Re: Get Me Started (again...)
- From: "Jon Kickerston" <jkickerston@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 00:48:58 GMT
I started with a Dobsonian. I used it for nearly 10 years before moving on
to an SCT. The Dob I had was a 6" size and I later added digital setting
circles which helped greatly. You may find your ideal beginners scope is a
Dob. Check them out at Orion.
Regards,
JK
"Lee Bouknight" <lee_bouknight@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:hGWze.36681$ho.13555@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hello All
>
> As a kid, I was always looking up. Folks bought me a "cheap" scope from
> Sears and I used it for many years. Had a great time with it, but once I
> went in the U.S.A.F., lost interest. I'm 43 now and my 5.5 year old
> daughter is showing an interest - I'm thinking it's time to get started
> again. I've researched and researched...and now it's time to ask the
folks
> who know (and who don't stand to make any money off me when I ask them!!).
> A few questions if I may....
>
> A few notes first....
> A) I have around $1300-$1500.00 to spend..1500 is on the high side, but
I'll
> swing it if I need to. This, of course, is the limiting factor.
> B) I have a decent general knowledge of the night sky, but while I try to
> decide what to buy, I have a pair of 7x50 binocs I'm playing around with
> (darn hard to track with those things....). So, while I intend to get
> better aquainted, I want GOTO. Kid is very impatient and I don't want her
> to loose interest (yea, sounds like a good excuse, huh??).
> C) Not too worried about the weight - it'll probably never leave my back
> yard.
> D) That said, be aware I'm in a fairly dark area - nearest city of any
size
> is about 35 miles, and only 1 night light within a 1/2 mile of me. Light
> isn't a major issue, but there is a small amount of glow from
Charlotte,NC,
> 38 miles s.sw
>
> With those said, here I go:
> 1) I want decent light-gathering -6-8". Nothing smaller; did that years
> ago.
> 2) I'm looking at a Meade 6 or 8" Schmidt-Newtonian, or possibly a
Celestron
> 6" Schmidt-Cassegrain (it's roughly the same price as the 6" meade...).
> Here I need help. I like the idea of 8" for light. But I'm told that
> there is a bit of distortion or coronal affect at the edge of the fov in a
> S.N scope that's not in the S.C., and to go to an 8" SC breaks my budget.
> Is this VERY apparent and is it really an issue? I like the SC, but I've
> found on some sights that the SC does not gather the light that a
same-size
> SN does. I don't want to loose any significant amount; again, is it
> noticeable and appreciable?
> 3) I don't see any mention of what eyepieces either scope comes with..do
> they come with any at all, or do I buy the extra "kit"? I'm looking at
the
> Meade "deluxe observers kit". It has a 9.7, 15 and 26mm eyepiece - should
> cover what I need. It also has a 2xbarlow, Moon Filter (though it's not
> the variable type I'd LIKE to get) and a Color Filter Kit. Any major
> accessories I'm missing here (as a starter)?
> 4) Although I'm not into photography yet, I might experiment, and the
Meade
> comes with the LPI - what's everyones experience with this? Good for
> planets and moon; what about beyond that?
> 5) Oh, and as far as the XLT/UHTC coatings, do they REALLY work as well as
> the Astronomy magazines and manufacturers say? If so, would a 6" with
> UHTC/XLT give me as much light as an 8" without??
> 6) Can anyone point me to a website that compares Solar filters and images
> using them? I might experiment here as well....
> 7) What else am I missing here? Anything that should be obvious?
>
> Wew....
>
> As you can see, I've got a lot of questions and a little cash burning a
hole
> in my pocket. I've held off for a few months now, and can wait a hair
> more, but I'm a bit on the edge now and ready to go. I THINK I like the
> Meade a bit better than the Celestron, but I've just read an article from
a
> guy who made the switch from Meade to Celestron and said he'd never go
> back, so now I've backed off a bit. It's just that Meade seems to give
> just a hair more for the buck.
>
> Oh, and that said, what's the experience with Tech support on these two
> manufacturers?
>
> Sorry so long, but I want to do this right and would appreciate any help
all
> you "amateur-experts" out there can give this "total-amateur"!
>
> Thanks in Advance
.
- References:
- Get Me Started (again...)
- From: Lee Bouknight
- Get Me Started (again...)
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