What Telescope? - Page 3

davidpretorius · #41 13-01-2006, 12:01 PM

i would ring him, find out what brand for the plossl & the barlow, so we can make sure you don't get taken for a ride!

cjmarsh81 · #42 13-01-2006, 12:05 PM

got him on phone now, eyepiece and barlow are optex

iceman (Mike) · #43 13-01-2006, 12:05 PM

Depends on the brand of barlow

I think it's worth ringing up and asking what brand the eyepieces and barlow are.

Plossl is the "design". The brand might be GSO, Synta, Celestron, etc.

iceman (Mike) · #44 13-01-2006, 12:12 PM

I wouldn't get any eyepieces or barlows through him then. I'm not sure what Optex is a clone of, but you'd be better off getting a known brand from MyAstroShop, Bintel or Andrews (GSO, Synta, Televue, etc), depending on your budget.

cjmarsh81 · #45 13-01-2006, 12:16 PM

ok, I will only get the scope from him then. I will keep the 10mm and 20mm that come with the scope (Don't know what brand they are - come from skywatcher)

Thanks all for your quick help!

davidpretorius · #46 13-01-2006, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjmarsh81

It also comes with a 10mm and a 20mm. He said he could change the 20mm to a 25mm for me if I wanted to. Is this a good idea.

i would go a 10mm and a 25mm and a 2x barlow. That would give you 5mm (10mm with the 2x barlow), 10mm, 12.5mm (20mm with the 2x barlow) and 25mm. A nice range!

The 6.3mm plossl for 90 bucks would want to be very good! And given you will probably only a few times a month when the conditions are right to use a 6.3mm, then it is a lot of $$ for something you may not use all the time.

Up to you on the 2x barlow from him as it will all come together with the scope, but as Ice says, I would suggest a known brand. You can get cheaper barlows, or for not much more you can get the orion shorty plus (make sure it is the plus) which is a fantasic 2x barlow from all accounts.

cjmarsh81 · #47 13-01-2006, 12:25 PM

I have just called him and told him I am only going to get the scope at the moment. All additional eyepieces and barlows will come from myastroshop.

I will not change the 20mm to a 25mm as the only ones he has are optex. I don't know what these are like.

While on topic, would I need two barlows? ie one 1.25" and one 2", or do I simply put a 2-1.25 reducer in.

davidpretorius · #48 13-01-2006, 12:35 PM

will you be getting any 2" eyepieces?

cjmarsh81 · #49 13-01-2006, 12:35 PM

I don't know yet. Is there any advantage to a 2" eyepiece?

davidpretorius · #50 13-01-2006, 12:42 PM

i wouldn't bother at this stage until you work out which way to go.

Stick with 1.25" as it is very common size. In a few years you may fork out on a $500 2" televue for deep sky viewing and then the same again for a 2" powermate, but until then do not bother i reckon.

You may choose to look at some 2" ultrawide that are sub $200 for deep sky stuff, but again later. Do not base your initial outlay around 2" stuff. Add it as you need it!

janoskiss (Steve H) · #51 13-01-2006, 12:45 PM

Forget about buying any accessories from this dealer.

They are way too expensive for what they are. Some of the best polssls are made by televue and they are $145 each new. The only ones that I've seen for more (hugely overpriced) were the Celestron Ultimas. But even then, $270 ($90 + the supposed $180 discount) for a plossl is unheard of! You can get premium eyepieces for that amount.

Someone was selling an Optex barlow for $30 on the Buy&Sell forums just a few days ago. So it can't be worth all that much. Basic but functional new barlows barlows can be had for around $50.

More on barlows... Unlike many other members, I cannot recommend the Orion Shorty Plus. I found it to be a poor performer with all types of eyepieces (budget and premium) and I would avoid using it whenever I could (yellowing of edge of field, poor contrast, lots of scattered light, internal reflections). It was definitely a lousy barlow, worth maybe $60, not the $140 I paid for it. But maybe I got a dud..

I have a 2" University Optics barlow now and it is just superb and I love using it. Costs about the same as the Shorty-Plus new (maybe $20 more).

cjmarsh81 · #52 13-01-2006, 12:46 PM

Thanks for that. I will use it for a while before I decide on any more accessories.

Now all I have to do is wait until next tuesday or wednesday when it comes in. Can't wait!

cjmarsh81 · #53 13-01-2006, 12:50 PM

The $180 price difference is just on the scope not the eyepiece.

He was giving me $20 off of the eyepieces, ie he sells his 6.3mm optex plossl normally for $110.

