The real cost of equipment

[ColHut]

I was musing on the real cost of this hobby for beginners, and it is not cheap. (not that this is rocket science). You largely get what you pay for.
Sure you might buy a complete starter telescope package for as little as 250-500 dollars, but then the hidden costs will occur.

A decent set of eyepieces - even budget plossls and a barlow $100-$200
Maybe a collimation tool or tools $50-$150
Maybe batteries single use $10 per time or rechargebles with charger $50-$150 depending on their size and capacity.
Did your scope come with a dreaded 5x24 plastic thingy for a finderscope? you need to shell out for a 6x30 or 8 x 50 or unit finder? maybe $50-$100
You do have some charts or a subscription to S&T? beacuse you will soon tire of printing off bits from Cartes du ciel or similar $50

Not included here is anything related to dew heaters, or shields anything to do with astrophotography, comfortable chairs, binoculars, compasses, or encoders etc. etc..

Now some of these things will be more or less useful for other telescopes you may purchase and some not. But you may well find yourself shelling out $300-$600 to get your self set up and you need to bear this in mind before buying your first (or second) scope. And this is for economy class gear. If you want top of the range add a zero to the price. All this supposing you haven't got a scope with inadequate mount or hopeless focusser or some other major weakness.

Overall I think that these sorts of hidden costs must turn quite a few people off this hobby.

cheers

[Big Dave]

Agree. You will find a lot of people buy these and they end up as a coat stand. If you like it, you can spend endless money. I think most people who get into it get influenced too much by other astro-club members and can really exceed their requrements / budgets keeping up with the Jones's.

Really this is no different to other simple hobbies, ie;
Golf - Driver $500+, Ping Putter $400, Cart $10k+
Fishing - Ugly Stick Rods $200, Bait Runners $400+, Boat $20k+

Point : All hobbies can be enjoyable & affordable - and also can get expensive if you want the best stuff.

- Dave. :)

[Bassnut]

Well no, what that means is you spend 250-500 and then boost the rig to something more than that after. Wether you spend the money up front or later is the same diff, you get what you pay for. The more you spend up front, the less you spend later, nothing "hidden" there, depends on how much homework you do before you start.

[ColHut]

Hmm not sure that beginners have the knowledge to know what to look for, and so the homework question is something of a furphy. Most stores do not advertise a list of things you will probably need to get to make the experience work. And my point being that there is often a list of extras which naturally the packages do not include - which seems to me a pity. I think a real "starter" kit which included some of these essentials* would be much better than having to get them later. As far as boosting the rig this understates the problem. What use is a newt without collimation tools, a motor drive without batteries, a scope without a viable finder or focuser, some half decent eyepieces and barlows etc.

my 2cents worth ;)
* for a given value of esential - but seriously how much avoidable disapointment ocurrs.

cheers

[Kal]

Most hobbies are journeys, and you rarely have all your costs upfront. I don't see astronomy as being anything different to the norm.

[bmitchell82]

Sorry i will have to beg that this hobby is actually VERY CHEAP. sure you can drop half a million on a telescope set up dome and everything but how many people will do that?

Take for instance cars.. how many people are into them? when have you seen somebody who is a enthusiest just buy a 4000k car? only to spend 30k on it, and then... THE HIDDEN COSTS CREEP OUT. mechanics are experts at finding "broken bits" or bits that need replacing. how many times have you gone to the mechanic for a service that costs 230 dollars only to walk out 1000 dollars worse off?

If somebody in the forum has walked into a astro shop and come out with 20k's worth of astro gear ide say to you they have not done it as a impulse buy (maby for some seasoned vets), quite the opposite they have gone in there and weighed up the pros, cons and otherwise. and also got clearance from the minister of war and finance!:lol:

yet somebody wouldn't blink at spending 20k on a car? and the ongoing costs, rego, insurance, fuel, matainance... which could be in excess of 4k per year. where as astro, the up front purchase is said and done you now have a piece of equipment if treated with care could last a lifetime.

As for your comment about beginners don't have knowledge, well... thats just them being stupid sorry for saying. There is so much information out there if you cannot act as a smart buyer then you deserve to be ripped off. you cannot blame others for your own incompetence and short comings as so much of the world is today, blame everybody else for you stuffing up!!

Thats my 10 cents worth, it took me close to 6 months and many conversations and with many different people before also taking 2 semesters worth of astronomy classes at university before i took the plunge and brought a 10" Skywatcher Dobsonian and I am very pleased with my choice as it will eventually be used for a decent size astrophotography field scope.

Brendan

[multiweb]

It's like everything else. If you do your research and budget accordingly you'll get the best gear you can afford for what you are trying to achieve. There's no doubt you get what you pay for but you just need to figure out what you really need and what you can do without. I tend to buy things that I know I'll use "a lot" and that I know I will keep in the future should I buy another scope or move on. I would never buy bits and pieces that are specific to my rig today and that I would not be able to re-use on another rig.

[Barrykgerdes]

Money was made round to go round and you can't take it with you.

I love to spend money on my hobbies. Probably $10000 a year for the last 20 years. I never think much about the cost it is whatever I can afford at the time. I just save up till I can get it. The secret is never buy on credit (pay later). If you have got sick of a purchase and want something else it is no fun if you need to spend the next four years paying for it (wives excepted ?)

Just think, the average person can spend over $10000 per year on cigs and grog with nothing to show for it. That much can go a long way on other hobbies. At least I still can use the things I have accumulated over the years

Barry

[bmitchell82]

Very well said.!

