Re: Konusky 200 8 inch


"Rory Deol" <rory-sean-deol@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1143594433.415990.312010@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

desire for a cheap scope with tracking that I can hopefully apply
some homebrew modifications to. It seems to me from my searching that
either the Konusky 200 or a used Celestron C8 (orange tube) would work
best for me. Also from what I have seen through other scopes I desire a
mirror around 8" or larger.

like to enjoy some long nights outside and hopefully spend long
sittings with the same object in the sky ( a painful task or
impossibility with my current scope). I should note that I plan on
purchasing a good EQ Platform for the Coulter by this time next year,
so this Konus would both be a scope I will hold on to and just
something to hold me over until I can start tracking with the 13".


Well, not to dissuade you, but personally I've done the Newt on a GEM thing (Konus on AS CG-5), and didn't like it. The eyepiece position varies wildly across the sky, demanding that you rotate the tube, and spend most of your time standing at the eyepiece, while trying not to trip on a tripod leg.

Tube rotation aside, for me the other main problem is that the lowest setting of the CG-5 class tripod, is still too high for a 1000mm focal length Newt (I'm 5' 7").

For the number of objects that are better served by tracking at high powers, it seems a high price to pay in inconvenience for those objects that are simple point and look at low power, where manual tracking in altazimuth is a no-brainer.

I have a Losmandy G-11 on a ScopeBuggy, with a C9.25 for high resolution imaging and planet observation, plus a pair of refractors for low resolution imaging in side by side configuration (one for auto-guiding).

What scope do I use most for visual? A 6" F5 Newt on Unistar Deluxe altazimuth mount that I can walk out to the backyard in one trip :-). I used to have a 10" Dob, and then a 12" Dob on a handtruck for that purpose, but they were cumbersome. Under my mag 5-ish skies, I can see enough with the 6" Newt over a couple of hours once or twice a month to keep me happy. Most point and look objects are just dim fuzzies anyhow, with the exception of star clusters, and a handful of nebulae. Given the conditions, more aperture isn't as much help as it would be under darker skies, so the return on aperture is considerably diminished, except for globular clusters.

But that's me. When the conditions are right, I setup the imaging gear, get an hour's worth of exposure running, and then poke around with the 6" F5 using a Telrad to familiarize myself with DSO locations. (That way, I can find them more easily with the imaging gear).

Tracking is nice, but it doesn't come without trade-offs in convenience, and ease of use. The two primary qualities of the scope that gets used most.

That's my schpeel, now I'll shut up.

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