Equipment advice

[Solanum]

I guess I've kind of asked this question before, although some years ago, there might be more options now?

What I would like is some gear that is good for visual use, is easy to transport (I do not class a collapsible Dob as easy to transport - especially with a hernia...) and is quick to set up.

My ideal scenario is, two minutes to chuck it in the (not large) boot of my Toyota 86, 10-15 minutes up to the top of a nearby hill, 5-10 minutes set-up (including alignment), 1+ hours observing, quick pack-down and back home.

Any advice/ideas gratefully received, money is a problem :), maybe $1,500ish, hopefully using existing eyepieces etc.? Happy to hear other options though....

Thanks in advance!

Background:

When I moved to Mildura in 2006 I realised a bit of a dream and bought a 10" Dob, later getting a few new bits for it including an Argo Navis. The skies were great and I loved to use the gear regularly.

Since I have moved to Adelaide in 2009 I have used it only a handful of times because (in order):


My house is on a slope with lots of trees, so I can only see small patches of sky, maybe 25% in total, biggest patch <10%. Makes it difficult to move/set-up the dob and can't see anything when I do.
I have only a fraction of the time I used to have, with way more work and loads of kids activities in the evenings.
I don't really have a way of easily moving my current gear to a place where I can use it (interacts with point 2 - time).
The skies are nowhere near as good as Mildura and more often cloudy as well (interacts with point 3 - can't move the gear).

[The Mekon]

My current two scopes are an 18" SDM dob and a 106mm F6.5 refractor mounted on an EQ6. If transport them it is about the same time to setup both scopes - around 10 - 15 minutes. Too long for you and also me! So I am thinking of putting the 106mm on a T Rex mount with an Argo Navis - I reckon this setup will be around two minutes and I am observing. Would like to hear some thoughts on this from T Rex owners.

[jwoody]

Depends on what kind of view you want but perhaps something like this?
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/cassegrain-telescope-celestron-nexstar-5-se.html
Brother in law in England uses one. Quick to setup and align, not too heavy.

[Solanum]

I have wondered about something like that, (or Meade equivalent) but wonder whether the limited aperture will leave me very disappointed.... Also, without having played with one, how easy/quick are they? Are the larger ones (up to 8"? I know it is a fair bit more money) just as easy to deal with? Any owners want to comment?

[julianh72]

I have owned a NexStar SLT 130 (5" Newt) for about a year, and just bought a second-hand NexStar 5 SE, and have to say it's a brilliant portable scope. It takes almost no time to set up in GoTo AltAz mode. (The Celestron Automatic StarAlign routine is a really easy and quick way to get tracking working.) The OTA is excellent optically, and is very compact and much lighter than you would expect. The 5" SE SCT is much more portable than the 5" Newt, and has less vibration because of the significantly shorten OTA. It has higher magnification than the Newt, but a smaller FoV.

You'll want to take an external power supply (I use a 12 A.Hr SLT battery) because it will chew through the 8 AAs at an alarming rate.

I also have a 90 mm Mak, which is even more portable (especially as a travel scope) , but the 5 SE hits the sweet spot for me for a grab'n'go car scope.

My father has a Meade LX90 ACF 200 mm (8") - yes, it's a better scope, with more light gathering power, but it's a LOT bulkier, a LOT heavier, and a lot more work to pack into the car, unpack, set-up, disassemble, pack back in the car, and get it home.

Will you miss the aperture of your 10" Dob? Well, you can simulate the effect by making a cardboard mask which covers 3/4 of the aperture of your 10", and you'll get some idea of the relative aperture difference.

[Waxing_Gibbous]

For quick and easy (IMO) you can't go past a 6-8" Newt on a decent Alt / Az mount. There are quite a few more options for mounts these days, but one of those SkyTee's from Andrews would be a perfect match.
You already know glass so I won't bother to bore you with options.
Hope you find a good set-up!
Peter

[Solanum]

Thanks for the thoughts folks. I wasn't going to rush into anything, but an 8" Nexstar appeared on the IIS classifieds at a reasonable price quite close to where I live.... It just fits in the boot of the car, the components aren't too heavy and we put it up and seems pretty quick and simple, so sorted! I'm looking forward to spending a bit of time stargazing again.

Just have to sell my 10" dob + Argo Navis to pay for it now.....

[dannat]

good buy