need some advice the towel is heading into the ring

[starship trooper]

hi there,

well had clear skies lastnight for the first time in weeks so i got my meade ds2070 out into my garden and set up and realised how **** the scope is now i must admit that i havent set up the finder scope that is pants (which would explain why i was having troublr finding things) and i think i need to train the drives but the mount is very shacky with any slight touch and the optics because of there size are very disappointing and i think i need to learn the skies more i mean i know orion,ursa minor/major ,cassiopeia so i have tried looking at the orion nebula which i think i found it had a star i the middle with traces of gas around it and the 3 stars coming out in a line to the bottom right had corner but it was very hard to study it because the blood scope keeped on shacking:(..Anyway after 20mins i got cheesed off and packed away and it has really made me think should i even be doing this sort of hobby because there is so much to learn and find...

Anyway today my wife has said to me she thinks i shouldnt give up and should get a better scope set up as i was planing to (as you might of seen in another of my topics) anyway after a lot of thinking i have narrowed it down to 3 scopes 1)sw 200pds on a heq5 mount, 2)achromat 120 evostar ona eq5 mount 3)a skyliner 250px flextube dob.

My head keeps on swinging for the 200pds but the evostar offers a more grab and go and the dob is quick to set up and i can imagine good views..

here my situation i want a scope that is going to give me good views of planets and dso from my back garden i think i will have trouble being able to view polaris (is there any other way of aligning the mount?)

i aint to worried about transporting it do a dark site but dont wont it to be to much of a hassle,

I do have a spc900 webcam that i would like to be able to use at first to be able to show my son what i am looking at and then at a later date maybe take some pictures so the scope and mount would need to be able to be used for that.

Also i i got a dob would it be ok to use it on uneven ground like grass in a field?

Anyway hope i havent rambled on to much and hope i have made sence but please help before i throw in the towel.

Cheers dazz:(

[Digz]

I dont know much about the scope in question but a quick google search shows it looks like a fairly lightweight set up. It would be prone to the 'wobbles' and will take a while for it to dampen down. But careful focussing and time to allow the wobbles to dampen down will work.

I wouldnt be too disheartened as its all good experience. Try it out again as there are other factors that can affect a session, for example turbulence in the air can impact on seeing.

If you decide you want to upgrade then what you are looking at seems a good start.

HTH

[Demonperformer]

OK, not the best mount, but before you throw it away and spend vast sums on something else, try hanging a weight (bag of sugar?) from the tripod. Something like that can add an amazing amount of stability. And if it doesn't work, you can always try something more drastic after that.

[Ad Astra]

Hi Dazz,

Hardly needs to be said, but you know I favor the dob setup. As you've seen, there is a lot to learn to do, and having a simple STURDY, reliable setup will bring you more joy sooner than anything else.

A 250mm dob will give you great deep sky, and excellent planetary views as well. Not to mention that with a simple DIY aperture mask, you can turn your 250mm f/5 into a 100mm f/12 planet crusher that makes for excellent lunar and planetary views.

As to the web cam - go ahead and experiment. With 250mm of aperture, you certainly won't lack light!!! I think you'll do fine and you won't have the wobbles anymore!!

Dan

[ronin]

I would be tempted by the evostar on the EQ5. Say this as the 200 on the HEQ5 could be heavy, the HEQ5 mount is not small neither is the scope.

The Dobsonian is another matter, really depends if you can locate whatever you want manually. Some can, some cannot. If you cannot then not a lot of use.

The Evostar is more of a general scope and should be good for a broad range of things, especially at 120mm. It is pretty maintenance free also.

To use the webcam you may well need a set of dual motors which are in the £80 area and then installing them. The EQ5 is more manageable then the HEQ5.

Another thing, as you are in MK try a visit to the club at St Neots, or Bedford (is there one in MK?) on one of the nights when people bring scopes along (email enquiry) probably worth a look at a selection before you decide. Could try Letchworth on one of their public evenings.

