Skymax 102 Synscan first light

[timefortea]

After I finally got fed up with messing around collimating,balancing, polar aligning etc. my Explorer 150p only to have clouds roll in (yet again) I decided on a little grab 'n go. The Skymax 102 won purely on size & cost, I didn't want to get anything bigger or I would be tempted to leave the other 'scope tucked up in its box.

So a dinky little 4" Mak duly arrived from FLO less than 38 hrs after ordering, astonishing service again, thanks Steve.

Had to endure the usual new 'scope manky weather for a week before I could get outside with it. This left plenty of time to decipher the instruction book and learn the idiosynchrasies of the handset. All fairly straightforward, I even managed to update the software without too much difficulty.

So 1st light time eventually arrived, had the 'scope set up and 2 star alligned in no time at all. I was surprised at the clarity and sharpness of the view even though the tube was nowhere near cooled down. The Airy rings on both sides of focus formed perfect circles.

So far so good.

Mars at maximum magnification was great, I think I got a glimpse of an ice cap. Saturn as always was glorious.

When the scope was fully cooled I decided to split some double stars, Algieba and Castor were no problem in the 10mm eyepiece, in fact both were easier to resolve than with the Explorer which tends to have diffraction spikes in inconvenient positions. No such problem with a Mak'.

On to faint fuzzies, which, to tell the truth I held out little hope for especially with a 45% Moon bathing the sky. Surprise, surprise sent the scope to find M65 in Leo and there it was a faint smudge and just on the edge of f.o.v was its companion M66. Next I tapped in M87 and when the whirring and beeping stopped up popped the giant elliptical galaxy as requested.

Tonight was all about familiarisation and assessing the capabilities of this set up, and I was slightly taken aback by just how good this little 'scope actually is for visual work. OK it's never going to show massive detail in galaxies an nebulae but I suspect this instrument is going to give me a lot of viewing pleasure for a long time to come. It certainly seems to complement my Explorer 150p really nicely.

Edited March 23, 2010 by timefortea

[yeti monster]

Good stuff Ian, I'm thinking about a small Mak to bring to work next trip and your report is favourable. I'm trying to narrow my search down, but it seems to be widening.........

[Macavity]

I think you confirm what I've always imagined. In many ways the MAK102 might be the ideal scope for this mount. Much as I love my MAK127, it's a tad too heavy, a tad too long-focus... for (my idea of!) true grab and go. Also, I seem to remember that the MAK102 has sufficient room on the back end for a 2" adaptor. Glad you noted it does have SOME deep-sky ability. I was always impressed how a (now much-missed!) MAK90 resolved many quite-tight doubles too. Heck, I'm often tempted to "downgrade"...

Heheh. A "virtual" 3-inch (plus!) F12 APO - What's not to love?

Edited March 23, 2010 by Macavity

[timefortea]

Update:

The only down side is that it seems to eat batteries or maybe I spent too long just aimlessly slewing around. Still if I'm only using it for limited periods it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[Juno6]

Was thinking about getting one of these. Needing something light weight/compact with the ability to photograph some detail on Saturns rings, Jupiters gas bands and also for moon photos. Using a digital camera or web cam.

Is it a good scope in this regard? Would it be a viable upgrade on my 114gt that has alignment issues.

[happy-kat]

What are your issues? Maybe a new thread asking for ideas on what issues you are having with your tracking would be an idea.

Only I would have thought could you not get just the new telescope to fit on your existing tripod?

Edited July 15, 2015 by happy-kat

[Juno6]

Happy-Kat- Ive been discussing the issues with another user at length about the alignment issues. I just wanted to know if the scope the OP here purchased was an upgrade on what I have and if it fitted in with what I want it for.

I nearly bought an slt mount and handset for this scope (114gt) but it has a different kind of dovetail fitting. The reason for wanting an upgrade was being able to photograph objects using prime focus and not having the alignment issues and bugs in the non upgradeable handset.

[damnut]

Hi There,

Nice write up thats a lovely   scope for grab & go. Congrats.

Hwyl!

Edited July 15, 2015 by damnut

[Alkaid]

Nice, I've also got my eye on a 102 mak for travel.

[Dougie82]

I have just purchased a SW 102 with the AZ GTi mount from RotherValley Optics and I concur with the OP. Not had the opportunity to view much yet but the views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn I have had have blown me away. Now thinking of attempting the EQ mode in order to capture images with my Nikon dslr.

[Mr niall]

Can I ask if your 102 has the collimatable back? It looks a little like SW do two versions of the 102, one that is colimatable and one that isn't (not that it matters massively) if you compare the AZGTI version with the OTA only version.

[Bobby1970]

Really nice report. 

I have the 127, and in the past had a 90. Despite having a mount that can more than take the 127 I often find myself considering a 102. Perhaps this is the sweet spot in terms of portability and performance. I suspect I could also use a 102 on my star adventurer, which I feel the 127 will be stressing if I attempted it. Lol 

 

Regards

Bobby