

Thing is our days there are much better Telescope's for so much less money than there used to be so many beginners end up now with quite decent scope's ala Skywatchers of which poo all over the old tasco scope's IMHO..

James

[Ant]

I just wish that they would stop selling thoise really REALLY Rubbish scopes that you get in Argos! They can destroy an interest before it's even got started...

ANT

[OXO]

You mean the 1000x Mag Scope's with plastic Len's they are blumming awfull arnt they. There's a few Sharks on Ebay selling Rubbish too!.

James

[GazOC]

If I had done things right, i would kept the XT10 and added the EQ6, Viewmax 127 and Startravel 120. Perfect setup!

Russ

Yep, it's so easy looing back isn't it? I couldv'e just kept my 8" Dob, bought tube rings and a EQ6 and saved myself 2 years of horrible f5 refractors. I don't know what I was thinking of at the time.....

[OXO]

I must confess i love my ST102 f/5 refractor it's small light weight and gives great widefield views ok the focusser is naff but the image's are superb!..

Looking back i should of kept the 8" reflector in the first place and just updated the mount but saying that from my fools n horse's dealing i havent lost more than 50 quid in getting a new scope and Better mount

James

[GazOC]

james,

When I had my f5's they were my only scopes, they do give nice widefields esp. the Milky Way in the summer but they are best if you've got another scope IMHO, they're not good all rounders. it's too hard to get high mags out of them which rules out planets and globs straight away.

if I had to pick one, i'd say the 102mm f5 was my favourite, i wouldn't wish the 150mm f5 on my worst enemy!

Gaz

[OXO]

Gaz,

Your right for planetry work they are hopeless as you rightly say getting High Mag's out of them is a NO GO!. The reason i love mine is for those widefield views and portable use

I was thining of getting a ST150 F/5 a while back but from what you have said i am glad i didnt

James

[Ant]

I think that the ST102 was quite nice, didn't get to look through it more thatn a few times though.

I think that a nice Skymax, maybe the 127, would compliment my setup.

8" for nice wide fOV's and the Skymax for the planetary stuff and smaller DSO's

Ant

[GazOC]

I was thining of getting a ST150 F/5 a while back but from what you have said i am glad i didnt

James

I'm not usually THAT fussy about false colour in refractors but the 150mm was a real dog for it. Drove me to distraction. I even had the scope for sale on AstroBuySell and talked a guy out of buying it! (it was going to be his first 'proper' scope and I'd have felt guilty selling it to him) I ended up just putting it on EBay.

For the same sort of money you could get a 8" f6 reflector that would be happy on the same sort of mount and theres really no comparision between the two really.

Gaz

[russ]

The ST150 just seemed a lot worse than the smaller Startravel's. Impossible to use on the planets, not much cop on globs. Didn't gulp as much light as you would expect for a scope with 6" clear aperture.

It's main advantage over the 8" newt was it's compact size by comparison.

Not a scope i would own again. I wouldn't consider any of the Startravel's now. If I needed something small, compact with a widefield I would just go with the Skywatcher ED80. Absolutely no false colour, superb for imaging.

Russ

[Rob]

Not many for me also!

Helios Skyhawk 2 4.5" f8 Newt. Ace starter scope.

Skywatcher Explorer 150 6" f5 Newt. Fair/good on deep sky

Skywatcher Startravel 102 4" f5 Refractor. Nice widefield scope

Skywatcher Strarmax 127 5" f15 Mak. Great on planets

Rob

[Bill Harrison]

Hi everyone,

My first scope was a cheap & nasty BSA Optics 50mm refractor which was OK for the £20 I spent on it. Got me interested in the hobby and had some reasonable views of the moon, venus and jupiter & its moons considering its aperture. Couldnt go much above 100x on it though because of excessive CA . I replaced the rubbishy tripod with an excellent Alt-azimuth camera tripod which I picked up at a Boot sale for a tenner.

Decided to take up astronomy seriously and not to waste money on a starter scope so I saved up and got a Skywatcher Explorer 8" F5 Newtonian 2 years ago which has given me some excellent views on deep sky objects.I do not regret doing that at all. I am waiting to receive a Phenix Optics 5" refractor from alan at sky's the limit for Planetary use. Can't wait to start using it.

Bill

[daz]

My list has just got 50% longer!!!!

Celestron Explorerscope 80mm Reflector - Chrimbo pressie last year from the wife

Atlas Explorer 114mm Reflector on EQ1- Bought on eBay £30

Skwatcher Explorer 200mm on HEQ5

Daz

[FLO]

Aha! Heres another thread worth reactivating.

C'mon chaps .... get stuck in

[OXO]

I forgot the ETX105 on that list :shock: :nono: :whip2: better than the ETX 90 and 125 IMHO :shock:

[GazOC]

My list has just got 50% longer!!!!

Celestron Explorerscope 80mm Reflector - Chrimbo pressie last year from the wife

Atlas Explorer 114mm Reflector on EQ1- Bought on eBay £30

Skwatcher Explorer 200mm on HEQ5

Daz

Still waiting for that report on the 127mm mate.....

[OXO]

:shock:

[Mancunian Lee]

Skywatcher Explorer 200 on a HEQ5 mount my one and only scope - never owned anything else