Travel scopes

[Ingle (Alex)]

Hi all,

I would appreciate some advice on what scopes to consider for travelling and camping. I have had a 10" dob for a few years and was briefly a member of ASSA a few years back but am still very much the novice.

I have a large 4WD and intend to do some remote outback touring so space and weight is at a premium but I would like a telescope to take advantage of some of those clear skies.

I would like something that I can observe the planets/moon and some of the brighter DSOs. I would like it to be a go-to scope that is easy enough to let friends and kids from late primary onwards use without me needing to hover over them (should never miss an opportunity to get kids into science or engineering).

I am not looking to use the scope for photography but if it can then that is a bonus. A certain level of robustness is desirable or it should be easy to collimate as I will be driving on rough and sometimes corrugated roads.

I have $1k now but am in no rush so could put my budget up to 2k in a couple of months and I am happy to look at second hand scopes.

If anyone has any advice/experience about how best to pack a scope for travelling it would also be appreciated.

Cheers and thanks in advance for your help.

Alex

[that_guy (Tony)]

maybe a ed80 on heq5pro?

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

The iOptron Mini Tower with a 4-5" refractor, or maybe a 5" Mak would suit your purposes.
It only takes 10 minutes to set up and align. The Go-To is excellent, dropping objects into the FOV of a 15mm ep.
The Mini Tower comes in an aluminium carry case with only the legs of the mount being carried separately.
The handset is intuitive to use. And it has GPS as well as a 140,000 object data base.
I've used mine successfully for wide field imaging using my Canon 20d and lenses as well as taking micro subs through the ed80.

LOL and there's one going for a very reasonable price in the IIS Classifieds.

[dannat (Daniel)]

what about the meade 5" mak

[casstony]

Celestron Nexstar 6SE is lightweight, portable(ota can be separated from mount), has good optical quality and the hand control is very easy to use. Objects can be selected directly from the hand control (eg: press the 'NGC' button then the numbers 2,5 and 3 to select NGC253, rather than working through menus. Collimation is easy once the phillips head screws have been replaced with Bobs Knobs.

The negatives: the internal batteries don't last very long so you need an external 12 volt supply(make sure it's centre/tip positive); the mount cannot be used without power(there are no clutches you can release).

[Rod]

Hi Alex,

I just saw your thread and coincidentally have recently posted some photos of a 10 inch travelscope I am completing in the ATM section. So one option for you to consider would be to use the optics, from your current 10 inch scope and build a compact mount to go with it. If you want tracking, buy or build an equatorial platform. You can use setting circles (either digital or manual) to locate objects. An iphone or PDA can give you the coordinates.

Rod.

[Ingle (Alex)]

Thank you all for your replies. I will have a bit of a read on the net about the mounts and OTAs you have mentioned.

Will a refractor like an ED80 require less collimation than other types of telescopes? i.e. will it be able to take a little more punishment?

As far as power goes, I will be fitting a second battery to my 4wd and running it from that.

Rob, your travelscope looks great and I would also like to see how heavy it is but I think building my own will be a bit more than I am prepared to take on. I would love to hear any tips about transportation that you have after your trip.

Cheers

Alex

[casstony]

Originally Posted by Ingle

Will a refractor like an ED80 require less collimation than other types of telescopes? i.e. will it be able to take a little more punishment?
Alex

The ED80 is probably tougher than most other types of scope, though a 6" SCT will handle rough rides in a padded case, just don't drop it on the ground. The 6" SCT is wider but shorter than the ED80 and will give brighter images and reach higher magnification. The highest useful magnification/resolution of a scope is limited by it's aperture - you'll likely find some nice skies in your travels and find the 80mm aperture a bit limiting. SCT collimation is easy once you've done it a few times - only 3 screws to adjust.

[Ingle (Alex)]

OK, so I am heading down the path of 6" SCTs. The Celestron and the Meade both look good and priced in the right range at $1600 - $1900 new (although this means waiting for a few months)

How will these compare to a 6 year old second hand 8" LX90 (there is an LX90 for sale in this forum atm which I assume is 8", it didn't state) in the following areas:
1. Ease of setup
2. GoTo
3. The magnitude of what I can expect to see
4. Storage Case Size (I can get weight specs easily)

Cheers

Alex

[casstony]

The LX90 is a far more substantial scope in both weight and bulk; it's not nearly as well suited to touring where space is at a premium. The 6SE breaks down into three light and small components - the ota and mount could even be packed seperately amongst clothing if you wanted to save more space.

I'm not familiar with the Meade 6" SCT - perhaps someone else could comment on it compared to the Celestron 6SE.

[Robert9 (Robert)]

I have a Nexstar 6SE which travels with us while caravaning. Has been up thru the Centre, into mid QLD etc etc. Travels in a home made box with the original packing foam inserted, in the back of my Forester. Collimation hasn't shifted. Great scope, excellent views, easy to set up. The GOTO works well. Runs off a jump-start pack or a 1 Amp mains plug-adapter. Can be driven from your lap-top using Astroplanner etc.
Thoroughly recommended for travel.

Robert