Don't worry, I am not getting any accessories from this store. I am only getting the scope there as he has it for a very cheap price.

davidpretorius · #54 13-01-2006, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjmarsh81

Now all I have to do is wait until next tuesday or wednesday when it comes in. Can't wait!

book in collimation and assembly time only, as the unforseen low pressure trough will arrive over your house exactly 1 hr after it has arrived and just as you have almost assembled it. It will rain for many nights and be beautifully sunny during the day, well up until you almost get home and then it will rain again. It will stop raining after you go to sleep!!!

ways to please the weather gods vary, but a rough cardboard altar of a nagler and making flower offerings whilst nude is recommended!!!

janoskiss (Steve H) · #55 13-01-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjmarsh81

I have just called him and told him I am only going to get the scope at the moment. All additional eyepieces and barlows will come from myastroshop.

I will not change the 20mm to a 25mm as the only ones he has are optex. I don't know what these are like.

They are probably fine. I would very much doubt that they would be any worse than what comes with the scope. So I would go for the 25mm instead of the 20mm. The 25 + 10mm are probably an ideal starter pair.

FYI: A quick google search for
optex plossl site:.au
will find you Optex plossls for $55 within Australia (incuding the 6.3mm).

Quote:

While on topic, would I need two barlows? ie one 1.25" and one 2", or do simply put a 2-1.25 reducer in.

The University Optics 2" barlow has to be one of the the best value for money barlows around. I spent many hours observing with it and I still cannot get over how good it is. Yes it will work with both 1.25" and 2" eyepieces.. Did I mention that the Shorty-Plus was a waste of money and a huge disappointment? Maybe go with the televue 2x barlow if you want to stick with the 1.25" format (which you might to save on weight).

But for starters it might be worth you getting an inexpensive 2x barlow, $20-$30 second hand, just so you can up the magnification occasionally. I am sure there are many unused barlows around. Just put a Wanted ad in the Buy&Sell forum.

danielsun · #56 14-01-2006, 04:57 PM

you crack me up Dave ,but that is so true!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidpretorius

book in collimation and assembly time only, as the unforseen low pressure trough will arrive over your house exactly 1 hr after it has arrived and just as you have almost assembled it. It will rain for many nights and be beautifully sunny during the day, well up until you almost get home and then it will rain again. It will stop raining after you go to sleep!!!

ways to please the weather gods vary, but a rough cardboard altar of a nagler and making flower offerings whilst nude is recommended!!!

danielsun · #57 14-01-2006, 05:03 PM

Have you seen the EP's that come with the scope? if they are silver with black stamped writing on them i think they may be from synta and they are not bad starter EP's. I still use mine now and then and if so go the 25 over the 20.

cjmarsh81 · #58 14-01-2006, 06:33 PM

No I haven't seen the eyepieces yet. They weren't really sure what they are in the store, they just thought they were a 10 and 20mm. I will take whatever comes from Skywatcher and go from there.

In the next couple of weeks I will order a barlow from myastroshop and this should extend my range a bit.

I want to buy the best quality barlow I can afford, I know Dave said he uses Vixon. Which are the best and what price range am I looking at for a decent barlow. I would prefer a good one now, so when I get good eyepieces down the track I do not have to change the barlow.

I just checked the skywatcher website and the myastroshop site, and they both say the same thing. They say the scope comes with a single eyepiece, a 28mm 2inch. Will have to wait and see what I get before I make any decisions on additional eyepieces. If I get a chance I will call him tomorrow and get him to find out what I am actually getting.

cjmarsh81 · #59 18-01-2006, 06:30 PM

Hello All!

I have my telescope! A 10" Dobsonian Mounted Skywatcher Scope. It is HUGE! 9x50 Finder Scope

Came with a 10mm and 25mm super plossl eyepiece (No brand, probably skywatcher)

Took it outside and aligned the finder scope by looking at a large power line pole (Big metal one, not the normal wooden street poles) I could focus on the bolts!!!

Looks to be cloudy nights all week (of course). Probably won't be able to use it properly for a little while. Oh well, will spend time making some sort of stand with wheels so I can move the thing around.

janoskiss (Steve H) · #60 18-01-2006, 06:45 PM

Good stuff! Sounds like you're pretty much ready to go! Have you read all about collimation? Have you checked? Does your scope have a marker in the centre (i.e., centre spot). If not, check this out:

http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/sco...icle_787_1.asp

Re. the barlow, I don't think they come much better than the University Optics 2" which can be had from Frontier Optics (www.frontieroptics.com) for approx $150, which makes it the best value barlow around. Otherwise, everyone who tried them seems to love Televue Powermates, but they start at $310 for the 1.25" format, $450 or so for the 2". I still think you should probably get a 2nd hand inexpensive barlow to begin with. The cost is insignificant compared with top-shelf stuff, and you can always resell to another new scope owner when you're ready to upgrade.