New Scope Purchase

[guru_meditation]

Hi all,

I am looking for some help with a new purchase. I currently own a C10-NGT, which I have in pieces at the moment as the electronics will not fire up. I have tried different power supplies, but no joy. I have contacted Celestron, who put me on to a dealer in QLD, so I will see how that pans out for repairs.

However, on to the topic thread:

I am looking to purchase a SCT, as the Newt is just toooooo big to travel with. I have tried it a few times, but I think I will get severe back problems before too long with lugging it around.

If I am to purchase a SCT from within Australia, in the 8 to 10 inch mirror range, what would be the best buy? I am thinking of asking for quotes from all the suppliers around Oz, and it is just unfortunate that I live in Perth, and there seems to be little on the ground here in terms of suppliers.

Does anyone have any recent experience with a purchase of this type? The kind of things I am looking for are:

the scope delivered, with the mount and goto working properly.
the scope delivered undamaged. :D
backup support, in case of any problems.
best value for money deal.What is the deal with insurance? Who would be the best company to deliver the scope with? The thought of the scope travelling over the Nullarbor frightens me.

OK, that is the deal. I would appreciate your expert comments!

Any electronics whizzes out there, who could give me some troubleshooting tips for the Celestron circuit boards?

Cheers.


Simon

[acropolite]

I bought an 8 inch meade LX90 from Bintel, arrived in Tassie without a scratch. Bintel have insurance on their freight and their prices are very competitive. The LX was collimated and tested before despatch. The 8 inch LX90 is easy to lug around, but if you're considering astrophotography you might want to consider something on an equatorial mount.

[netwolf]

You could buy just the OTA and mount it on your EQ mount. In which case I would go for a LX200R 8" OTA, many people are combining this OTA with a EQ mount. If you want a full solution then you have LX90 8" or for about the same price you can get a CPC-800 from Andrews. However if its a choice between Andrews and Bintel, Bintel will win on backup service and support. Andrews wins on price and the CPC-800 is a better scope than the LX90 in my humble opinion.


Regards
Fahim

[guru_meditation]

Thanks for the responses!

I would go for an OTA, but the electronics are not working, so it would make any kind of photography difficult. I will persevere with it though, as hopefully it will be working at some stage. That being the case, an OTA will be a very likely purchase.

Cheers

Simon :)

[guru_meditation]

Hi Fahim,

Could you give me a little detail on why the CPC-800 is better than the LX90? I had sort of settled on the LX90 10 inch as a purchase.

My only problem with Celestron at the moment, is the broken electronics on my current Celestron scope, which is not filling me with confidence to go out and get another one.

Also, has anyone got any thoughts on the LX90GPS 10 inch Meade?

Regards

Simon

[rogerg]

Can't beat an LX200 from Bintel in my opinion :thumbsup:

(but don't know what your budget is)

[casstony]

Hi Simon, if you are at all concerned about back problems you should give the 10" LX90 a miss; it weighs around 50 pounds(fork + ota). The 8" LX90 is about 30 pounds. Any LX is very easy to set up and use if you are ok with the weight.

If you're keen on imaging a C9.25 on a HEQ5 equatorial mount might be a better choice with the heaviest single component being about 20 pounds. Or you could go with one of the other dozen suggestions people will provide :)

[guru_meditation]

Hi again,

Thanks for the responses, for Roger, I am over at Kalamunda in the Hills. I'm wondering if it would be possible to have a look at your 12 inch LX200? I think a 10 inch mirror would be fine for my purposes, and anything lighter than my 10 inch Newtonian is a bonus.

Budget is not an issue, getting the right scope is! I really do not want to have any servicing issues if I can help it, as Perth is just too far away from any suppliers.

I have got some quotes back from two suppliers including Bintel, although they are not much under the website quoted prices.

Regards

Simon

[allan gould]

A 10" SCT Meade usually comes with the fork arms and it can be a beast to move if you have a bad back. The 8" is a better proposition IMO

[guru_meditation]

Hi Allan,

Thanks for the reply. What would you say is the difference in viewing with the 10 and 8 inches? I guess there is just a reluctance to lose aperture :D

I guess, at then end of the day, if there is not a great deal of lost viewing, then it might be the go. What sort of eyepieces do you recommend?

Regards

Simon

[beren]

Gday Simon sorry to hear about the diffculities your having with your mount {I have the same one so its a little daunting reading this} hope it can be rectified quickly.

I have a 10"Lx200GPS, brought 04 its been a joy to use, without going to much into it here your welcome to have a look {Perth northeren surburbs} or PM for specifics. The only regret I had was not buying through Bintel for the back up service {Astro-optical might have a service department to }, if i did it again i would before purchase ask if some certain "mods " be done to the scope before shipment like Bobs knobs {makes collimation easier} Peterson clutch upgrade {fixes the weak LX dec lock} or possibly the Bucks gear upgrade {brass gear upgrade...although I think the latest LX200r's have metal gears already in the system unlike my scopes batch}.

[guru_meditation]

G'day Beren,

Long time no see! I still have a couple of your books here, so if you want to get together when I get my new scope, we can do some more stargazing. I thought your scope was fantastic, a treat to look through that's for sure.

I have thought that Bintel was the go, their quote was not too bad on a range of scopes from 8 to 10 inch aperture.

Much appreciate the tips on upgrades to the scope, I shall have to ask them!

Cheers, hope to catch you soon.

Simon (Kalamunda) :)

[netwolf]

The LX200R 8" would be better option and arguably the optics are better than the CPC-800. The CPC's are best compared with the LX200 series in terms of electronics, mechanics etc. Hence I suggested they are better than the LX90. My mate bought a LX200R 10" and its a beast to carry, you can do it. But if back pain and age are an issue then I would avoid it.

If you want the aperture, the better bet is to got OTA on a EQ mount. In this case you can go for a LX200R 10" or C9.25. If money is no object then a G-11 mount would be my choice. Else next choice would be Vixen Atlux mount, and last but not least the EQ6. The reason for this is that it splits the weight between the mount and the OTA. But these mounts are not light weights. If you want a lighter mount, you could possibly go GM-8, Vixen Sphinx, or HEQ5. You also have the option to go all Celestron and get a C9.25 on a CGE mount.


Somethings to consider.
1. Do you want to to any imaging?
a. Planets, Lunar, Solar. Fork or EQ
b. DSO's. Fork on Wedge ok, EQ better
C. Both. Depends on how much of what.

2. Storage, can you roll out the scope to your viewing area?
This makes the issue of weight a little less of an issue.

3. Can you see the South Celestial Pole from your viewing location?

4. Will you be traveling to dark sites a lot, frequently?


My advise go the LX90 or LX200R 8" and if you decide you dont like it sell it. The CPC-800 is near the quality of the LX200R and better than the LX90 its also about 1000$ cheaper than the LX200R 8" if purchased from Andrews.

Or Go into a shop and try and see if the will let you try and lift it as a test.

Regards

[beren]

:) Gday Simon thought you seemed familar, be great to catch up mate :thumbsup:.

[guru_meditation]

Hey Beren,

Yes, likewise! When I get the new scope, you can help me with first light. The Celestron was a bit disappointing, but I did get 18 months worth of top viewing.

Best

Simon :D