£400 upgrade??

[Bigdaddyjeff]

Hi Guys

I was extremely happy(still am) with my surprise scope for christmas and I'm constantly looking outside for clear skies so i can get into the garden for some viewing. As it's my first scope i have to say i'm extremely pleased with what i'm able to see and take in and again as a newbie i have a lot to learn and so much to see.

Already though the urge to maybe upgrade to a scope for DSO's has gripped me......possibly a little too tightly

After reading through post after post i realise there are so many choices for so many possibilities out there and it's so easy to submerge yourself in so much data...so here i am asking for a little advice.

What are my best options for £400????...there i said it lol. I'd like to keep my portability so i can just pick up and set up in the garden and get going pretty quickly. I'd like to be able to view some DSO's and get more detail on planets. Imaging isn't something i'm ready for and i know the cost of imaging is way more than my budget would allow anyway. If a goto set up is available then that would be a bonus but i wouldn't say it's a necessity.

I may be unrealistic with my budget but with a newborn on the way i'd be hard pressed to expand the wallet strings and face the wrath of er indoors

So there you have it,any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreicated and nothing will be dismmissed or scoffed at.

Thanks for your time and hope you have clear skies above

[michaelmorris]

As I see it, if your interest is in visual DSO observing, you have a number of possible upgrade routes. These include:

Newtonian on Dobsonian mount - Pros. Quick and easy to set up. Best value for money if aperture is your sole priority. The Lightbridge or Flextube designs are more portable, but more expensive. Cons - Large, no tracking (on most).

Newtonian on an equatorial mount - Pros. Tracking. Good value for money if aperture is your main priority. Cons - heavy, longer set up time.

SCT on a fork mount - Pros. small, portable. Cons - relatively expensive, difficult to get one that isn't GOTO.

IMHO, your best bet might be to hold onto your money for a while longer and see how your interest develops. In the meantime, if you have money burning a hole in your pocket, can I suggest a decent star atlas and a copy of the book 'Turn left at Orion'.

[brianb]

8" or 10" Dob. Great for visual work & a good one (smooth motions) will show good detail on planets too. When you have 20x £400 to spend you can think about mounting it for imaging ....

[Bigdaddyjeff]

Thanks Michael,the money isn't really in a rush to be spent and if i'm honest it's going to be a good few months before i actually purchase one but i thought if i got some ideas early on it will give me more to research and possibly easier to filter all the choices down. I think i may need some tracking device as i'm considering DSO's and with my newbie status i may struggle a fair bit to locate desired view manually

Brian when i have 20x£400 to spend i'll heading up in my own rocket lmao .....will be looking at everyones suggestions though so thanks very much

[John]

Trouble is that GOTO (to find objects) will consume a big portion of your budget that would be better spent on aperture plus a Telrad finder plus some good sky charts. I'm with Brian on this - for that budget an 8" or 10" dob is the way to go.

[yoda]

Hi matey for £410 you can get a skywatcher skyliner 250px 10'' dobsonian delived to your door from FLO's, it's a great scope for DSO'S and planets.

I have seen so mush in the short time I have had one and I am verry impressed with it.

Good luck and all the best.

[Rossco72]

If you are looking to spend then £400 will get you a 10" dob new or maybe an 8" Auto dob second hand.

For DSO's the size of the mirror and the light grasp are very important to bigger is better.

I have a very good £3500 refractor and it is amazing how much more galaxies and nebulas stand out in my 14" dob costing half the money!

Cheers

[zcapp96]

You could also get a brand new 200p on an EQ5 for £368 from flo. Which you could then upgrade to motor driven or full synscan in the future.

[Bigdaddyjeff]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice folks. It really is much appreciated and i have lots of time to look at all the suggestions and come up with a definate...until i change my mind again ...or maybe win the lotto and buy multiples lol..thanks again though for taking the time out and hope you all get clear skies real real soon

[RobH]

My vote goes for the 10 inch dob too.....you can see a lot with a 10 inch scope

Rob

[Glen]

Dob vote also.. great way to learn the skies by star hopping, getting your bearings with a small star map ect.

Glen

[Bigdaddyjeff]

why oh why do we always try and push our budget a little more and more ......think i'm going to learn the skies more by myself rather than go down the goto route....but now i'm thinking of the Skyliner 300p....more dollar but it looks so so appealing with it's reviews???

What you think folks???? answers on a postcard