Telescope opinions/recommendations

[Nightspore]

1 hour ago, Razz said:

What's up with that? Did you talk to the same person 3 times? I've been a mechanic for 36 years and I've run into the same kind of "lack of knowledge" at auto parts retailers. The kids behind the counter only know what the computer tells them. They have no idea what the parts are or what they do. That's why when I go to an auto parts store, I just walk in and tell them I want this part and here's the part number. And EVERY time they tell me that they need to know the vehicle info to look it up. And every time I say that if you can tell me what that part does then I'll give you the vehicle info otherwise just get me what I asked for...lol...

Anyway, I ordered the ST80 OTA, tube rings, eye pieces and reflex sight from the Orion website. I may have to get the mount and dovetail from the UK, most likely FLO. I'm still looking...

 

I'm pretty sure it was the same person. They had a picture on the website of the OTA. It had the dovetail in the correct position for a Vixen type mount. They're very rare on their own. Most separate 127mm Mak OTA's are mostly sold for EQ mounts, so I thought I'd make sure. I guessed it may have been separated from an AZ5 bundle. Celestron have an equivalent 127mm Mak with a Vixen style dovetail position. The picture looked like a distributor's stock art work though so I was a tad sceptical. Hence why I wanted them to check.

 

 

These 'mock Pentax' 2" Sky-Watcher EP's are often separated from 80ED DS Pro bundles and sold individually. So I thought I'd be OK as bundles can often be split-up and sold separately. When it arrived it even came in a really nice soft case.

 

 

This isn't it though as I had to return it with the OTA and splash out for this Oklop imported from Sweden. The dovetail for your ST80 is the tricky thing to sort out. FLO sorted these out ages ago. I'm pretty sure their dovetails are manufactured in the UK. Although it might be worth checking out ScopeStuff in the US.

 

 

This red Altair dovetail was taken off the X-Rings for my 60EDF. It's a lot lighter than the FLO dovetail. The bolts holding it in are (Allen key headed) M6 from the FLO dovetail. The rings and dovetail do add a fair bit to the weight. The X-Ring dovetail makes a noticeable difference in the weight. I think its aluminium. Not sure what the FLO is, cast iron, plutonium, or something similar probably.

 

 

[Razz]

Today I ordered a dovetail, an Orion 90 degree diagonal, a red light flashlight and the book "Turn Left at Orion". I found a place that supposedly has the az-gte mount but I don't have enough on my debit card to order it. Hopefully, either tomorrow or next weekend I'll get a chance to put more money on my card...

[Nightspore]

16 minutes ago, Razz said:

Today I ordered a dovetail, an Orion 90 degree diagonal, a red light flashlight and the book "Turn Left at Orion". I found a place that supposedly has the az-gte mount but I don't have enough on my debit card to order it. Hopefully, either tomorrow or next weekend I'll get a chance to put more money on my card...

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to recommend a diagonal. There are several types, but mainly either a mirror or a prism. Prisms can be standard or Amici. Amici prisms give an upright, non-mirror reversed, natural image. Although they can have limitations for astronomy. I use them a lot for lunar viewing. The most popular mirrors are dielectric. If your Orion is a resin bodied prism it's probably identical to the Celestron and Sky-Watcher ones. I think they're all made by Synta.

[Razz]

This is the one I ordered...it's a prism...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000XMX0W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Nightspore]

34 minutes ago, Razz said:

This is the one I ordered...it's a prism...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000XMX0W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I've got one of those. It's an Amici roof prism. Although for a while it had a William Optics nosepiece and helical focuser. The top diagonal is a modified GSO Amici. Amicis are OK but unless you spend a lot of money on one they can show a diffraction spike on bright, small objects. They're OK for the Moon and rich field though. Even the most expensive Amici prism can often display an amount of diffraction spiking. It's inherent in the design. I'm not sure about phase coating. Some claim phase coated Amicis are only for diurnal use. Most aren't phase coated.

 

 

I ordered the WO Amici from Agena Astro five or six years ago, at Xmas I think. USPS tracked it all the way across the US from the Pacific to the Eastern Seaboard (5000 km?). The Royal Mail lost it as soon as it got to Heathrow.

