New and need some advice!

[TiaC]

Hi! I've been lurking for a week or so and was hoping I could get some advice regarding a first scope purchase.

It's not for me, but a Christmas present for my husband who has had a lifelong interest in astronomy. After reading the less than complimentary appraisals of 'supermarket' scopes, I'm leaning towards a 6 inch Dobsonian - economical but good enough to spark an enduring passion, I hope! I have little to no technical knowledge on the topic though and am kind of bewildered by the terminology, so am relying entirely on web based expertise to guide me. :help:

So far I've found two scopes within my budget. The Guan Sheng GS-580 6" Limited 150mm x 1200mm Dobsonian (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-guansheng.htm#dobsonian) for $299 or the SkyWatcher Dobsonian - SW580 (http://www.u-shop.com.au/Home/tabid/463/CategoryID/1748/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/5324/Default.aspx?SortField=Free3%2cUnit Cost) for $349. I'm hoping someone can give me some input on these scopes or suggest another, in the hope of making my decision easier!

Thanks in advance! :)

Tia

[mental4astro]

Hi Tia,

Welcome to IIS, :hi::welcome:.

The two links you quote are good. If you can, go to a reputable retailer of telescopes & see what they look like. I've added a couple of links to two retailers in Victoria for you, one of which lists a 6" dob:

http://www.astronomyalive.com.au/reflecting-telescopes/dobsonian-mount-telescope/saxon-dob-6-152mm-reflecting-telescope-system.html

http://bintel.com.au/

Both of these stores are decent and can help you out nicely.

A 6" or 8" dobsonian will be a very good introduction to astronomy with a scope, not to mention a TOP PREZIE! Lucky man!

Mental.

[TiaC]

Thanks for your help, Alexander. :)

That 6 inch Saxon dob does look good to my entirely untrained eyes... but now I've gone and complicated things further by finding the SW 8 inch dob on sale for $440! Argh! I think I'm suffering analysis paralysis! :confused2:

[bmitchell82]

6" and bigger is a fabulous start no matter which way you fall.

the bigger the telescope the brighter things appear. allowing you to see fainter objects.! easyest way is to look at how much you want to spend, and hit that range. :) 10" will be too expensive unless your 100% sure thats what he wants. a 8" isn't bad and like you said can be had for 440. (good price) and the 6"'s for between 300-400 generally! we could go into all the specifics but like you said analysis paralysis!

[lacad01]

One of the best gifts my family bought for me was an 8" dobsonian about 3 years ago which got me hooked onto astronomy and my only regret is that it didn't happen sooner :-)
For my 2 cents worth these are quite a versatile, easy to use first scope

[barx1963]

Now thats what I call a present, 6" dob will be wonderful, get 8" if budget stretches. Beware though, aperture fever will strike and you will soon be dicussing where to put the 12" or 16"!!!;)

[TiaC]

Thanks everyone, you've been an enormous help! :) From what you've said, I figure I can't go wrong with the 6" or 8" dob, so it's just a matter of finances now.

I'll be sure to point my husband in this direction once he receives his gift! :thumbsup:

[bmitchell82]

we will look forward to welcoming him over here :) you know your just about to sell him to the garden :). my partner calls me the garden star gnome! :) and sometimes there are extra gnomes out there too but they all dissapear before the daylight comes ... dun dun daaaaaaa..... :D

[TiaC]

Ok, so I'm this >><< close to buying. I'm definitely going for an 8" dob, and have narrowed it down to three options, which I'm finding it near impossible to choose between. :question:

A SkyWatcher SW680 for $539 + local pick up.

Or the Bintel BT202-B for $549 + local pick up. Includes

Or the GS 680 8" for $499 + ? freight, which seems about the same as the Bintel but includes an extra 6mm and a 25mm Plossi eyepiece. Are these worthwhile? Or are these deals much of a muchness?

Any thoughts? I promise after this I'll stop bugging you with my questions! :D

[GrahamL]

welcome :)

nothing wrong with questions ask away anytime.
You would find it hard to decide as they all good scopes
I'd go for the bintel scope , the new tension system looks to be an improvement on the older spring type and it does mention they have made the mirror cell a little easier to adjust.

while you don't need one of these right away

http://www.backyard-astro.com/equipment/accessories/telrad/telrad.html

used with the finderscope on your scope they make finding your way round the night sky very easy.

good luck with your choice, from where you are now you can't get it wrong

cheers graham

[barx1963]

The GSO and Bintel both have the new tension adjustment and it is a beautiful thing! They are essentially the same scope with the difference being in the accessories that come with the package.

[bmitchell82]

there is only 1 thing that you must get, something to collminate your telescope. the easiest one is the laser collimnator from bintel/gso while you must collimnate the laser itself, will be the easiest way to get going!

[TiaC]

Thanks Graham. :) Yeah, I'm definitely leaning toward the Bintel. I like what I've heard about them, particularly their after service support.

Brendan, thanks for letting me know about the laser collimator, I didn't realise I'd need one! :thanx:

[erick]

Re laser collimator - there are those who favour them and those who don't. I use one. Ask the guys at Bintel when you see them - get them to demonstrate the use of one on a scope compared to other methods. Eg. get them to demonstrate using a combined sight tube/cheshire collimator. Then you can decide.

Also, you don't need the 25mm plossl if you have the 26mm GSO eyepiece. The 26mm will be a 2" eyepiece, the 25mm will be a 1.25". Go for the 26mm - give you a feel for 2" eyepieces. I think the 6mm GSO plossl is of little use.

[bmitchell82]

i did a test last night with a laser and cheshire initially my thoughts where that the laser was off, so i used the cheshire. then went and tested the laser at about 4m it was turning a 7cm circle. tuned it again to run < 5mm circles. the laser said the cheshire was so close its not funny.

I know how to collminate :) aka i know what to look for in the cheshire
the laser doesn't require this type of knowledge just the knowledge that the laser itself is spot on. :) once you understand whats happening ide go for a high end cheshire collmination set as it does the secondary tilt primary alignment and more importantly focuser tilt! :)

just trying to keep it fun and easy :) bring in the other bits once the knowledge is there.

[shane.mcneil]

Hi Tia

Well I just went through what you are going through. I think you'll be happy with any of the ones you are looking at. Just a few things I found:

Saxon and Skywatcher are the same telescope. Bintel and GSO are the same.

Collimators: Someone told me to get both cos they are good for different reasons. I bought the Orion Cross hair one from Bintel and use it always, very happy with it. I bought the GSO laser. I'm not happy with it yet. I can't collimate the pointer properly but when I do I think it will be OK but I prob would buy a different one next time.

Moon filters: Must have if you want to look at the moon for any length of time. Some change the colour of the moon. I bought two polarising filters that leave the colour natural and can be rotated against each other to adjust the light level.

Red light torch: I paid way too much for mine. Could have just put red cellophane on my old torch.

Star charts: There are good free ones listed on other threads.

All the best.

Shane

[TiaC]

I see I have much to learn! :lol: Thanks for the advice on collimation, Eric and Brendan. Sounds like a contentious topic! :P

Shane, that's all really helpful information - thanks! :)