+RonC Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Been there and got the teashirt!! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Lol. We've still got the L plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Hi, just my little bit. While there is nothing wrong with a 130P, I do find things like the planets do suffer due to its small primary mirror. The mother in law has the 130P on a goto mount, M44, M3, M13 etc looked good but Jupiter and Saturn were for me, a bit small and hard to make detail out (compared to my 200P). One thing to try, if memory serves, the EMS loan scope is a 130, why not borrow it for a few weeks and see how you go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teslar Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 The eBay link I added earlier for the 150p and EQ3-2 mount finished at £155 you missed a good chance there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Good idea, what's the forecast for the next few months? lol. Just been reading threads on SGL, I think I need a lay down now, but very useful reading. We'll have a ponder as to which one suits our needs and fits in best with our unusual requirements, we don't need to decide immediately, tomorrow will fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 The eBay link I added earlier for the 150p and EQ3-2 mount finished at £155 you missed a good chance there Unfortunately it's collect in person from Kent, I thought the reserve was "no less than £180" to quote from advert. Quite taken with that one at Chesterfield. How easy is it to make a Dob mount for it? What sort of cost? Does anywhere sell Dob mounts separate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Hi Cazz, Just a few points to ponder. You may have already thought of them anyway. A dobsonian mounted scope is usually going to be cheaper than an equatorially mounted one. A dob will be easier to set up, no need for polar alignment and I suspect you are planning to stick with visual and not do imaging. A dob mounted scope the size you want (130 to 150mm) will be more compact than an eq version and therefore store away more easily. Therefore a dob has a lot of advantages and would probably suit you better than an eq. I think that you will have trouble buying just a dob mount to convert an ota from an eq, and it would need some extra work anyway to fit and balance it. The cost would also be prohibitive on your budget. A dob mount can be fairly easy to make, assuming you are already pretty confident and have a some experience at DIY, using a saw and working with wood etc. If you are not that way inclined, then you will find it quite a chore and may end up being rather dissatisfied with your creation. Such a result would spoilt your enjoyment of the scope. Obviously there is a cost to making your own and if you do not already possess the required tools, that cost could be substantially higher. Remember that scopes of the type and size you are looking for are regularly coming up for sale on ebay, SGL, Astrobuysell or maybe even on EMS as people upgrade. If you have a little patience and keep looking, then sooner or later the perfect scope at the right price with your name on it will come available. Anyway, looking at the weather forecast for the next couple of weeks, there doesn't seem too much urgency for any of us. Good luck . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Good points there, cheers. We had seen that EQ's add a fair bit to the price, but if one was wanted, then it cheaper to get it in the first place. Also I think a Dob mount will be easier to cater for in storage and use for us, at the moment we are making sure we don't get an interest in imaging, something will have to give if we do!!! We have a very basic tool kit, enough to get by in the house, and my only woodwork projects have been laying a marinated floor. So perhaps making a Dob mount will not be a cost effective project for us and will look rubbish as our room feature. Why don't shops sell Dob mounts separate like they do for the other types? We will go with our gut feeling, we will know when the right one from the right place sits right. You can't beat a gut feeling!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Dob mounts aren't such a "one size fits all" like an eq and is specific to the supplied scope. An eq6 would happily work with anything from your 60mm refractor up to a 12" SCT. People normally buy a Dob and then upgrade it to an eq and not the other way round. I also have lots of marinated floors, the kids keep spilling stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 I see, that makes sense, I guess if there was a big enough market for separate Dob mounts then they would be more available. Lol to your marinated with spills floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Those who were there Friday night will know we made a purchase on Friday afternoon. We found a secondhand Sky Watcher, Skyliner 150p for under £150. It's six months old, only been used twice, and it was only 35 mins from our house. It fitted the bill perfectly so went for it, it's currently sat in the middle of the sitting room, a bit of a move around is needed, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Congrats Cazz - that was my first scope (on EQ) and a very nice "beginner/advanced" scope it is too. You'll see millions of stuff with it and it'll last a good few years before you feel the need to upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Congrats Cazz - that was my first scope (on EQ) and a very nice "beginner/advanced" scope it is too. You'll see millions of stuff with it and it'll last a good few years before you feel the need to upgrade. Fab, I'll remind Wayne of this thread when he says he wants to upgrade, lol. It fits in the campervan or mobile observatory or should that be observing support vehicle, lol, perfectly, but it is a little big for when we take the classic car camping, but we have the nearly age similar refractor for then. Definitely too many interests, so it's the only big purchase for a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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