[RobNevyn (Rob)]

Hi all,

I have been interested in Astronomy for most of my life however I am still a noob, I've owned a couple of toy telescopes but nothing worth mentioning. After a recent trip to Yulara NT which included a dinner under the stars and a small amount of time on some 6" reflectors my interest was rekindled.
Like most people I want it all, planetary and Deep Space viewing, telescope portability, low cost as possible, wireless/GPS control and setup, possible astrophotography further down the track, etc. however I know this is simply not feasable.
So for a starter kit I can't decide what scope to get, I would like to get either go a Guan Sheng GS-680 8" or Guan Sheng GS-880 10" Dob which are really good value, my only concern is that it is going to be too big to store in my house. I don't see my wife enjoying a 10" Dob in a corner of our bedroom. The other option is perhaps something smaller like a Skywatcher 200/1000 EQ5. Both of these options will be around the $1000 mark which is great but willing to go a bit more if something stands out.
Having said that, i don't want to buy a large telescope and not use it due to lack or portability or laziness to set it up. Any suggestions are welcome.
I also considered the Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 but I think that kind of investment this early on may be unwise plus I have no idea how it would perform in my area.

I'm on the northern part of NSW Central Coast and light pollution in my estate will be typical for a suburb I would imagine.

Also looking at some software, years ago I had an old version of Starry Night Backyard which was easy to use and great for looking at what was coming into view in the coming hours. I have downloaded Stellarium but I need to do some more reading to get up to speed on that.

Anyway, hello and I hope to chat more in the future, many thanks for reading.