If you could would you?

[Astroman]

Would you change what telescopes you own now, if you could start all over again?

[iceman]

ooh tricky question.. I guess it depends if you KNOW what you know now.

For me, probably yes.. I think I still would've chosen a newt but I think I would've put it on an EQ6. I'm more into imaging now than I thought I would be, when I first bought the scope.

But it's hard to say, because I love the convenience of a dob and I use the platform when I need/want tracking (not all the time), so for a quick setup and go the dob is great. Wheel it out on the trolley, and i'm ready to observe.

It's also a hard question because I still can't afford a $4-$7k SCT on EQ mount (or similar), so given budget constraints I'd probably still make the same choice.

Great question Andrew.. a tough one to answer though.

[ving]

i picked no. i had a budget and got the best i could for that budget.... i am very happy with my gear :)

[janoskiss]

Not a fair question for me, because I'd have a bit more to spend now. When I bought my Dob, I got the biggest aperture I could afford. I would have liked to buy a 10" but it was out of the question. But the 8" Dob is a great little big scope, probably the best all-rounder (once you fit a fan ;)).

OTOH, the 4.5" Newtonian on the wobbly EQ which I bought a couple of months before the Dob was not a wise choice, even though it taught me a lot.

Now, if I was to lose all my telescopes by some horrible stroke of misfortune, what would I buy..? :confuse3:

I guess a 10" Dob from Bintel would be on top of my list. But since I want a bigger truss dob (at least I think I do :P) eventually anyway, maybe I'd just get another 8" Dob for the time being.

[h0ughy]

yes, i would get the 14" RC Meade plus a nice large TAK guidescope and an observatory, and for portability, what I have

[mickoking]

G,day


Change telescopes???? I voted unsure. For what my Income is I believe I have done well and am generally happy with my 'scopes:) But if I had a higher income and the executive stress that goes with it I may have a Takahashi or Astrophysics Apo but I would also probably still own a Dob.

Chill :lol:

[[1ponders]]

No but I'd like to add a few more :D

[xstream]

I voted No.
I don't actually own a scope it's Anna's but it serves her requirements well (and mine). :lol:

I hope to start building my scope this year, 20" Truss Dob. The difficult part is deciding who is going to figure the mirror maybe Zambutto. We'll see how the budget pans out. ;)

[33South]

I think I would have got the 10"LX90 instead of the 8" if it had been available at the time.

Or even maybe Rumples LX200

[ballaratdragons]

No. I am really happy with what I have now.

But if I had the dollars, possibly the Meade 16" Reflector on EQ with tracking. But way out of my budget.

Oh, and build an observatory. (I'm gonna do that anyway)

[toetoe]

My little Tasco was a gift to me from my wife and boys, so i would say no as i wouldn't feel right changing it.

[Robert_T]

I voted no for in the main I'm very happy with most of my scope menagerie now, but you could say I've already gone through the "starting all over again" to get to where I am now. It's been both frustrating and fun, fortunately fun has won out ;)

[Stu]

I voted no because even if I started again I would still not be able to afford what I want. I'll have to wait until I'm not young and a first home buyer in Melbourne...(if only I could have bought a house before I was 10. I would be in a much better position now.)

umm, where's my piggy bank...

[Dave47tuc]

Well that is a bit hard.

I said "yes" because you said if you could. Meaning if I could afford it.
I'm very happy with the maksutov.

But if I had the money I would have this one ,http://www.globaldialog.com/~obsessiontscp/15page.html

With sevo cat and AN DSC. :) for my portable scope.

For my observatory scope it would be this one,
http://www.buytelescopes.com/product.asp?t=1&pid=9848&m=

Only beacuse i want one I really do :prey:

[acropolite]

I probably would have waited and bought one of the second hand LX200 10 inch on offer.

[RB]

I voted no, I'm happy with what I've got.

Great question Andrew. :)

[gaa_ian]

I voted no, as my 10" is the best mixture of light gathering ability & portability.
That said, I have a 16" GSO dob on order for the Club :drink:
A scope I can see myself using a lot :P

[JohnG]

I voted no, but if I could, Paramount ME mount and Takahashi Mewlon 300 would do nicely, I'm not greedy though.

JohnG

[wavelandscott]

Hard question...nope, I think what I've got right now is sufficient...

[rochler]

that I said no 'coz I'm basically happy with what I have at this stage. There is always a 'better scope' or piece of equip. if you look for it and if you can afford it.

