First telescope package would like comments

[Sitt]

I'm thinking about buying the following, but I'm unsure whether the eyepieces that I have been recommended to buy from the shop would be ok or would you recommend other eyepieces. This would be my first telescope package by the way so all comments would be appreciated.

STOCK CODE: SKYBDMAK180-OTA
16 DESCRIPTION: Sky Watcher BDMAK180-OTA

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STOCK CODE: SKYHEQ5
17 DESCRIPTION: Pro5Mnt-Sky (HEQ5 Goto Mount
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STOCK CODE: SKYHQ5MM2"
18 DESCRIPTION: 2" HiQuality Eye Piece 5mm

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STOCK CODE: SKYHQ13MM2"
19 DESCRIPTION: 2" HiQuality Eye Piece 13mm

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STOCK CODE: SKYHQ26MM2"
20 DESCRIPTION: 2" HiQuality Eye Piece 26mm

[AG Hybrid]

Well the 5mm eyepieces in that 180mm Mak is going to have the magnification of 540x. Which you'll get genuine use out of maybe once a year. Assuming your telescope is out at the time. Which it may not be.

For a first telescope, I wouldn't go for a 180mm Mak, unless you really needed its compact size. We at IIS like to recommend a 8" or 10" newtonian mounted on a dobsonian base. This is mainly because. A - Its cheap. But, B) it will provide you with excellent and fairly bright views of deep space objects to keep you interested in the hobby. They arn't too hard to manage either.

If your heart it set on the 180 Mak. Focus on eyepieces from 11 mm to 55 mm. That gives a range of magnifications of 245x - 49x. Even then you wont get seeing on a regular basis that allows you to get much higher then 200x magnification.

Further more. Whats your primary focus? Planetary and lunar views mostly? Interested in dim fuzzy deep sky objects?
Also the field of view in the 180Mak will be like looking through a straw.
Optically though the views are good. Sharp. The mount choice is also very good. We all love the EQ5-6 series mounts at IIS.


If you were to ask me what eyepieces I'd choose with that 180 Mak combo. Thinking at a beginners level...

GSO Superview 15mm - 180x
GSO Superview 30mm - ~90x
GSO Superview 50mm - ~56x

Low medium and high power. All for about $140. They are very reasonably valued eyepieces. But, with a F/15 focal ratio they should perform very well.

If you were to get a 8" or 10" Dobsonian instead. I'd get the 15 mm and 30mm and a 2x barlow.

[Sitt]

Thanks for your help Adrian.

My main objective woud be planetary viewing but I suppose general lunar viewing would also be good if it was available.

I guess that I was under the impression that the more expensive the scope the better the viewing would be but I also know that the 180 Mak would be smaller than the Newtonians which would be great for storage.

I have decided to put this purchase on hold for the time being and I'm going to try and get out to a star party or similar to see what first hand what the best scope would be for me.

I find that we are very limited in WA as we don't have many shops to visit so as to view the scope up close before we make such a large purchase

[AG Hybrid]

An excellent and wise decision. You'll probably see an 8" Dob and think. "You know that's not so big! I can easily store and transport that". But it definitely packs a punch.

[vanwonky]

We are sadly lacking in choice here in Perth. I bought my 12" Dob from BTOW in Malaga. They may still be doing their viewing nights where I believe you can have a look through some scopes on the night.
Cheers
Dave

[Profiler]

I think you have been given very good advice but just as an alternative viewpoint in light of your comments about planetary and lunar observing you might like to consider a reasonable refractor. Although generally they can cost a bit more they are very portable/easy set up and thus will give you plenty of opportunity to actually use. Refractors are also extremelyy popular on the 2nd hand market so if you tire of the hobby or decide you want to upgrade to a bigger refractor or something else you can easily resell them often with little loss on your original outlay (especially if you buy a 2nd hand refractor yourself). There have been some real bargins in the 80-100mm range lately on IIS as denoted by the number of minutes to few hours they have appeared before being relisted as sale pending and then sold.

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Sitt,

Have a read of my beginner's packages recommendations here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=74670&highlight=recommended+beginner) as it shows just what you should really get to get you started, especially since an HEQ5 mount can be fiddly to get started with.

The prices for the scopes have gone up slightly, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much scope you can get (and the accessories) for less money than you are looking at for the MAK/HEQ5 combo you have listed.

PLUS! if you go for the goto dob version, you can dial up and track HEAPS of things including the planets and moon but also see LOTS of deep sky stuff with an 8" scope.

Worth a read...

Cheers

Chris

[marki]

The Mak will do an outstanding job on the planets and small DSO's which is what your stated targets will be. Trouble is you soon run out of those and it can get tedious looking at the same objects night after night. I love Maks for their outstanding contrast and can honestly say some of the best views I have had have been through a Mak but I would not have a Mak alone, you need other scopes to complement it.

Mark

[Sitt]

Guys, thanks for all your advice.
A few years ago I did have a ride out to the observatory in Gingin, they had a range of scopes available to view from. They had several large Meades agonst others (can't remember exact models but I believe they were 16 and 12 inch cassegrains) which I thought offered a great view from, thats probably why I decided on the Mak and also because of its smaller size for storage.
Looks like I have some reading to do...

[AG Hybrid]

Why dont you just buy an 8" Schmit Cassigrain then? Decent aperture. High magnification. ALso, once its cooled down they give decent planetary too. Check out the meade and celestron offerings. Might just be a good sweet spot for you since compactness is a priority

[ZeroID]

Re your storage comment. An 8"-10" Dob stored on its mount vertically will take up less room than the splayed out legs of an EQ5 or 6 Tripod. And if you collapse the mount you then have both a mount and a largish OTA and accessories to find room to hide.
My Serrurier Truss Newt doubles on both DOB mount and EQ6 as required but it takes up far less room on the DOB base, about 600 mmm square as opposed to about 2 x 1 meters on the mount.

[g__day]

A few questions (from the owner of amongst other things a 5" MAK)

1. Does it come with a 10:1 fine focuser - else you likely want to add one, cheapest way is likely a SCT fine focuser like BinTel sell for around $129?

2. Is the rear draw tube milled to 2" or 1.25" or a wierd size that needs a specialist converter tube if you ever want to attach said 2" SCT fine focuser (not too expensive to buy converter ring - just hard to find).

3. Cool down times are a bit longer with a MAK

4. Agree all those wider angle and lower magnification eye piece suggestions

5. Note MAKs have a tad longer cool down time to reach maximum optical stability than SCTs from memory

6. MAKs may not be coliminatable (if that's a word) or more challenging to do - check if it come well colliminated from the store - or find out if it can be done by them optimially before they ship it to you! Wouldn't suggest a noew owner try this the first time with their first scope!

7. Like SCTs - MAKs are a good compromise in portability and optical performance for what they are designed for! PArticularily when focused well - suggest you get a Bhatinov mask for your scope.

Matthew