 

 

It got sent back to California. Agena then sent it back to me.

 

 

This time the Royal Mail didn't lose it. But when I actually got it the prism had become unseated. I tried to repair it but ended up cannibalising the nose and helical.

 

 

RACI finders use the same housing and prism.

 

 

I normally use a Baader Zeiss Amici for dedicated lunar viewing nowadays. Although the resin-bodied ones still get used for some grab and go sessions.

 

 

The 2" APM diagonal on my ST102 above is an Amici. I like them for rich field sometimes.

Edited December 25, 2021 by Nightspore

[Razz]

I've had similar shipping issues. More than once I had packages go to the UPS hub in Rochester, NY then onto Syracuse, NY which is about 15 miles south of me. Now, that in itself is normal, but a few times they go from Rochester to Syracuse, back to Rochester then to Syracuse again and ,of course, back to Rochester then to Syracuse and I finally get it delivered...lol...anyway, finally ordered my Skywatcher az-gte mount. The site said "in stock" so hopefully it doesn't get cancelled...

[Nightspore]

22 minutes ago, Razz said:

I've had similar shipping issues. More than once I had packages go to the UPS hub in Rochester, NY then onto Syracuse, NY which is about 15 miles south of me. Now, that in itself is normal, but a few times they go from Rochester to Syracuse, back to Rochester then to Syracuse again and ,of course, back to Rochester then to Syracuse and I finally get it delivered...lol...anyway, finally ordered my Skywatcher az-gte mount. The site said "in stock" so hopefully it doesn't get cancelled...

 

Hopefully lol.

[Nightspore]

You do realise that AZ GTi mount will need a power source, right? TBH I'm not that enthusiastic about powered grab and go mounts. It's bad enough tripping over a powertank and dew cables in the dark lol.

 

 

I have one of these for dew control, although I haven't used it this year. Probably because I've been relying on dew shield extensions and just wiping the reflex finder window over with a cloth occasionally. BTW, don't clean the objective off with a cloth if it gets dewed over. Let it dry out naturally.

 

 

Some people use a portable hair dryer for this while observing. I used this once before the nozzle snapped off! Luckily the dew season for me doesn't last long. 

 

READ THIS! 

 

AND THIS! lol

 

 

The dew shield should pull off fairly easily to facilitate cleaning. Don't get tempted to wipe dew off an objective as getting rid of the smudging isn't easy. It will often 'dew' over with condensation once you take it back indoors from outside. This is totally normal. Again, let it dry naturally. I rarely clean my objectives, although occasionally I use a microfibre cloth and some Baader Fluid to remove small pollen particles. I'm seriously thinking about getting one of these Celestron Lithium Powertanks. They look small and light for an alternative dew controller power source. I reckon something like that might drive your mount. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Nightspore

[Razz]

Yea, I did realize that the mount needs a power source...I'm new to this but I'm not stupid...lol...usually, anyway...

[Nightspore]

Just checking lol. I was looking for Venus in daylight with my 90mm Mak today. I couldn't understand why everything was black when I looked through the eyepiece. 

 

 

I hadn't taken the objective dust cap off! ROTFL

[Razz]

LOL...that sounds like something I would do. Only difference is, I would be on this forum going on about how the piece of junk doesn't work, etc.. Then someone comes along and says "Take the cap off, Razz"...rofl

[Nightspore]

It's not the first time I've done it either lol. Caught Venus at 15:21 GMT today with the 90mm Mak. This time I took the cap off! I only saw it briefly at 65x as it clouded over. I didn't have time to go for the elusive Mercury. Last time I saw Mercury was in January.

 

 

Mag -4.4 and a whopping 59.1 arc seconds, although only 4.5% illuminated.

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Nightspore

[Razz]

Are those pictures from Stellarium? Is it a bad sign that I'm already looking at possible future telescopes even tho my first one hasn't arrived yet? LOL...

[Nightspore]

SkySafari 6 Pro

 

Depends what you mean by 'bad' lol. 

 

 

I keep looking at this and make excuses not to buy it. Eventually I reckon I'll run out of excuses.

[Razz]

Great, there's another one to add to my list...lol...

[Nightspore]

You'd think for 1,598 quid Tak' could put a rotating dual speed focuser with a decent visual back on it. Let alone a quick release finder shoe. It's so 20th century!

Edited January 1, 2022 by Nightspore

[Razz]

Well, I cancelled my Orion order. I ordered 4 items, one was listed as backordered. Then I get an email saying the tube rings I ordered are discontinued...so, 2 of 4 items are down...tonight, I checked my order status only to find out the ST80 scope is now backordered....enough is enough...I cancelled it...will never order from Orion again...I then ordered this scope and some eyepieces...

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085NTQL2C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edited January 1, 2022 by Razz

[Nightspore]

7 hours ago, Razz said:

Well, I cancelled my Orion order. I ordered 4 items, one was listed as backordered. Then I get an email saying the tube rings I ordered are discontinued...so, 2 of 4 items are down...tonight, I checked my order status only to find out the ST80 scope is now backordered....enough is enough...I cancelled it...will never order from Orion again...I then ordered this scope and some eyepieces...

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085NTQL2C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

A lot of punters your side of the pond seem to have bad experiences with Orion Telescopes & Binoculars. TBH I've always had good dealings with them. My guess is that there are supply problems as they are reliant on Chinese OEM's.

 

 

SvBony are relative newcomers and a bit of a mystery. I'm pretty sure they're not an OEM and rebrand other products or order bespoke items from individual mainland manufacturers. They claim to be based in Hong Kong and I traced them to a mailing address (pictures above and below). So your guess is as good as mine lol.

 

 

I know someone who has an SvBony SV503 although I've never used one myself. It's light years ahead of an ST80. For a start it is an ED doublet, although I don't know anything about the crown/flint elements. So you won't really need an anti-fringing filter. I suspect the 'flint' element is either FPL-51 or an equivalent. The focuser rotates (I think) and is dual speed. The focuser drawtube is pretty long so there will probably be no back-focus issues. Unlikely at f/7 anyway. I believe the OTA is about 3.6 kilo. So you may be pushing 4 kilo with the finder, diagonal and eyepiece. You might get away with it on the AZ5 GTi.

 

 

The nearest I've got to it is my modified f/7.5, 80ED DS Pro. Refractors around f/7 are excellent all-rounders. I prefer slightly faster scopes for dedicated rich field but an f/7 scope is more versatile and will be easier to get high magnifications on lunar/planetary objects.

 

 

My 102mm Altair Starwave is f/7. I hope the SvBony SV503 works out for you. They're nice scopes. Good luck and Happy New Year!

Edited January 1, 2022 by Nightspore

[Razz]

Well, the Az-GTe mount showed up today. Everything else should be here either Wednesday or Thursday, just in time for my vacation next week...

[Nightspore]

Well, having new gear and getting a holiday basically guarantees bad weather lol.

[Razz]

I've already thought of that...lol

 

 

[Nightspore]

25 minutes ago, Razz said:

I've already thought of that...lol

 

 

 

Wow, that could work. I'm a great big fan of that great big fan ROTFL!

[sigma1914]

Don't have any idea about  Celestron Nexstar 6SE  and the Evolution 6 scope but i've been using this Celestron StarSense Explorer 22452 for the last 2 years. This one is a great telescope under 200. It has a Newtonian reflector with 114-mm aperture, 1000-mm focal length and altazimuth mount. 16 – 269 x magnification. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by sigma1914

[Nightspore]

I'm pretty sure the LT 114AZ  is a Bird-Jones type.

[Razz]

Is this a decent filter or should I put more money into a significantly better one? I very much enjoy this hobby and I'm not opposed to buying better things if I need to...

 

https://www.amazon.com/Telescope-Contrast-Narrow-Bandpass-Filter/dp/B01L8XXZHC/ref=sr_1_28?crid=168OF7SYEFCEM&keywords=oiii+filter+1.25&qid=1644541951&sprefix=oIII%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-28