Help in buying my first telescope

[Sitt]

I'm new to astronomy and would like some help in purchasing my first telescope.
I'm very keen on the Meade 10" LX200R (f/10) ADVANCED RC (UHTC) or maybe the cheaper 10" LX90GPS, however I live in Perth WA and can't find a local telescope dealer where I can actually see any of these (or other good makes for that matter) before I commit myself to buy. I would love to see any of these telescopes before I order one just to make sure that it's the right telescope - I have this thing about seeing something first before buying it and as these scopes are expensive I would hate to make a costly mistake.
Can somebody please tell me if there is a dealer in Perth who sells Meade (or any other good make)? I have checked all over myself and can't find anyone who sells telescopes in Perth.

[leon]

Hi There,

Your best bet would be to try and get to some astronomy club in your area and check out the gear there, and talk to some of the members about your new purchase.

Everyone is always keen to help new people in this area, and they are bound to send you in the right direction.

leon

[Blue Skies]

If you are in Perth the local society you need to contact is ASWA. (http://aswa.info)
We are having a night of looking at goto telescopes down at Murdoch this Friday night, although it will be a celestron on display.

Have you tried a certain store in Malaga? I thought they were still dealing with Meade and if not they could probably also help you get a look through one of those scopes.

[iceman]

Hi Sitt
The advice above is spot on - in addition to doing your online research and asking lots of questions, the best bet is to get to a local club and actually look through some of the telescopes in question so you can get a feel for what it will be like when you own one.

You can see the size of them too, so you can think about portability, transporting it, etc.

ALL clubs will be happy to have guests along to their viewing nights - so contact one of your local ones and give them a call or an email.

[radu5er]

Good day and welcome to IIS Sitt:welcome:

As a new member of this forum myself I can attest that it is hard to not rush out and buy a new scope with all the frills, but my advise is to listen to the veteran members here and to look through the old posts on this forum before you spend your hard earned cash. You'll be much happier in the long run.

Lots of information around if you are just a bit patient.

[MikeyB]

I don't think there's anybody here in Perth with new Meade (or Celestron) goto telescopes on display - Skywatcher and the like are all that's available new.

The hitch with goto's over here in the West is that if/when they go wrong, you're a long way from factory-approved servicing and spare parts.

[KG8]

Good choice of hobby Sitt, your going to have a lot of fun :)

I almost bought the LX200R too, sitt, but then I saw one side by side with the German equatorial mounts at an astronomy society meet and decided against them. The German mounts had a bit more versatility to them I thought. Having said that, a Meade goto is a much easier scope to setup, especially for a beginner. The only way to sure is you get to an astro meet, there you can see different scopes at work and make a value judgment. You don't want to get a month and $5k down the track and realize you really wanted something else. That is just too depressing. I wouldn't visit telescope shops with your credit cards in pocket either! Everything is just too irresistible.:)

[ballaratdragons]

Gee, what happened to the days when newbies bought binoculars, then a 60mm refractor or 4.25" reflector to start out with :shrug:

It seems the influx and easy availablility (and good prices) of better gear has made it easier to start with what we used to dream of :lol:

I remember when a HUGE 10" dob was only in American Astro magazines and was something to drool over but was too expensive to import!

Go for it Sitt, big is nice, but check out the whole range before committing :thumbsup:

It nice these days to have more to pick from than the old 60mm Refractor and the 4.25" Reflector :)

[Dennis]

Hey Ken

60mm eh?.....60mm – sheer luxury! You were lucky – I started off with a 40mm refractor! :lol: :lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[Popeye]

G'day Sitt,
I would strongly urge you to make contact with ASWA (Astronomical Society of Western Australia) as you will get some really good help there as well as a chance to see some of the scopes available.
I used to be a member of ASWA before moving to Tassie - hence my recommendation. I hope that you took the invitation to go to Murdoch last night.
I was in Perth just recently and was looking for the only telescope shop that I knew to be operating but it had closed down and could not find one in the phone book.
The other good advice that you have been given here is not to rush in for a new scope. As you are new to the hobby the scope that you have in mind may be a little bit too technical for you to operate without some guidance.
Best of luck in this interesting hobby and enjoy the warm winter nights (in comparison to the very cold ones here in Tassie!) :lol:
Cheers!
Bert

[Starkler]

I would like to add some emphasis to this in stating my observations from IIS that sct scopes like this seem to be hard to sell without a significant price drop.
If it doesn't turn out to be the scope you really want, you'll likely cop quite a loss.

