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Old 07-11-2017, 08:45 AM
Sconesbie (Scott)
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Cheap Telescopes

Yesterday my sister sent me a message asking me about telescopes for her two girls (13 and 12).

Now, I am certainly no expert and only gave her guidance on what I have learned over the last couple of years.

She asked me about some telescopes she found on Ebay. All four models were around the $60 - $70 mark and on their descriptions showed pictures of Jupiter and Nebula. The images shown were way better than what I have EVER seen in my 10" dob so alarm bells rang straight away. Most models were 3" diameter.

My basic advice to her was stay away from those and run very fast. The bare minimum I suggested was to pool the money, add a little more and buy a 4" dob. That way they can share it.

My fear (which I relayed) was that they'd probably lose interest looking at the moon (with viewing limitations of those cheap ones) and then be sitting in the shed for ever with no real use and an utter waste of money. They looked plasticy and cheap. Most come with a 20mm and 6mm eyepiece.

They own a pair of binoculars so I recommended that instead. I wonder how many people get conned with this and then be so disappointed with the product they buy and lose interest in the hobby.
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:12 AM
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Atmos (Colin)
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I wouldn’t use the pictures on a box as an indication as to its quality either way, every telescope manufacturer is out there to promote their product. They all use fancy photos that you’ll never see through any telescope.

In saying all this, you made the right decision. Those sub $100 telescopes aren’t great mostly because they’re very flimsy. My Aunty had one and wanted me to help her use it, I felt like just burning it as it was so horrible to deal with!

So, getting a small dob is the best choice. Keep away from cheap equatorial mounts and cheap refractors
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Old 08-11-2017, 07:54 AM
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sil (Steve)
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I still use and recommend the Orion 100mm tabletop dob. Its a red aluminium tube and comes with 10 and 20mm eyepieces of good clarity. Out of the box it gives damn good viewing. Small and simple, no bells and whistles. For its price it punches above its weight and its eyepieces really surprised me how good they are. No extras required to get good views, this is one scope that does actually work without extra expenses. Not the best scope on the planet of course but not one that drives people screaming away from astronomy in a hurry either. Clear crisp views of the planets are easy, as are moons of jupiter/saturn. Its the first scope I saw Neptune through.
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Old 08-11-2017, 08:14 AM
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dannat (Daniel)
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look for a heritage 130p on ebay or gumtree -can be had for some cheap prices
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Old 08-11-2017, 08:34 AM
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bojan
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To use binoculars for the start is a very good advice...
If interest persists, the next stage could 4~8" dob.
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Old 09-11-2017, 11:57 AM
N1 (Mirko)
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Another vote for the small dob. I say kids will much more happily ignore less-than-average image quality than not being able to magnify to a degree that is materially different from the naked eye view. Regular binos will reveal nothing new on the planets, and only the biggest craters on the moon. Saturn's rings? Clouds on Jupiter? Phase of Venus? forget it. I didn't come to appreciate the beauty of bright, low power views until adulthood, before that, astronomy optics was "proper" telescopes and nothing else. If she's anything like my younger self, she will tire of still only seeing dots through binos faster than you can say "f/4"
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Old 19-01-2018, 09:38 AM
Heathcote (Colin)
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Go for Dobs

I was given a "cheapie" for xmas. Lucky I had an interest in astronomy so I perservered. The cheapie is now used for solar and lunar viewing only. Go for the Dob option. Better everything. When I went to my first dark site viewing with the local club (without scope), I was told to watch how each type of scope was assembled. The setup time ranged from 2 minutes (Dob) to 30 minutes (sct. then wait for stars to align).
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Old 20-01-2018, 09:47 PM
ab1963 (Andrew)
Refractors-That’s It

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Quote:
Originally Posted by dannat View Post
look for a heritage 130p on ebay or gumtree -can be had for some cheap prices
This is sound advice ,I know the eyepieces are ordinary but wouldn't cost a fortune to get two decent ep's 8 and 24mm for starters and if the hobby really kicks in can go from there
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Old 20-01-2018, 11:59 PM
bigjoe (JOSEPH)
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Little table top dob like the 130mm suggested is a good way to go..gives surprisingly good views. Picture here.......
http://www.google.com.au/search?ie=U...xaC2RzUpRoRAM:.
And as suggested , Ebay is cheaper...and for more eyepieces as well.

bigjoe.

Last edited by bigjoe; 21-01-2018 at 12:06 AM. Reason: Add info
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Old 23-01-2018, 12:36 PM
Heathcote (Colin)
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Hi, Just to add another thing about Ebay cheapies. They usually come with .9" eyepieces. Usually poor quality and limited availability. I put a 1.25" focuser on mine (with some degree of modification). I can now use all my eyepieces on both scopes.
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Old 25-01-2018, 03:42 PM
Hung
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Binoculars with a TRIPOD is a great way to start. I remember when I first got a binoculars, I could see jupiters moons, but need to rest both elbows on a stable surface. Tripod would definitely make it more enjoyable.

Alternative is a GSO 6" dobsonian if budget permits. Need to consider the cost of accessories as well though (eg. lenses).
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Old 09-03-2018, 09:19 PM
yoda776 (Matt)
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I would agree with alot of the advice on here. Binoculars are how I started and you have done the right thing advising against the cheap and nasty refractors especially those on cheap Eq mounts. I actually had one and it never really got used. Fortunately i stayed with the hobby and went for a Meade ETX 105 someone sold secondhand for a few hundred $$$ at the time. That was a great scope. I did sell it, but then missed it so much I bought another a little later and not parting with it!

Definitely consider the wanted/trade ads and looking every now and then for one that comes up in the sale ads. Some great stuff in there.
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Old 10-03-2018, 12:09 AM
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Rkonrad (Richard)
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I dont know the prices in Australia but what I do in RSA is get a used scope for family and friends , for around R2000 say 200 au dollars one can get a decent scope , certainly a better option than what one gets new and you can get lucky I once got a Skywatcher 127 Mak on a CG4 for 120 AU dollars in like new condition.
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Old 19-03-2018, 01:13 PM
Emc2 (Jon)
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Binoculars are alright but I do agree with previous comments kids might get bored a bit quickly. Good thing though is that they can be used during daytime as well, so it's great for nature watching.
On such a tight budget it's gonna be really hard to get anything decent. If the budget can be stretched a little however there are some pretty nice options like the C90: I have this little scope and it's such a great little performer! I'll show details on the moon and the planets and can also see some daytime use. It can be mounted on a photo tripod if a proper mount is out of the budget. But were are talking around $300, so significantly more than the $100 mark mentionned by the OP.
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