Upgrading a Tasco 11TR (for a good reason)

Long story short - I've owned the above scope (4.5" Newtonian) since about 1985, but it's such a pain to setup and use, I never took it out much. Broke down and bought an ETX-125 setup late last year, and did more observing in the last six months than in the previous 17 years (even with the horrific winter and spring here in New England).

However, I mentioned to my mom that I was going to donate the old scope to a charity, and she decided that she wanted it. She's going to be travelling here from the midwest in about 5 weeks, and will be able to take the scope home with her.

I'd really like to take care of some of the better upgrades for her - upgrade to 1.25", a couple decent Plossls, maybe a reasonable finder - so that she might actually get some use out of it. However, I'm not the most mechanically-inclined guy - I'm capable enough, but I don't have a lot of tools or any place to really work on something over a period of time (live in a 2nd floor apt with 3 cats). Most of the reviews at Excelsis claim that the basic optics of the scope are decent, and while I won't be able to do much for the subpar mount, I'd like to make the scope more useable/pleasureable.

I don't have a lot of money to spend, but I'm willing to invest a bit if necessary. So, where should I start looking for a focuser, finder, etc. that will be as close to a "bolt-on" job as possible?

Thanks for any and all pointers!

Hmmm. Unless there's a sentimental attachment to the old scope, how about getting her a Nexstar 114GT? They will be on sale at Costco (with a coupon) in late August for $160. This price even includes the computerized hand controller, and I think a couple of eyepieces.

I think you'd spend close to that with your planned upgrades, plus the time involved. And you'd still probably end up with a scope that's a pain to use.

Mark Salvetti
Saugus, MA