Hello

[Oberon (Rachael)]

Hi and thanks for having me here.

I’ve recently taken on the care and use of one of my Dad’s telescopes (a Skywatcher Pro-series ED80), starting from a small-to-non-existent (but expanding!) knowledge base.

At the moment I’m getting the bits together from Dad’s collection to set up the telescope and its tripod (Vixen Porta Altazimuth Mount). This involves ferrying things from Sydney to Canberra. In the process I’ve missed a few important bits (like the proper mounting plate and a few knobs) but they’re in Dad’s cupboard somewhere!

There is also a Celestron 8 inch but I’ll work out what I’m doing with the refractor first before launching into that.

Looking forward to my first view of the night sky and getting my Dad’s scopes on the job again.

[JeniSkunk (Jenifur)]

Welcome to the forums Rachael
I hope you can find all the parts to get your dad's telescopes working.

[Oberon (Rachael)]

Thanks Jenifur!

[Outcast (Carlton)]

Welcome to the forum Rachael & good luck with getting your Dad's scopes back in the game.

Perchance have you got a copy of the manual for the Porta mount; if not you may be able to download one from the web. This may assist you in identifying all the bits & pieces you need to get it all assembled.. whilst I don't own one, I do know it's a quite simple mount so, you shouldn't need too much to get it all together.

If you get stuck, be sure to post any questions you have about the equipment itself, probably best in the equipment threads, someone is bound to have an answer for you.. might be useful to post a picture of what you are looking at if it is difficult to describe. Also, if you are missing any bolts or anything, you will hopefully be able to identify what you need through advice on here & then find a suitable alternative...

Don't be too perturbed by the SCT, they aren't that much harder to use really, not for visual anyways... Does the SCT also mount on the Vixen Portamount or does it have it's own?

Welcome to a thoroughly engaging hobby... not sure how experienced in stargazing you are but, you might find these attachments handy... they are a collection of really good information I mined from some threads on here sometime ago... credit goes to 'Mental4Astro' for the original posts...

[Oberon (Rachael)]

Thanks very much for the welcome and the advice, Carlton.

I do have the manual for the Porta mount. The SCT has its own mount - I’m not sure what it is but it’s timber and there could be a bit of a hand made element to it (Dad made some of his own parts and mounts).

I’ve no experience as a stargazer so I’m learning that bit too. I’ve got a planisphere and a YouTube subscription to CrashCourse Astronomy so that’s been a start Thanks very much for the docs you attached as well.

I’ll definitely draw on the expertise of the forum when I get stuck.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Hi Rachel,

to IIS and astronomy!

You might like to talk to the Canberra Astronomical Society, https://casastronomy.org.au/ . They are a great bunch of people with a world of experience and eager as punch to help out new comers to astro. They are also set up with good areas where they set up their gear and it is always best to set up with mates.

Carlton, thank you for posting my work as a good place to get started

You are already further ahead than you might think with your dad's experiences quietly rubbing off on you. You might not have paid his stuff or hobby too much attention before, but it will really help you. It's also nice to see that his gear will be getting a second lease on life!

Alex.

[Oberon (Rachael)]

Thanks Alex I’ve joined CAS (although unfortunately can’t make it to the Feb meeting....definitely March though). Looking forward to being part of that group.

I think you are absolutely right about Dad’s astro influences having had a quiet effect... It’s a gift I didn’t know I’d been given...