Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 im looking to buy my first telescope ive got 200 pounds to spend has anyone got any suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Hi Darren. I'm sure others will be along offering better advice, but I'd be looking at skywatcher 6" dob on that budget as they usually other the best pounds per aperture. Or maybe a second hand celestron 4se if you get lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perkil8r Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 6 inch dob new as above or possibility of a second hand 8 inch. Both are great for starting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 i was looking at the celestron 114 lcm with the goto tech as i would prefer to buy a reflecter but any other suggestions would be helpful thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Well for that you are pretty close with this one: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-heritage-114p-virtuoso.html And you can upgrade it to full goto at a later date by getting the goto handset (around £180). In it's bare bones you will be able to track anything in alt/az mode - but you will need to be able to find stuff manually till you upgrade the handset. Hth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 (edited) Skywatcher (or similar) Dobsonian. Look for second hand bargains on here.... http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php Look for an 8" if you can, maybe even a 10. I personally would stay clear of budget goto scopes. Aperture makes more sense to me. Get a Dob, and learn your way around the sky. You can upgrade it as you go along, and learn alot about the scope as you go. ie Collimation, Thermals, Eyepieces, Finders..... I've only been a Dob owner for 6 months & i love mine. Good luck with whatever you go for Edited May 14, 2016 by Bino-viewer M. and Brantuk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 I went down the GoTo route with my first scope, and very soon regretted it. It was a real pain to align and would frequently just go off and do it's on thing and nearly got launched over the neighbours. That went pretty sharpish. If you want to see things and not be disappointed, you need aperture, you also need a dark sky as well so to get some of the fainter objects you may need to travel. I would go with a Dob as well, but I am biased as I own one. All the money really goes into the optics, the mount is dead basic and you will need to find the object yourself. This isn't any hardship and some of the members can locate stuff manually way before a GoTo has even thought about where it wants to go. Keep an eye on AstroBuy Sell website, but be careful of stuff on Ebay, it might not be the bargain it looks. I would avoid anything Seban on there, although their eyepieces aren't bad. Keep well clear of shop sold scopes, unless it's a dedicated Astro shop. Grab yourself a decent star atlas. I use the Sky and Telescope Pocket Star Atlas, it's an affordable book with an amount of detail that some others lack. A pair of binoculars will open up another layer of sky to you and are useful in their own right. Pop into the welcome section and say Hi and when we have a get together you would be very welcome to come along. If you spot something in the meantime stick up a post and just ask, better safe than sorry. Enjoy the forum. M. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Hi Darren, plus one for a dob. I bought mine secondhand then modded it with a setting circle and wixey digital angle gauge, and can find objects easily with the help of a good app. There are some good tutorials about the forum as well as some very helpful people. If you can, look out for a meet and come and have a play with some kit before you start spending. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+seven_legs Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Plus one for what Andy said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithysteve Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Hi Darren, welcome to EMS! For your budget I would recommend buying a secondhand dobsonian- this link is to a reputable 8" dob in Astrobuysell it is £190. It is fairly close to you... http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=112390 if at some point you wanted to sell it you would pretty much get your money back. you need a scope that will enable you to see enough stuff to to make spending all your hard earned cash worthwhile. An 8" dob will do that. if you find something and want more advice on it then just ask. We have all trod this path... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 37 minutes ago, Smithysteve said: Hi Darren, welcome to EMS! For your budget I would recommend buying a secondhand dobsonian- this link is to a reputable 8" dob in Astrobuysell it is £190. It is fairly close to you... http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=112390 if at some point you wanted to sell it you would pretty much get your money back. you need a scope that will enable you to see enough stuff to to make spending all your hard earned cash worthwhile. An 8" dob will do that. if you find something and want more advice on it then just ask. We have all trod this path... Well spotted Steve. Looks like the guy is either selling up or upgrading. He has a WO Binoviewer and 127 Mak for sale as well. That looks a good buy Darren, and you might knock the price down a bit for cash and a quick sale As said above, it is an excellent scope to get you started and maintain your interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottletopburly Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 personally speaking finding targets can be a pain to start off so you could hang on save a bit more go for go-to ,i would have a look around dont rush in check out astrobuy for a second hand set up http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/ or new https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/skywatcher-explorer-130p-synscan-az-goto.html or do what most people do and just rush in and buybuybuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 thanks for the advice ive looked at that many telescopes my brains on overload but im personly swinging across on the side of reflecter the only thing is ive got tolearn how to read star charts and all the other stuff that go's with it ☺ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 That's nothing new Daren - it took me 3mths research getting my first scope, and info overload fried my brain several times along the way lol. Best thing to do is just keep asking questions, and if you can get along to a meeting, or even visit with another member for a chat and look at some gear, then it'll all start coming clearer what should suit you to buy. If you're ever over my way you be welcome to drop in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I'd start with binoculars if you don't have any already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 How is the search going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 yeah not going 2 bad narrowed it down to 2 , 1 reflecter and 1 dob thanks for asking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 9 minutes ago, DAZBOP815 said: yeah not going 2 bad narrowed it down to 2 , 1 reflecter and 1 dob thanks for asking What you got in mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 the skywatcher skyliner 200p dob or skywatcher explorer 150p eq3 what u think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 200P dob, more bang for your buck. Aperture rules, the extra 50mm of aperture will make faint DSO's ETC a little bit brighter, may make the difference between seeing an object and missing it completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 thanks for the heads up any other advice is appreciated thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) The Dob is the easiest to use. You just point it at what you want to look at. The 150 on the EQ mount is a smaller scope on a mount that you will have to polar align before you use it. If you can make it to Long Eaton Astronomical Society's next meet I'll hopefully be there, Mike Perkins will and a few others will also be there. I suspect it will be next week on Thursday at 19.00 hours. Mike will confirm or deny this. If you can make this I'll have a chat with you and go through the pro's and cons of both types. The Long Eaton School, Thoresby Rd, Long Eaton, Nottm, NG10 3NP Edited May 19, 2016 by BAZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DAZBOP815 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 thats great thanks i only live 2 mins away from long eaton school so i will be there looking forward to meeting u and having a chat thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Also if you want to see a 200P then you are more than welcome to come look at mine. Im in Hucknal, not exactly close but not that far either, 30 minutes from Long Eaton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Yes, I can confirm that the next meeting is as posted, I have just found last meets news letter. 6th May @19.00. The speaker for the evening will be Simon Goodwin, an Astro-Biologist giving a talk on the search for life beyond Earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now