[KG8]

I almost rushed out and bought what I thought was the right scope 6 years ago and luckily I went to an astro camp and spent a couple of nights watching people setup gear and using it. I had owned a 8" sct 20 years ago so I wasn't a newcomer from that perspective but I walked away from that camp with a whole new conception of what I wanted.

There will be a camp or an evening somewhere near you in 2 weeks at the new moon, just call a few local clubs. Choosing a scope to suit really relates more to your natural mechanical abilities. If you like tinkering, can fix a toaster and do a service on your car you may want something a little more challenging than a dob. Some people love them but to me I need more complexity, more of a challenge in my astronomy experience.

BTW, you can use any telescope manually. I often put a small celestron 6" atop a german equatorial mount out in the back yard with no more alignment than pointing it roughly south. I loosen the clutches and can pan around and look at anything, as easily as a dob would. If I plug a battery into it it will also track pretty nicely, agin with no special alignment needed.