SynScan vs Argo

[CraigS]

Hi Everyone;

I'm yet another new face (er name) on the forum and I'm currently pondering taking the plunge and purchasing a system. Some advice/comments/assistance to help out on a point I've been wrestling with would be muchly appreciated.

OK, so Skywatcher is soon to release in Oz, an autotracking, GoTo (SynScan) dobsonian (10 inch for me - probably). I'm interested in the collapsible version. They say that the telescope can be moved by hand without the need for re-alignment (courtesy of its tracking system).

The other comparable option which results in similar functionality would seem to be to purchase the autotracking Skywatcher dob and buy an ArgoNavis resulting in 'push-to' navigation (and tracking).

So what baffles me is that the Argo etc option costs about 50% more !!

Is the comparison valid or am I missing something ?

Appreciate your views.
Cheers & Rgds.

[sheeny (Al)]

I would expect the Argo will out perform Synscan by a long way.

50% more is not much for something that works exceptionally well.

Al.

[DavidU (Dave)]

Well so it should ! It's superb AND Australian.
Are you going to buy a Chinese product that is not as good as the Aussie one?? Just because it's cheaper?
The Argo is one of the best on the planet....period !

Originally Posted by CraigS

So what baffles me is that the Argo etc option costs about 50% more !!

Is the comparison valid or am I missing something ?

Appreciate your views.
Cheers & Rgds.

[CraigS]

Er .. I shouldn't have tried to use percentages ... the Argo system itself adds another $1,000 on top of the autotracking dob cost of $1,200 - ie: $2,200 for the complete system.

Compare this with $1,500 for the complete autotracking System with a SynScan controller.

A big difference - $700 !

I'm really trying understand what advantage an Argo would add to justify the extra cost. (Perhaps none).

Surely, nowadays, the accuracy of navigation comes down to the precision of the slewing mechanism when responding to instructions from a controller - not the controller itself. The Argo philosophy seems to rely on a human to achieve this, which is a good idea if 'auto-slewing' is expensive, but in this case, this cost seems to have reduced considerably.

(The Skywatcher site also says the encoder design allows the telescope to be moved manually whenever the user wishes - but with no need for re-alignment. So it seems that you get this feature anyway with the autotrack dob system).

I'm starting to wonder if the Argo philosophy is becoming outdated ?

I'm open minded about this ... eg: I haven't seen any reviews of the Skywatcher SynScan/Dob/Autotracking System yet, so maybe we'll find out when they release them, huh ? But what & when to buy .. that's my quest !

Cheers & Rgds

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

You can draw a picture of a house with crayons, but would you want to build a house from plans drawn with crayons?

[erick (Eric)]

Certainly Craig, $700 is one or more nice eyepieces - so you ask a very valid question. I started with push dobs so I added an Argo Navis as soon as I could, based on the number of recommendations I saw. I was able to buy all secondhand so it was an economical investment. I can tell you that it does just what I need and does it marvelously.

I have also recently obtained a secondhand AutoStar 497 and DS motors which I have fitted to an EQ5 mount. I still don't have it working well. I haven't got good alignment, nor functional goto as yet. Having motor drive is an extra complication in the system. Compared to getting the Argo Navis up and running on my dobs, this has been a pain. I guess a goto system, working correctly straight out of the box, is a different matter. So I am in not yet in a position to compare the Argo Navis push-to with a different goto system.

I can tell you that the Agro Navis is an elegant and robust piece of equipment with a very simple but effective human interface and the best customer support I have seen of any astro product.

But, $700 is a couple of nice eyepieces and if the SynScan aligns the scope well and points it at the desired object then tracks it - well....... you decide.

[torana68 (Roger)]

Ive looked at the argo and if i had the cash Id have one now, wouldnt consider anything else. Its portable and will work with any scope I have now or may get later. From what Ive seen back up is second to none. If its good enough for Obsession Telescopes (who only use the best components) its good enough for me. its not cheap but this isnt a cheap hobby, cheap stuff from OS will let you down eventually then you have to get another, if its all you can afford dont get one at all and spend more on optic quality.
Roger

[CraigS]

All;

Thanks kindly for your useful comments.
Your points are appreciated and understood (even the Tigerdes' who seems to experiment with crayons!).

Summarising:
1) Argo is loved by many => Probably the best test of all. A good product.
2) Argo Service is good => useful if the product needs support.
3) The cost is at the top end => perhaps the 'Rolls-Royce' of Navigation. However, if SynScan turns out to be troublesome I might be confronted with an Argo purchase in the future anyway.
4) Argo+manual push-to (for about the same price as the complete Skywatcher system) won't help for photography tracking - whereas the Skywatcher system will.
5) Not a lot of info around on SynScan+Autotracking for dobs - I'd like to know how SynScan works to allow manual movements w/o re-alignment. It seems that this feature might save on power in the field and result in a push-to system anyway. Appreciate any pointers on more info.

Best wishes & good viewing to all. Tonight seems like it might be a good one !

Cheers