poppyrob
30-09-2015, 09:07 PM
Hi all. This is my first post to the forum as a green as grass old newbie. Although not quite 65, I retired a few months back, and was presented with a voucher for $500 at a local store that sells among other things, telescopes. On enquiry, the storeowner advised that he has connections with Skywatcher and duly provided me with a list of Skywatcher web addresses for mainly refractor type scopes.
I have never owned a telescope previously, although many, many years ago had the privilege to look through a refractor, and more recently a Skywatcher 114/500 reflector belonging to my neighbor. With the voucher 'in-the-bank', I did a little research on the Skywatcher range and looked for approximate pricing across the Australian range.
Oh, and while investigating, good old Google pointed me to various sites professing the advantages and disadvantages of particular setups. Now this is where I am open to advice and suggestions. The first piece of information I have read is to try before you buy, but unfortunately that probably won't happen. I'll be pretty much going on trust. Probably my first fail, although I was quite impressed with the neighbours 114/500 reflector.
What I have decided on is either a 6" or 8" Skywatcher dobsonian. Dobsonian because it eliminates tripods and their various mounts. The 6" comes in around the voucher value and the 8" would mean adding more money, but would upgrade to a bigger scope for little outlay on my behalf. We live in a country area receiving little introduced light, so I could probably fit the scope to a small self-made trolley for easy transportation and positioning around my large backyard.
So, the obvious question, what do you think? Am I biting off more than I can chew for an initial purchase? And should I go the 6" or 8"? I am unsure of the type of eyepieces supplied with the Skywatcher range, but read somewhere that Plessl type were preferred. The website does not specify this information, so perhaps someone may advise the makeup of the Skywatcher kit. Also, is there anything I should initially purchase when ordering the scope? I believe a laser collimator would probably be required somewhere down the track.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider the above. I will appreciate each and every reply, and am quite eager to step into the realm of star and planet gazing, something I considered over the years but did not embrace. It's never to late.
Rob.
I have never owned a telescope previously, although many, many years ago had the privilege to look through a refractor, and more recently a Skywatcher 114/500 reflector belonging to my neighbor. With the voucher 'in-the-bank', I did a little research on the Skywatcher range and looked for approximate pricing across the Australian range.
Oh, and while investigating, good old Google pointed me to various sites professing the advantages and disadvantages of particular setups. Now this is where I am open to advice and suggestions. The first piece of information I have read is to try before you buy, but unfortunately that probably won't happen. I'll be pretty much going on trust. Probably my first fail, although I was quite impressed with the neighbours 114/500 reflector.
What I have decided on is either a 6" or 8" Skywatcher dobsonian. Dobsonian because it eliminates tripods and their various mounts. The 6" comes in around the voucher value and the 8" would mean adding more money, but would upgrade to a bigger scope for little outlay on my behalf. We live in a country area receiving little introduced light, so I could probably fit the scope to a small self-made trolley for easy transportation and positioning around my large backyard.
So, the obvious question, what do you think? Am I biting off more than I can chew for an initial purchase? And should I go the 6" or 8"? I am unsure of the type of eyepieces supplied with the Skywatcher range, but read somewhere that Plessl type were preferred. The website does not specify this information, so perhaps someone may advise the makeup of the Skywatcher kit. Also, is there anything I should initially purchase when ordering the scope? I believe a laser collimator would probably be required somewhere down the track.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider the above. I will appreciate each and every reply, and am quite eager to step into the realm of star and planet gazing, something I considered over the years but did not embrace. It's never to late.
Rob.