Many clubs have scopes that they will loan to members to take home. Being a newbie I would take advantage of this if possible.

[Blue Skies]

Hiya Bert! I though it was you asking about PSTs in another thread. :) It's Jacquie here. You should have asked us about the shop - it's moved to Malaga. I haven't been out there since the move but I haven't heard that it's disappeared altogether. Unless you're thinking about another shop I don't know about...

For Sitt: ASWA does have scopes for loan but not goto SCTs. However other members have them and if you ask I'm sure someone would be happy to show you theirs so you can get an idea, but you'd have to make the effort to come out to a meeting. Either a Murdoch or Lunatiks night would be best.

[Sitt]

Thanks for all your replies guys.

I couldn't get out to Murdoch last Friday as I'm sorry to say that I already had plans, otherwise I would have loved to have gone.

I managed to find that shop in Malaga that a few of you mentioned, infact I spent about an hour or so there chatting to one of the guys who runs the astronomy courses. He ways telling me all about the course and what I can get out of it which seems well worth the time and money. Next one starts on 3rd Sept, so all being good I should be booked on that.

Apparently, this shop no longer sells either Meade or Celestron telescopes, the last lot of Meades they bought had nothing but problems. Is this a common thing with Meade/Celestron scopes not working as they should?

Anyways, this shop sells SkyWatcher products amongst others, they got me interested in the MAK180 and the EQ6 Pro mount. I can see that the mount was rock solid and looked a good buy but not 100% sure on the telescope as they didn't have one in stock at the time, however, I have read a review on the MAK180 (on this site somewhere) and the writer was'nt that impressed with the manufacturing process of the scope - quote "it lacks finesse in the finish" even though the images were apparently very good. Has anyone else had any experience with these telescopes?

Thanks everyone for taking the time for the advise.

Simon

[Popeye]

Oh! Simon, please be careful! I have had three Meade scopes and still have the LX90 and loved all of them. There used to be a shop in Perth that was prevented from selling Meade once and the staff just 'bagged' the company - all the time. If this is still going on I would run a mile from them.
PLEASE make contact with ASWA (they should still be in the phone book or Google ASWA and find their site.) Go to one of their meetings and speak to the great folk there and tell them what you have experienced. I would bet that you would be told what I cannot tell you in this forum for fear of 'repercussions.'
I went to the store that has since closed down for a course like you are suggesting and found it to be a waste of time and money. As a professional trainer I was appalled at the lack of preparation, poor presentation, finding that the 'notes' were simply pages photocopied (illegally) from reference books - (so much for copyright and the courtesy of acknowledging the source,) and that the final night was to be a viewing night but it was on a full moon with the moon at perigee (meaning closest to Earth!) so the sky was washed-out! ASWA runs better courses than that for free to members.
If you can hang out until October you can attend the weekend camp with ASWA where you go to a dark sky site (Dryandra?) and there will be at least 16 - 20 telescopes being used and you will be welcomed to look through them.
Be careful, please!!!
Cheers!
Bert

[Blue Skies]

Yes, this can be a problem. Not always, but can. A lot of people in ASWA tend to buy their big stuff from the east, anyway. Although they are on the other side of the country you can get technical backup from some regardless of the distance. But this is one of the downsides of living in Perth, we are at the end of the supply line. You just have to learn to live with it.

Popeye's suggest of going to Astrocamp is a good idea or just attending any astro gathering. That will also give you some time to talk to others about their scopes and what they do and don't like about them and why they bought what this did. However, there will always be those who are loyal to a brand even if they have major faults. They may have decided to overlook the faults, but others wont.

