Help in Upgrading to new scope

[GibbyNI]

Hi,

Glad I found this forum, I had been looking for a good UK message board for a while but couldnt find any.

Im looking to upgrade my current Sky-Watcher Explorer 130p. I got it around 3 years ago and I had good fun with it, however along came a baby and 3 years on im starting to get back into Astronomy. I have registered to do a Open University Degree in Physics and Astronomy. So now im looking to upgrade to a better scope.

Budget is around £1500 give or take a few quid.

Looking for using it for Planets and DSO, not that interested in the astrophotography at the min (to many other things to learn).

I have a ok view out my back but nothing special so would imagin I would be going to a different location to use it (1 or 2 in mind), so nothing to big but I dont mind a bit of lifting in and out of the car.

Also wanting something that will last so that in a years time im not thinking aaahhh I should a went for a different one instead.

So far I have looked at

Celestron C8-SGT £1000

Celestron CPC-800 £1429

Meade LX90-ACF £1650

Anyone any opinions on there or anything else I should be looking at. Looking to buy sept - oct time.

thanks for any help

[brantuk]

The CPC's have superb optics and very accurate tracking. And if you're not worried about photography then it being alt/az won't matter. Wouldn't swop mine for anything (except maybe a bigger one of the same lol).

They're very flexible, quite a good price at the moment. And if buying s/h they go for around £1000 which would leave ample budget for extra's (ep's, dew system, reducer, collimator, etc).

Hope that helps

[shaunster]

the CPC is a nice scope and celestron have a deal on right now you can pick up the cpc 800 new for £1299! Also consider a dob, more aperture for less price generally, if you really want goto then theres always goto dobs.

Id go for aperture, cpc 800 is nice, but you could have a 10 or 12 inch dob instead which will provide better views on most targets

[GibbyNI]

Hi Brantuk always good to hear a good review from someone who has the equipment. The ep etc dew system etc will need to be added to the over all price so I can see your point there.

Shaunster, where did u see the CPC for £1299 all I could find was £1429 ish. Also goto dobs, I hadnt seen any what brand are they. My main reason for not looking at the dobs was portability and having to manualy track. Im sure there will be plenty of family members wanting a go and maybe dissapointed if it keeps losing targets but goto could sort that problem.

[shaunster]

FLO have the skywatcher goto dobs on this link Dobsonians

Look on harrison telescopes or opticstar, they have the cpc at the low prices

[GibbyNI]

FLO have the skywatcher goto dobs on this link Dobsonians

I actualy hadnt spotted them dobs, thanks for making my decision even harder lol

[Rossco72]

If you're only having one scope and aren't interested in photography, GOTO 12" Dob, it's a no brainer....

[GibbyNI]

hhhmmm im getting very interested in the Sky-Watcher SKYLINER 300P FLEXTUBE SYNSCAN, anyone ever used one?

Reason I like it is more apeture for the money, the fact that it collapses down for moving around.

Things im not to sure about,

How good is the goto system on this compared to the other scopes i mentioned?

Would I need a dew shield etc?

It talks about needing a power source costing £100, is this recommended or are there other options?

[Hypernova]

These power tanks from maplins are a much cheaper option than the skywatcher or celestron branded items, they come with a 17ah battery which should keep the mount running for hours at a time.

Portable Jump Starter and Air Compressor : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

[shaunster]

I have the 300p, i did a quick review here http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/110894-skywatcher-300p-goto-dob-review.html

You wont be disapointed with it im sure..

Any goto will need a power supply and you can get them cheap as suggested above

[GibbyNI]

Thanks Hypernove thats exactly what I had been thinking off just wasn't sure if I needed a specific model with the scope.

Shaunster, good review sounds like your very happy with your chouce, just wondering if you could tell me the size of it when up and when collapsed down. My concern in getting it in and out of the car (Renault Laguna). Also whats the difference between the goto and the synscan goto? thying to find out on the SkyWatcher website but cant really find much on the dobs

Thanks

[Hypernova]

You won't need any specific model of powertank, any generic brand will do coupled with an appropriate 12v adapter.

Regarding the length of the tube, when extended and mounted on the base the eyepiece will be about 160cm above the ground when pointed at the zenith and according to a skyatnight review it collapses to around 1m.

The name synscan is just the name for skywatcher's goto system.

Tom.

