Thanks everyone for your diverse opinions and kind advice.
I have come to an arrangement with the buyer to pay slightly less than the asking price, and will pick the scope up tonight.
I know many think this is 'inadequate' and will 'disappoint' however I think that if I can get as much enjoyment as I do from 7x35mm binoculars, then this can only be a good thing to have on hand. My observations are taken in a light polluted back yard and usually last about 1-2 hours so I'm not looking for something huge that takes an hour to set up. I also think it's a better scope than some assume it to be. I (like Julian) have found that the $700 pricing is accurate indicating a higher level of quality than the common junk. Also, if you actually do the math, assuming 85% transmission through the optics, it's actually got slightly better light gathering than the 126mm dob (assuming 75% reflection and taking away another 20% for the secondary mirror).
In any case, if it does turn out to be good optically, my next purchase (after saving many pennies) will be a motorised mount to put it on, and then I can think about something bigger/better optically.
Thanks for all of your opinions and advice, and clear skies everyone! I shall endeavor to let you all know how it goes when another clear night rolls around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by julianh72
While it's a bit late (as the eBay sale is now closed), I thought I'd just add my $0.02 worth on this listing. (And in case anyone wonders - no, I have no relationship with the eBay seller!)
I suspect it's actually the same telescope as my York SkyRover R90 (90 mm aperture / 500 mm FL / f5.6), which is actually a remarkably handy "Grab'n'Go" telescope - and definitely worth more than $150, as long as it's in good condition!
While it's very confusing for would-be buyers, I think you have to forgive the seller's confusing description - as they say, they are selling it for their parents, so it isn't really surprising that they aren't quite sure what they have. The PowerSeeker 60 EQ reference is completely out of place, but the BigEye R90500 manual looks to be the applicable manual.
These telescopes really DID cost around $700 10-years ago from reputable optical dealers (I know, because I still have the receipt for mine, from York Optical in Brisbane), so these scopes are a definite step-up from "department store" cheapies. It's "only" an achromat, so given it's short FL, there's a bit of chromatic aberration on brighter targets (e.g. colour fringing on the Moon and Jupiter), but the image quality on mine is MUCH better than you'll get on most "department store" telescopes.
The mount is indeed an equatorial, but the seller clearly didn't know how to set it up properly. Mine comes with both a normal tripod, and three short legs that screw into the GEM head for table-top equatorial use. (I can't see the threaded holes for the table-top legs in the eBay photos, so this one may not have that feature.) The normal tripod is a bit flimsy when the elevating centre-post is extended, but it works fine when it's partially retracted, especially if you hang a bit of weight from the spreader - perfectly adequate for visual use. When mounted on a sturdier tripod (e.g. a SkyWatcher EQ-2), it's actually a very sweet wide-field telescope ("comet hunter"), and it makes a good terrestrial scope as well with the 45-degree "erect image" prism that mine came with.
The big selling point is that the whole kit (scope, tripod, GEM, table-top legs, eyepieces, etc), all pack into a shoulder bag - making it a true "Grab'n'Go" telescope.
To the OP - your existing 5" Dob will give better / brighter images than this telescope, but for portability (and packing away), this sort of kit is hard to beat at the price. Without getting into a debate about what constitutes a "medium-level" telescope, I would just suggest that as long as it's clean and undamaged, this could be a very good sub-$200 telescope. (And if you get serious later on, it would make a great finderscope / guiderscope for a bigger telescope!)
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