[KG8]

Meade scopes have had their problems. The scopes themselves are flawless I reckon but a batch did come through for a few years back where the mounts had problems. They had plastic gears in them, which broke. Clutches that slipped and motherboards that blew. I was told all this by Meade owners and warned that if I got the meade to avoid that particular era. If your buying new though you shoudn't have a problem as I believe they sorted all those problems out.

I'd advise anyone who is spending heaps on a new scope to get a multiple risk insurance policy for it. Then if something goes wrong in the first few years you can just back over it with your car and claim a new one.:)


"That of course was just a joke" :whistle:

PS: If your really cunning... you'll pull out the primary first and toss in some broken mirror shards. No point wasting a good mirror!

[Popeye]

KG8 is obviously a Celestron user and that's his preference. And like Blue Skies says we all have our preferences and there can be some little good-natured jibes from Celestron vs Meade users. :whistle: Its a bit like Holden and Ford drivers. :lol:
But both are very popular brands and if you buy from the right place you will get good after-sales service.
I have missed the thread of this thread. Doh! But if I remember correctly you are after a 10" SCT. Make sure that you have a look at one as weight and size might be an issue.
And Jacquie! I missed your post. Nice to hear from you again! :welcome:
Cheers!
Bert

[Glenhuon]

Your in the right place to get good advice Sitt. Just wish I had consulted these folks before buying my first 150 newtonian, which turned out to be a complete lemon. Just had first light with its replacement and wow, what a difference. I'm not really new to astronomy but just getting back into it after a few years break and very glad I found this forum.

Blue Skies, are you the Jacquie who used to attend the ASSW camps at Wellington Mill. If so, nice to see you on here.

Glenhuon
(AKA Bill the Scot)

[Blue Skies]

To Glenhuon: That would be me at Welli Mills, yes. But I think I'll have to ask Tracey for a memory-jog on who you were, although the name rings a bell (something's coming back to me...)

[rat156]

Hi Sitt,

Well I have a Meade SCT, bought it a couple of years ago the wrong way, i.e. I didn't ask around, I just bought one. But the Meade has turned out to be perfect for me. I didn't know much about the night sky, but the goto and alt/az mount were fantastic to learn with.

Now I know more and have refined my interests into more imaging based astronomy, it's no longer ideal, but I won't be changing anytime soon as my shopping list has gotten to be more expensive as well.

I like the fork mount, it has it's shortcomings, but so do GEM's and Dobs. If you get a wedge you have a very verstile mount. The Meade drive is also pretty good for photography, but you need a wedge. The LX200R is the next version from mine, so it's had a few things fixed. The plastic gears can strip, but that's usually due to users winding on the dec axis while it's tracking. The new ones have metal gears, so that's not a problem now.

Good Luck

Cheers
Stuart

[Popeye]

G'day Simon. Really interested in how you are getting on with your venture into this absorbing hobby. Can you give us an update, please? :thumbsup:
Cheers!
Bert

[BOBBY]

Hi Simon
I live in Perth, and know its a little frustrating trying to get a look at different types of gear. They used to be a shop Sience World in the city who were Meade dealers but they closed a number of years ago. The shop in Malaga is Ok but a bit limited to the range they carry. I bought a Meade from Bintel in Sydney The guys there know the works about them in fact a couple are factory trained by Meade, but I guess it would be the same for a reputable Celestron Dealer. If you are considering a SCT give me a call and try out mine
Anyway best of luck :thumbsup:

[Sitt]

Nothing really to report Bert, still looking at every available moment.
I have seen a couple of secound hand scopes on this site and also EBAy but the prie that people want for them is not too far off what you can get a new equivelant telescope for. The only real benefit is that you seem to get a number of accessories with them...
As this would be my first telescope I would ideally want to go the secound hand route just incase I don't take to the hobby.
I think it's just a case of waiting to see what comes along for the right price. Ideally, I would prefer to a Meade as I've done alot of background work on them and they seem to be a very good and popular choice.
I think what I need to do is pull my finger out and get to see ASWA so that I can see what I would be buying before I actually fork out the money.
Bobby, thanks for the offer I may take you up on that although I'm not sure whereabouts in Perth you are - I'm in Ocean Reef btw.
Thanks for all your advice guys, you all have been really helpfull.
Simon