Your experience with Goto?

[Manok101]

I'm saving up for a goto scope, and was wondering what i should expect, as far as tracking results, and finding, and just general things to consider that I might not have thought of. I've been wondering what to do about the dew problem with the electronics, I've got a blanket for my current scope when I'm not using it would that be fine for the new scope as well? It will primarily be used at my house in my back yard. I might occasionally take it camping or to my brothers house at the beach.

[Nexus 6]

Hi Manok, what scope do you have in mind?

Dew is a problem but won't damage the electronics. You need a dewsheild to stop misting. You can buy some types that you plug in to a heater like they show here Astrozap . Not sure a blanket is the best thing to cover a scope, you can get a scope cover on this pageTelescopes and Binoculars from Green Witch of Cambridge, the Astronomy Specialists pretty handy. I use one myself. Your going to need some sort of portable power source, something like thisPortable Jump Starter and Air Compressor Free Delivery : InCar Battery Chargers and Compressors : Maplin

Alan

[Manok101]

Well I'm looking into the Orion XT10G, and am fairly set on it, unless I find out something that will change my mind, but this question was more for Goto in general, is it worth the extra expense of getting a scope that has it? Questions like that.

[rowan46]

I like it. After an initial learning curve in which nothing seemeded to work I finally got a system I can remember. My go to now takes about 3-4 minutes to set up and then I'm away. Having had go to I would not like to be without it. it makes my viewing time more efficiient as I don't have to spend ages looking for each new target

[SlipperySquid]

Echoing the above, I thought GOTO would be cheating and I wouldn't "learn" the sky's but I found that I know a lot more star names now due to using them for alignment. I wouldn't be without it! Just make sure you have good polar alignment and you are good to go. I did have problems now and again with alignment failures but now use EQMOD and find it a breeze and have a lot better GOTO accuracy.

Matt.

[cgarry]

I think GOTO is an excellent feature and well worth the money. I echo the comments above that there is a learning curve and I personally spent most of my first session getting the GOTO working properly and getting familiar with it. But once you get used to it, it is brilliant.

Chris

[WayBig]

I liked it as it allows an easy entry into astronomy (however the times when it wasnt accurate were frustrating, as I had no idea where to go by myself). I did learn my way around a bit whilst using goto (in the same way that I still like to look at maps even though I have satnav , because satnav doesnt give you the context)

I've now upgraded to a bigger scope without goto, and am having much more fun trying to find things myself, armed with planetarium software on my ipod and an angle gauge.

[Questions]

I think the main question (for me), regarding Goto is how many hours in a day do you have in astronomy.

I only have a few hours here and there so for me its a godsend, as I can be up and running (including alignment) in 10 minutes, I can have quick tour of the sky if im pushed for time and see things I would not normally see (due to time restraints trying to find them).

Contrary to popular opinion, I have found that GoTo DOES help with learning the sky in fact (in my case) its probably even more helpful as the handset read out can confirm I am looking at the right thing without niggling doubts and not being able to ask someone.

A question you might want to ask about the scope you have in mind, is if it allows you to scan the skys manually, my cpc800 allows me to do it, but ive heard reports that the celestron 8se doesnt, so you have to do the full alignment everytime you set it up. Its only a minor thing but I would imagine it might get a little annoying having to align even when you just fancy a quick glance at the moon.

[cgarry]

A question you might want to ask about the scope you have in mind, is if it allows you to scan the skys manually, my cpc800 allows me to do it, but ive heard reports that the celestron 8se doesnt, so you have to do the full alignment everytime you set it up. Its only a minor thing but I would imagine it might get a little annoying having to align even when you just fancy a quick glance at the moon.

Although the Celestron NexStar scopes do not have a manual mode, this is not a problem in practice. If I want to have a quick look at Jupiter for example I just so a 'solar system align' with Jupiter as the target. Centre Jupiter in the eyepiece and the job is done. The scope now tracks Jupiter happily.

Cheers,

Chris

[Astro_Baby]

Same here - I started out with the intention of doing it the hard way and learning the sky - problem was between work and family commitments and tbe vagaries of the UK weather it quickly became apparent that learning the sky the old fashioned way was never going to be realistic.

Add in my need to to travel to a dark(ish) site and it bacema quite a rrustratring to travel for 60-90 minutes and then spend a lot of time looking at nothing much.

GoTo - for me an absolute must. I can find a few objects without it but it just allows me to spend my time doing what I want - ie observing, not faffing around.

[saturn5]

Well i've just ordered the HEQ5 GoTo upgrade,after years of star hopping,enough is enough.After spending hours last winter hunting for invisible objects in what was the coldest winter for 30 odd years i've come to the conclusion its time spend less time hunting and more time viewing/photographing.