[brantuk]

Hi again Gibby - I can vouch for the SW Flextube 300P Goto mentioned above - very nice bit of kit - awesome views - the new ones have improved motors and better tracking - mine (older model) needed a few mods to get it right. I agree with Shaunster above except I say get the CPC as well lol

[shaunster]

When i transport mine the base is in the boot and the tube along the backseat, the base is large.

[GibbyNI]

Hi again Gibby - I can vouch for the SW Flextube 300P Goto mentioned above - very nice bit of kit - awesome views - the new ones have improved motors and better tracking - mine (older model) needed a few mods to get it right. I agree with Shaunster above except I say get the CPC as well lol

HA! would love to see the wifes face if I said that to her.

Thanks for all the help, I realy am considering the 300p now, have to price out all the accessories etc and see what we come out at. I know I should try and get the best possible EP's but just cant afford the 200-400 a pop at the min.

Also being based in Belfast means all the website usualy charge an extra few quid for delivery on everything.

[Rossco72]

Gibby,

The only thing you will NEED to buy is a power supply.

You can start off with the supplied EP's and get going. Adding a dew shield, shroud, better EP's etc can all come along later.

Scour the second hand market for 2-3 good quality EP's at a variety of focal lengths (bearing in mind you can use a barlow to double these up)

Regards

Stuart

[GibbyNI]

Thanks Stuart, I keep thinking to myself "I need to buy new" but I guess your rite about looking at the second hand market. Its always in my head, what it somethings wrong with it etc, but going to have a look around later to compare prices.

[shaunster]

One eyepiece I would say would be a worthwhile purchase with the 300p that isnt going to break the bank is a 16mm UWAN, it will get a lot of use and is a quality optic

The skywatcher version is £135, and the william optics version about £150

[Rossco72]

Gibby,

About 60% of my kit is pre-owned. It is all looked after and generally in pristine condition. You will find almost everyone looks after their kit. The only slight worry is where someone is selling kit as they started the hobby and didn't take to it. Some of this has sat around garages or lofts for some years!!

Better quality kit is generally used by more serious users and is well looked after for the ost part or well described / photographed for any blemishes.

The one thing to watch is that a big fast scope like the 300p might show up imperfections in cheaper accessories!

Good luck

Stuart

[brantuk]

The ep's supplied with the 300P flextube I found to be a lot better than the basic ep's that come with smaller scopes. You should play with those first to get a good idea of what you want.

The Uwans a great idea but if you're on a budget then the WO Swans can be got in very good condition for £40-£50. A 30mm and 40mm wide angle ep would complement the 10mm and 25mm supplied with the scope and maybe a good planetary 6mm or 8mm and a barlow would give you a very useable range - for under £200 s/h

[Rossco72]

The ep's supplied with the 300P flextube I found to be a lot better than the basic ep's that come with smaller scopes.

It's nice to know that when you're buying a premium scope they give you appropriate EP's.

Every scope i've ever bought came with rubbish (or nothing at all)

[brantuk]

Yup Rossco - it was a refreshing change - they're not brilliant - but certainly a good step up from the usual offerings.

[GibbyNI]

The ep's supplied with the 300P flextube I found to be a lot better than the basic ep's that come with smaller scopes. You should play with those first to get a good idea of what you want.

The Uwans a great idea but if you're on a budget then the WO Swans can be got in very good condition for £40-£50. A 30mm and 40mm wide angle ep would complement the 10mm and 25mm supplied with the scope and maybe a good planetary 6mm or 8mm and a barlow would give you a very useable range - for under £200 s/h

That sounds like a good plan, I will check them out. I know in the long run going for quality will be the best plan. I have had it many times when buying a camera lens, you would say to someone yea its £500 and they come back with WHAT!!! you mug you can get them in Currys for £70. Not untill they see in on the camera that they notice a huge difference.

[russ]

I had the pleasure of using Shaun's 300P Goto dob at the Salisbury SP and it was a dream scope. Good Goto system, excellent optics, tracked extremely well and a pleasure to use. M31, M11, Swan and the Veil were all breathtaking.

The CPC800 will be a nice scope. But won't get close to the deepsky view the 300P can provide. And you have all the hassle of anti-dew systems...

[GibbyNI]

Thanks for all the info guys, im seriously looking at getting the 300p next month

Just have to find suppliers in Northern Ireland or ones who ship here without costing a fortune.