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I've gone cross-eyed

Started by gk, 12/17/2003 05:52PM
Posted 12/17/2003 05:52PM Opening Post
Need some help with a dilemma I am faced with. The budget I have is $2000.00, I live in south florida(humid), didn't like my old lx-10, will be observing mostly the moon and planets. Should I buy an orion intelliscope and mount a pronto to it or does any one have other choices. Go-to would be nice.
Posted 12/17/2003 05:54PM #1
What was wrong with the LX-10? what did you NOT like about it?



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Ivan
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Ivan Gastaldo 8)
Coconut Creek, FL

Ivan's Observatory
Lat 26N 16' 48" Long 80W 10' 48"
[COLOR="Red"]Personal Website:[/COLOR] http://www.ivangastaldo.com

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Posted 12/17/2003 07:45PM #2
This is convoluted, but here goes.

I'd buy a Celestron 8" SCT on the GOTO mount. C-8 S-GT XLT for $1,424 plus shipping. Then I'd sell the 8" SCT XLT for $725 (list is $874), so I'd be gone before you know it. Then you have the CG-5GT mount for $699. You have to do it this way because Celestron is horribly backed up on the scopes, so mount only not available.

I'd then scour the classifieds for the best APO refractor under $1,200. I think a small Tak FS78 should be around $800-$900 leaving room for rings and stuff. You might sneak into an 80mm/85mm Stellarvue APO for that. The list is endless for those small APO type refractors.

Although a hassle, the FS-78 or 80mm APO scope will be more satisfying than a Pronto (IMHO).

Regards,

Ron
Posted 12/18/2003 03:32AM #3
Thank you all for the input, I'm starting to see straighter now. $2000.00 budget, what 2 scopes to buy, remember I'm trying to keep it compact.