[Pete Presland]

goto is great and worth the expense as an old school "star hoping" observer it does feel like cheating a bit though and i would not sacrifice aperture for it!!!

but my 10" on a goto mount! now we are talking

[Astro_Baby]

I'd trade a bit of aperture for GoTo - after all something you can see in 6" is a lot better than something you cant find in 12"

[Pete Presland]

I'd trade a bit of aperture for GoTo - after all something you can see in 6" is a lot better than something you cant find in 12"

i cannot argue with your logic astro baby the goto has certainly revolutionized amateur observing,i think i am just greedy

[JamesM]

In addition to all the above advantages, I have found GOTO great for when you are observing during nights when there is partial cloud about. The problem with manually finding something is that you need the sky to be clear for long enough to provide the 'signposts' from which you locate your target. With GOTO, once the alignment procedure is out the way, you can choose your object, sit back and wait for the skies to clear and then have a look. This advantage has provided me with many additional observing nights that I would have otherwise have abandoned had I not been able to make the best of them - and we know how scarce ANY chance of observing has been recently.

James

[Manok101]

Thanks I think I see an xt10g in my future, I do believe I read that this scope will allow a manual mode, but I'm not sure, I do remember reading that I can with the handset.

[Talitha]

I've heard that goto is a big help if you live in a light polluted area and have difficulty starhopping. I liked it because i was so impatient to see everything.

On the other side of the coin, they can glitch.

My first big scope was an 8" Celestron Ultima 2000, and it glitched so often that it went back for repair 5 times before they got it right. It was ridiculous to have to verify everything with my Millennium Star Atlas, so i got rid of the Celestron and bought an LX-10. It doesn't have a computer... just a worm gear for tracking, and setting circles to locate my targets.

If it glitches, i take it apart and fix it myself.

[Manok101]

Anyone tried any of orions goto dobs?

[Demonperformer]

I would agree with the above comments. After a couple of non-goto scopes that rarely got any use I went for a goto scope and have never looked back.

However, remember that having GOTO does not preclude you learning your way around the sky anyway, and that is always a good thing ... it helps you answer the inevitable "what's that?" question the neighbours will start asking

[Telescope40]

Hi. I echo all the above replies. Quite happy with my knowledge of the sky prior to Goto being purchased. Many a night before Goto ended up finding absolutely nothing. Frustrating. It optimises your time at the eyepiece which can be few and far between on a fairly regular basis.

Horses for courses I guess, as many are not keen on the " shortcut " it offers.

John

[Macavity]

I have few "philosophical" problems with GoTo. I genuinely see the merits of learning the sky - In part, I have. But I have no affinity with "puritan work ethic" as SOLE reason for rejecting GoTo. [teasing] - Or rather, I sometimes wish there was a greater appreciation that many astronomers have neither the time or "constitution", to spend longer, at the eyepiece? Sometimes I can even GoTo "invisible" objects, which subsequently become visible, via averted vision...

But I think some HARDWARE criticisms of e.g. popular Alt-Z GoTo mounts are fair. I feel e.g. the Synscan Alt-Az operates rather on the "hairy edge" (weight-wise) with a MAK127. To get the best out of such systems can require hard-standing, better tripods etc. Motor quality control, might be an issue too.

Were I: "young and fit" (LOL), I'd've probably plumped for the "safe bet" (albeit equatorial) HEQ5 Pro Syncan? Given health limits (and some prejudices) I decided to have a punt on the Alt-Azimuth Ioptron Standard. Another voyage into the lesser-known, but a distinct step up from before. So far, so good...

[lukebl]

I think that optimising the time at the scope here in the fickle climate of the UK is such a priority, that GOTO is essential.

I confess to being a bit of a Luddite at first, having learnt to navigate my way around the sky the hard way, long before GOTO existed, but now I'm completely sold on it. Life's too short! Mind you, it's a bit like birding, which I also learnt by hard graft. There are now a lot of people who call themselves birders and have all the most expensive kit and whizzo pagers, but really don't have the depth of knowledge and understanding that comes with hard work.

[pvaz]

I find my GOTO is precise for the area of the sky with the stars I used to allign but if I ask it to move to objects far from that area, after a couple the sucess rate drops a lot. I often just turn it off and star hop instead. I mean, when I miss something while star hoping I can correct it easily. With the GOTO, when it misses, I'm forced to either realign it or get out the charts and have twice the work figuring out how much it missed and so on... It can be frustrating.

So my advice is: if you are planning to use it frequently, read some reviews and make sure you invest in a quality one that's not too much of an hassle to setup/use.

[dmahon]

Goto is up there with the wheel and sliced bread as far as I am concerned.

[Nexus 6]

[lukebiQUOTE][i think that optimising the time at the scope here in the fickle climate of the uk is such that priority, that GOTO is essential/QUOTE]

Could'nt have put it better myself. Some good comments made on this thread.

Alan