[nightfisher]

i had an evostar 120, it was a pretty good scope and i believe they a little better still (mine was an old one) if you go for the evostar you will need an EQ5 for sure

i cant comment on the dobs as i dont go near reflectors

[starship trooper]

i like the idea of the bag of sugar demonperformer i shall give that a try but i think i am heading towards a new scope what it is i want more power more detail and i dont think i am going to happy until i get that.

As for the evo and 200pds i am looking to goto a shop next weekend and take a look at them both to see if i can manage the size of the 200 and also look at the dob and ask some questions you see at this moment we have a bit of money put by which wont be around again for a while so i think i have got to take this chance aint it.

how do people manage to align there mounts if they cant see polaris can it be done or am i missing something here?

Cheers

[GazOC]

Another vote for the Dob, a red torch and a sky atlas....

[starship trooper]

but can they only be used on paved areas or can i use in the field

[ollypenrice]

Put a board down and you can use a Dob on a field. If you can't see Polaris an EQ would be a pain anyway. As Gaz says, a good star chart, a red torch and the learning and rewards soon follow.

Olly

[starship trooper]

So just cut a bit of ply just a Little bit bigger than the base and that would be fine.

Is the 250p flextube auto suppose to be good then also what this aperture mask about .

Cheers

[umadog]

I regularly observe in fields and have set up my 12" Dob on both grass and snow with no problems. Dob goes straight onto the ground, no sheets or boards involved. Dobs are very stable. Won't wobble. You actually want to avoid paved areas as they tend to store the day's heat and release it during the night: this causes convection currents which interfere with the views.

I am mystified as to why you think there being "so much to learn and find" is a problem. Would you be happier if there were only a handful of things to look at and nothing of interest to learn about them?

[Nexus 6]

Hi starship trooper, by all means go for another scope, one important factor in being able to get some decent views is the light pollution or lack of, if you do have reasonable skies then pretty much any new scope of reasonable aperture will give you some outstanding sights.

Good luck, I hope you have another try at it

[yeti monster]

Whenever I start to feel disheartened, whatever the task, I'll remember these sage words:

'Yosamite Sam NEVER gives up!"

Minor trials in life, if they were to win out each time we run across them, we'd still be bashing rocks together and chasing mammoths!

Once more unto the breach...

[Astro_Baby]

Anyway after 20mins i got cheesed off and packed away and it has really made me think should i even be doing this sort of hobby because there is so much to learn and find...

This bit of your post kind of worries me, isnt a hobby suposse to be a challenge or were you looking for a more passive hobby requiring not much input from you. My worry here is tha you will get something like and HEQ5 mount and give up in frustration because they aint easy to use OR you will ge a big Dob and give up cos you cantvfind anyhing to see with it.

Both a dob and an EQ mount will require you to learn stufv, make an effort etc.

I'm not being critical of your attitude ( and God knows I am so fed up with astro I am a hairs breadth from taking all my gear to a skip) but theres plenty og gear on ebay bought by people who assumed astro was a hobby in the way watching television is a hobby and its not. Its always a case of brain ache and skinned knuckles for most of us coupled with a fair amount of frustration.

Thats not a counsel of despair, more a sober heads up. I'd get out to an astro club and see something before yoh part with any cash.

[Dougie]

Don't give up and your wife is being very supportive too. Always a bonus.

I had an EQ mount but I too couldn't see Polaris very well so polar alignment was always a problem.

I hardly used my scope over a 10 year period. But it wasn't until I was in hospital 2 years and was given an astronomy magazine to read by my son, that my interest was rekindled. I realised that scopes had move on since my first purchase.

I then took time to chose a different scope that suited my location and budget.

Lots of sound advice and support here. Go to a society, they're all very friendly. Astronomy shops will give you good advice on what meets your needs and budget. They will want your return custom.

My wife now says that she's an astronomy widow

Good luck and keep us posted.