All that really matters is that your stuff is a good match for your level of experience, it's affordable (hopefully a good bangz 2 bux ratio) and you have fun with it! If you can answer yes to all 3, then I reckon you're on a winner. The problem is that your needs will inevitably change as your experience does and then you may want a bigger/better scope or whatever - because your expectations are higher and you become more demanding of the equip. etc. or even a smaller one because you're too old & decrepit to lug around that 16" monster hahaha!

Of course, if you won lotto....:prey:

[RAJAH235]

Just a plain old 'no'. I'm quite happy with my current gear. Does exactly what I want & fits nicely in the car, np. :D L.

[Starkler]

Same for me .

My other scope, the ed80 was something of a waste for me and rarely gets used.

[Stu]

I really like that observatory scope Dave! But they also make a 200mm version so I think that would be my choice!

[DRCORTEX]

Hmmm, perhaps the question should have included "all things being the same".

Neo

[Jonathan]

Good question.... I had to vote "unsure". I am happy with what I've got but maybe I could have done better.

I bought my ETX125 as a starter scope over a year ago, but knowing what I do now I would have gone straight to something bigger and put the money towards that. The ETX is a great travel scope now anyway so I'm not worried.
I'm happy with my C-11, but if I started over I might have gone down a different road.

[Striker]

I am happy with what I have...But I would love a huge Ritchy C and a gorgeous APO....what the hell...this year has a long way to go....lol

[Ziggy Stardust]

I am very happy with what I have now.... six years down the track...

I started with a nice size 6 inch refractor and no "go to" stuff, which made it mutch more user friendly...
and then got the Borge for traveling and the LX200 in a moment of weakness ( thats what I tell her :P ) when in Hong Kong, in the middle of the SARS Flu scare...( all prices where down abotu 40% at that time!!!!)

If I had to change, it would be to add another scope... even though a Richey Criten does "turn my focus nobs late at night"... I'd never use it to it's max potential.

I would how ever love to make a MONSTER DOBB one day, say 30 to 40 inch one. I had the pleasure of peeping for a few minutes through a portable one in africa, set up on a trailor to travel... and all I'll say is OOOHHHH WOWWWWWWWWWW... :prey2: it makes fuzzzzy balls in to crips pin cushions...but my wife would cut bits off me ( which I still need) if I came home with one more toy!!!:scared:

Tony


Tony

[AstroJunk]

That's an impressive no vote. I voted Yes.

I'm happy (VERY) with the 20", but my other two - a 220mm f7ish newt I made myself and an etx 125 are rather surplus to requirements. So here I am having spent something like $8000 on equipment I rarely use which may have a resale of 2.5K (how the prices have tumbled). So if I had the money again, would I use it differently? You better believe it!

If I started again I'd have the 20" F.5 for visual and a pair of great 10x80 bino's for holidays. I have dabbled in astrophotography, but am really not committed enough to warrant the expense.
And I really need to upgrade my eyepiece collection ...

[barees63]

I voted no, if the question was "if you had more money would you change" it might be different, but for the money I've spent I don't think I could get a better setup (10" dob with Argo Navis).

[Lester]

Gday all,
I voted yes; as I have just ordered 14" SCT Meade OTA to replace the DS16" f4.5 and 8"SCT which have had for over 20years. Will be putting the 14" SCT on to "Goliath" GE mount.

[NightOwl]

I voted no; I'm happy with my lot.

[DRCORTEX]

Give you $500 for the 20":scared:

[AstroJunk]

Nice try :lol2:

[Roger Davis]

Wot?! No aperture fever?
Many years ago using ones telescope showed its inadequacies in light grasp. This, more than often, led to the desire to buy a new and larger scope to grab the extra photon for resolution.
Now that we are inundated with pictures of planets and deep sky objects by your average amateur astronomer with a webcam, CCD or digital camera has the quest for that elusive photon disappeared?
Have we been well and truly innoculated against aperture fever?
I hope not.
Ahh, to be tilting at windmills again ... hmm, grinding!
Sancho, my horse!!

[ausastronomer]

I voted no.

At present I am purely a visual observer. My 10" dob represents the ideal package in terms of its portability/transportability and what you can see with the thing.

Having said that, I intend to purchase a 4" APO in the next couple of years, so that I can have a go at imaging and also do some astrometric work with double stars. I actually have Louie's (Atalas) broken Vixen GP/DX in my garage which I am going to try and fix for him in the hopefully not to distant future. When I eventually find the time (and brains :help3:) to fix it, I will probably consider buying the mount off him to stick the 4" APO on :) The 4" APO I intend to purchase is a Takahashi FSQ 106. That's really the only telescope upgrade I am considering. So I will end up with a 10" dob and a 4" Tak, which will keep me happy for years to come, particularly as both telescopes get heavier as I get older :)

CS-John B