:thumbsup:

[Robbie]

He's dead right astronomy is fairly cheap!! that Jet turbine model f18 in my pic was just on 20,000 ,one slip and you walk away with a 500 dollar transmitter nothing else.
Oh as for money I AM taking it with me

[pjphilli]

Hi - I agree with the sentiments previously expressed. As with most hobbies you grow into it which means that when you feel committed to quality equipment you find that you have stuff that then just lies around, such your first cheap mount. But most hobbies are like this. All up I have spent about $5000 but now I can do some decent long exposure imaging.
At around Christmas two people have asked me whether they should buy one of these cheap plastic lense telescopes for their kid's Christmas which promise 525 magnification. I tell them that their kid would probably use it once and then toss it aside and that it would be much better to invest the $100 in a pair of binoculars, a planisphere and Collins Stars and Planets pocket edition.
Cheers Peter

[g__day]

Actually its really cheap - just talk a good friend with lots of cash into it - then buddy him / her around! Priceless!

When you think of the re-sale value equipment of its probably fair to say you will achieve a 30% loss over time for everything you purchased - if you buy wisely. The question is you are only here for a short time - what do you want to spend your money on - and is that pursuit a "loss"?

Doesn't cost much to join a club, gain knowledge - even pool resources amongst friends - one of you buy the apo, one the great mount, one the great ccd and one all the software. Then there's alway 3 friends to share your journey with.

When I was a kid I did Karate at Uni - lessons where free, over several years I forked out about $100 for 2 uniforms, several belts and grading fees. Were I to train now I could easily have to pay that per week. So timing of when you start a hobby is important. Great gear is pretty well price now for Astronomy.

Currently I am getting back into indoor rock climbing with my kids. The basic kit if you don't want to rent harnesses, shoes and chalk bag is about $240 plus climbing fees - about $10 per person per session. I did four hours last Saturday with my kids and a good friend. Left me bruised, scraped and sore - and loved every moment of it. I tried five climbs I've never managed before - and after multiple attempts got through 3 of them all the way and the other two half way. The one that left me most bruised was the large table - every tried climbing off a large table and traversing it upside down (going side to side underneath it) without touching the floor. Inordinately proud when I finally master this plus the other climbs! :)

There's a social side to hobbies - and the fun derived from this - for you, family and friends should never be de-valued.

Matt

[DJDD]

Shouldn't we be spending our cash this year?
you know: one for mum, one for dad and one for the country? :lol:

[Ian Robinson]

Always ways of making hobby cheaper.

You can make your own telescope , grind and polish your own mirrors , make your own GEM or dob mount.
You can be careful to buy when the exchange rate is more favourable and opt where possible to cut the middle man out by dealing direct with the manufacturer - I do this where ever possible .
You can buy secondhand filters, and other minor accessories , even secondhand GEMs and OTAs and cameras and lenses (risky unless you trust the seller).
You can use the local library and not bother buy the books or mags , just borrow them.


In fishing - you can buy the blanks and runners and winch mount and grips and build your own rods - I have (got over a dozen very good rods - better than anything you can buy in a tackle shop - all custom made and perfect for me !!!),
you can buy secondhand reels (got all except 2 of my big alveys that way , they are easy to refurbish and make good as new), buy top quality in eggbeaters and overhead - that will pay in the longer run as a good reel should last a lifetime if washed in fresh water and dried between outings
you can make your own sinkers
you can buy line and swivels and hooks in bulk (1000m at at time (top quality line) , 50 - 100 hooks of any size in the box depending in size, a gross of swivels (12 packets of 12)
catch or collect your own bait where ever possible - frozen bait is extraordinarily expensive.
Boat - buy the hull secondhand and buy a top quality motor brand new for it.
At least fishing can be productive - you have a chance of feeding your family with high quality fish that you might not be able to afford otherwize - high quality sea food and fish is EXPENSIVE. A big jewie will feed a family for months (once cut into steaks and fillets and after deep freezing). Most years by February I have my 140 L upright freezer chockers with jewfish and snapper steaks and fillets , and whole fish if smaller than a few kg , whole squid (for bait and eating), bream and tailor. In winter it's full of nigger and leg of lamp roasts, and chooks and turkey breast meat roasts - I buy roasts 3 or 4 at time and freeze them immediately when the meat is tender.

[AlexN]

I dont count the money that my stuff costs, I care only for the happiness the stuff gives me.

And I cant speak for everyone, but my astro toys make me HAPPY! :D

[norm]

I think its all relative. 1k to some is a lot of money, whereas 10K to others is just a drop in the ocean. The key here and in any hobby is: research, speak to others, more research. Take your time and don't buy on impulse.

Unlike things 20 years ago, we have the internet and that is a wealth of info @ your hands. One can do more research in 60mins literally for free than what you can do from going to libraries, buying mags. With that at your disposal, you can get estimates of the costs, initial and future and then decide if this hobby is for you.

Another thing to consider is personal satisfaction. If you end up getting immense satisfaction out of the hobby, then there is no value in that, regardless of cost.

[bmitchell82]

500 bucks for the telescope, 1500 for the telescope mount, 800 for the CCD camera, and 349 for the epcee... views that are out of this world.... Priceless.... mastercard.!

[pjphilli]

Good point Brendan - why should anyone be able to view the whole universe for free? Perhaps this would be a good source of tax revenue. The Government could fit compulsory meters on all scopes. Say $1 per minute for imaging 30cents for guiding and oh - 10cents a minute for breathing the fresh night air. Good way of spending my recent $1050 free kick.
Cheers Peter

[bmitchell82]

Mate if i could skip though something that would make people give me some extra rubles and it all be above board :D hell ide give it a crack :D then again i thinks thats whys im not goings to be a polly... or mabe i should.??? :D:screwy: