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Thanks Graeme, that is very helpful indeed! I am hoping of course that I don’t have to delay this until next year! Very brave of you to do the climb by bike, you’re obviously fitter than me! 🙂
Cheers Len,
I will let you know how I get on. Obviously it very much hinges on the COVID situation regarding travel.Sad sad news, but no surprise. I stopped subscribing to S&T about 6 years ago, as there became less and less material on observational astronomy, and, more to the point, the telescope and equipment side of amateur astronomy. S&T survived in an era when many amateur’s still built their own telescopes. Those days seem to be gone, sadly, and this venerable publication has lost it’s way in the modern astronomical age.
Thanks for your comprehensive comments James, which did remind me of the kind of mass we’re talking about here, something that HAS to be considered where stairs are concerned. It is only a single flight, and they’re not communal. I would do the same as you do and carry the mount and OTA down separately, it would be the only way.
Thanks also for your comments re the ED Starwave, and the non ED. I shall also check out the link you’ve kindly included.
I believe I’ve read the comment from the Denmark ED owner, but really wouldn’t want to go for it on the strength of that alone. I will in keep a check on the 2nd hand market in the meantime.Hi all,
I’m back on the hunt for a decent telescope setup. Having read through all the very helpful replies, particularly from Peter and David, I am still considering a refractor, but ditching the idea of a Bresser, mainly because of unknown quality. However, although it’s much more costly, I think the latest Starwave Ascent 102 ED/F11 on a Skywatcher HEQ 5 mount might be a worthwhile combination? The previous Starwave 102/F11, non ED (and much less expensive) is now sadly discontinued, but reviews of this one are good. So, does anybody have any experience of the ED version, is it worth the extra dosh, or would It be better to seek out a 2nd hand earlier non ED version? Also, is the HEQ5 mount overkill, and would a EQ 5 be adequate? I realise that one can never spend too much on a good mount, but I don’t need to go silly with the hard earned funds. Also, there are still my stairs to consider, as mentioned previously, so that has to be taken into consideration.
Sorry to bend everybody’s ears on this one again, but I really don’t want to get something that is rubbish. I have banished the thoughts of Vixen and Takahashi…..over the top for me!
Thank you for even more worthwhile comments and input David. Good point re an altazimuth mounts, and being a bit old school, it is something I haven’t really thought of or considered. Having said that, I am so used to using German equatorial’s that I think I’ll be all at sea with them. Besides, I love the simplicity of an equatorial mount. I will give it thought though. Good point about the central obstruction issue, and maybe many do make too much of it. However, when one purchases or constructs most things in life, it generally involves some form of compromise, and I see an over large obstruction as just that, especially when it’s diffraction limited objects that one is observing. My eyesight isn’t the best and I always feel I need all the help I can get! Although I’m old to this game, these days I don’t get much chance to look and test the latest equipment, so I do realise I might be a little out of touch with things. I just seem to have memories of everybody purchasing Meade SCT’s and suffering huge dewing problems, as well as large amounts of image shift due to poor construction of the focusing primary. If I can’t go as far as a Mewlon, then a Vixen might be a good alternative. I’m not being a snob, but I don’t have too much faith in stuff from China, though I know it’s usually where the sourced labour is cheapest and exchange rates and so on and so on. Before I part with large sums of money, it would be a good idea to star test a few ‘copes. Getting the opportunity to do this could be problematic though.
I will check out UK Astronomy Buy & Sell, always preferable to anything like Ebay or Gumtree!
Thank you Peter, David and Andy. All of your points and facts you’ve raised have been more than helpful, and have really made me think on what I really need, and what I don’t!
I am shying away now from a big refractor, soley because of portability. As I’ve already mentioned I think, I have two big old heavy dinosaurs sitting (in pieces) in my cupboard, that I’m unable to use because of lack of portability. For the record, one is a Charles Frank 6″ F/9 reflector, and the other, an 8.5″ F6 Newtonian, built by AE. So I don’t need to shell out a great deal of money to add a yet another telescope to the cupboard! You’ve all recommended a folded reflector, and with this in mind, I am now hankering towards a good sized Cassegrain, but not a closed tube design, mainly because of dewing on the corrector, and large central obstruction. If funds permit, I’d really like to avail myself of the Takahashi Mewlon 210. It’s a Dall Kirkham design, and the quality is second to none in my mind. I think it will still be portable, but will be on the limit, I understand that, but I want the mount to be substantial. Does anybody have any experience of the Mewlons? I once had the use of a fine Takahashi refractor, over 30 years ago, and I was truly amazed at the quality. I might have to go 2nd hand though 🙂 as I know that we’re talking megabucks!Thanks David, food for thought.
If I did go for the 102 F/11 Bresser, and it’s starting to look unlikely, then I would upgrade it and purchase the EXOS-2 EQ GOTO instead. I think one is able to do this. The smaller mount that it comes with as standard certainly doesn’t look man enough for the job.
Actually, I have looked at the Starwave, from Altair, and it does look good. I haven’t yet read the review in the SAN magazine, but I will, if it’s available on line. If I did decide to totally shy away form a large refractor, and go down a folded reflector route, then I’d try and go for a 200mm Mak, as long as it’s affordable and portable enough. Valid point about being stair friendly too.Thank you David. If I did go for a refractor, it would have to be F/11 or above, because of the unwanted CA. I haven’t the funds for a multi element OG, so it would have to be the basic Fraunhofer design. Hence I would choose the Bresser 102mm F/11 model, rather than the 127mm F9.5. However, I’m beginning to get the drift that Bresser’s aren’t too good, and I do want quality, if I can afford it! Being so interested in Planetary viewing, it would be so nice to use a telescope with an unobstructive optical system. I’d go for a traditional Newt, but I have 2 old British built dinosaurs that I can’t use because of lack of any form of portability. Anyway, thank you for your input, and I look forward to your article in the next BAA journal
Thank you Peter. I value your educated and experienced comments with interest. I shall not rule out an SCT, or preferably a Mak. You’re perfectly correct in your assumption of the allure of a big refractor, but practicality is very important. I don’t like the sound of non standard brackets either, a pity. That’s something the dealer didn’t mention!
Thanks for that Peter. I particularly found the CA value interesting and very helpful. A really good point about the use of filters re CA, but at the end of the day I feel it’s a bit of a bodge. Funny that you should mention a short tube SCT or Mak, as the chap at my nearest Telescope dealer suggested that too. However, I don’t feel a long focus refractor would be too awkward and difficult on my stairs, well not at the moment anyway. That of course could change! The other thing that really puts me off re a SCT or Mak is the relatively large central obstruction, that as you know, crucifies diffraction limited objects. Two questions I’d like to ask you though. To the best of your knowledge, do Bresser’s and Skywatchers originate from the same factory? in China obviously! Also, and I feel slightly embarrassed to have to ask you this, but can you clarify an abbreviation you use more than once, and that’s ‘OTA’. It’s obviously Off The something or other! 🙂
Like the big Newtonian behind you! 🙂Thanks for that Paul, a very helpful and intelligent reply. I hadn’t quite looked at it in that light (pun not intended!) as I’m just a bit wary of anything of shorter f/ratio than F/11 on a 2 element refractor. Ideally it would be great to test them side by side, but that would be a rare luxury! I do like deep sky, and the skies around my way are fairly dark. However, I always feel that refractors excel on planetary objects, but not so on the faint fuzzies!
Only just learnt of this very sad news. I got to know Maurice back in the 80’s, during the infancy of astronomical computing on the ‘home micro’. He was editor and contributor to APEX which had been set up primarily for the publication and exchange of computer programs of an astronomical nature, including ephemerides, telescope optics, and astronomical photography. I believe he was also co-founder of the group too. Many of you might remember his paperback, ZX Spectrum Astronomy, of which I still have my copy, and signed by him too. For one reason and another, it was during this period, the second half of the eighties, that I got to know Maurice. There after we would often have a good chat at various astronomical meetings if we both happened to attend. Sadly, in recent years, I lost touch with Maurice, and despite attending more BAA meetings, I didn’t have the good fortune of seeing him. So this news come with great sadness for me. Maurice was a genuinely nice chap, and always willing to help the beginner. He will be very much missed. R I P Maurice