[xyz]

I was given a Celestron AstroMaster 90mm as a surprise present. No goto, a red dot finder that was awful with the AZ smoothness of a dodgem car ride and the tripod stability of a jelly. BUT I struggled on and did my best to see what I could and ignored those sights out of reach. I really recommend that you persevere with what you have because as you not only explore the skies above, you will also explore the limits of the equipment and this will be the best guide for your next purchase. I now have a 8" Dob. which has it's own set of limitations and constraints - but none of them were a surprise or a disappointment. I learned a lot with that first 'scope - one of the best lessons learned was that this is a hobby that rewards patience and perseverance. Keep plugging away and you will either get more interested or maybe (hope not) move to a different hobby.

Richard

[The Bat]

If you want to get into taking pictures, then I wouldn't go for the dob, I would use an EQ mount. Regarding not being able to see Polaris: if you are just doing visual stuff then you only need rough polar alignment. Get a compass and point the polar axis north. Make sure it's set to your latitude and that will be good enough. The target might wander a little bit but should only require periodic adjustment. Accurate tracking is not vital for webcam imaging so you should be able to do some of that too.

Rachel

[JAO]

As has been already said in this thread astronomy is rarely an instant gratification interest and all telescope setups are to some extent and compromise. Equally they all require some effort to master and get the best out of them.

I am firmly in the group that would advise on a Dob, a decent atlas and a bit of time invested in learning how to star hop. Eight inches of parabolic primary and a bit of effort will bring thousands of objects within your grasp. We all started knowing nothing and for many folk on here the journey is all part of the fun and enjoyment.

Adrian

[starship trooper]

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies. I dont think I explained myself very well in my first post. What I meant to say was that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and daunted by it all and I write as I'm thinking without making sure it makes sense sometimes. I really appreciate all the advice and I have decided to put the imaging on hold for the time being and carry on learning how to use the scope and learn the skies, but I dont think I will be happy until I have a better set up for better observing. I do like the idea of getting a dob, a map and a red torch and go back to basics and stop getting ahead of myself. I am planning on going to the local astro club, they have a meet next week and do some research. Thanks again, much appreciated.

[ken rigg]

Nice one S.T. Stick with it.

[starship trooper]

cheers ken i shall keep on trying as i did lastnight.

During the afternoon i set up the scope and aligned the finder properly but this i think needs to be replaced because it is very cheap and nasty,i also trained the drives and then we had a clear night and so i set up the scope and went through the easy align two star alignment and the problem i had was the stars it picked to align on wasnt really obvious ,the first one i centred the one that looked brighter than the rest and the second one i choose was sirius which was easy to spot.

Anyway so i choose to goto pleiades which wasnt as bright as i thought it was going to be i suppose because of the size of my scope but still stunning,then i went orion nebula which is alway good to see and then i went to betelgeuse which was just a little orange pin *****,anyway the goto function was better but still not that accurate.

Anyway this has inspired me for more and now feel better than i did the other night .

Also i have a few question i was wondering if you guys could help with.

1)i tried changing the location detail on the handset and because it has i.e 52 05' for lat and 001 15' lon how whould i enter my correct details of 52.00051N and 0.786W?

2)should i always park the scope every time i am shutting down?

3) as i said prevously i dont think i can really see polaris from my garden because my garden faces south,so i done a little bit of research and found EQAlign which sounds handy but is it from my understanding that this program can be used on a motorised EQ mount to align the mount to polar north using drift alignment?

How hard is this program to use and is it goodand would it solve my problem?

thanks again everybody for all you wise words

Clear skies

[starship trooper]

does anybody have any thought on this .

Cheers dazz

[Richard734]

Dazz,MKAS: Current Programme MKAS are having an open meeting next friday - public viewing night so they will have all thier toys out. They seem to be a friendly bunch and I am sure they will be able to help you out if you take your scope along?I am planning on heading over with my 9yr old daughter as she loved teh wolverton open view.CheersRichard

[starship trooper]

Cheers for the link Richard I shall go to that even sound good might see you there .

Cheers dazz