Just picked this bad boy up for $75 - What do you think?

[Shark Bait (Stu)]

Originally Posted by Intergage

http://i.imgur.com/kYxP9.jpg

Got her today and PERFECTLY clear skies tonight so going to take it up to a Mt near me and make a night of looking at stars and stuff!

Worth $75? Brand new it is $530 from National Geographic haha.

Edit: also, came with 4 different lenses and a moon filter!

We had clear skies last night.

Did you get a chance to test the scope?

If so, how did it perform?

[Intergage (Matt)]

Update: Well, it didn't go as good as I would have hoped. I took it out to Glass House Mt look out just north of Brisbane (About a 30 - 40min drive for me) and got it set up and everything while out there and I wasn't too impressed by it. The "slow motion" controls either don't work or I have no idea how to set up the mount. The images weren't too good either, I couldn't even see the moon it was way too blurry! Could only see one massive bright white light and that was it.

I pointed it at M42 and saw nothing, not to mention the finder scope is a heap of **** to say the least.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to config the mirrors I was also thinking of taking it to a "Star party" thingo that happens once a month or something near my place and seeing if someone up there can help me out.

If anyone knows of the next met up at Bracken Ridge, Brisbane is happening at the Water Res could you let me know so I can make sure I keep the night free?

Thanks for all the info as well!

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by Intergage

Update: Well, it didn't go as good as I would have hoped. I took it out to Glass House Mt look out just north of Brisbane (About a 30 - 40min drive for me) and got it set up and everything while out there and I wasn't too impressed by it. The "slow motion" controls either don't work or I have no idea how to set up the mount. The images weren't too good either, I couldn't even see the moon it was way too blurry! Could only see one massive bright white light and that was it.

I pointed it at M42 and saw nothing, not to mention the finder scope is a heap of **** to say the least.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to config the mirrors I was also thinking of taking it to a "Star party" thingo that happens once a month or something near my place and seeing if someone up there can help me out.

If anyone knows of the next met up at Bracken Ridge, Brisbane is happening at the Water Res could you let me know so I can make sure I keep the night free?

Thanks for all the info as well!

Sounds typical of my experience with this awful piece of equipment. I'm sorry that you were duped, as was the bloke who bought the one I felt obliged to get working for him. Nat Geo should be ashamed of themselves.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

If it was just a blur was it in focus ? I realise it may not the best piece of hardware but it should still reach a point where you can make out some detail on the moon eg.
I'd have a go during the day at some distant view. You may need to extend the Eye Piece to reach focus before you can write it off as a bad job. Maybe a few missing bits. My old 114 f8 Newt has an extender as normal part of the focusser. It would be useless without it.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by ZeroID

If it was just a blur was it in focus ? I realise it may not the best piece of hardware but it should still reach a point where you can make out some detail on the moon eg.
I'd have a go during the day at some distant view. You may need to extend the Eye Piece to reach focus before you can write it off as a bad job. Maybe a few missing bits. My old 114 f8 Newt has an extender as normal part of the focusser. It would be useless without it.

Brent - the example I tried to get going would not come into focus - at all. Between both focus extremes there was no sweet spot. The image was lop-sided and the mirror horribly mis-figured. It wasn't a case of it being a little out of kilter - it did not work at all.