second try

ok, so i will walk away fron the galileo

next up, any comments are welcome

The Meade 76AZ-AD reflector telescope (700mm focal length)

76mm Newtonian reflector yelescope;
Full-size adjustable tripod;
5x24 finderscope;
Altazimuth mount for easy pointing;
2 included eyepieces - 25mm (28X) and 9mm (78X);
Accessory tray,
Star Navigator astro software.

Attached Image:

There are several good recommendations that have been discussed (see the "starter scope recommendations" thread by Rick). While the mentioned scope is not bad, you might be better off getting a similar scope from Orion. They have much better quality control. Try looking at:

http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

Cheers,
Darren,
Brisbane,
Australia

Hi Tim and Tim Jr.

Some thoughts...

1. You have done the smart thing, ask some questions before spending your money.

2. It is somewhat difficult to purchase a decent telescope for $100 though it is possible. The scope you have chosen is not a bad choice but will suffer from what most inexpensive scopes suffer from, a poor finder, a shaky vibration prone mount and a lack of aperture. Of these three the shaky mount is the probably the biggest issue. It makes finding things and focusing difficult.

$120 for this scope is about right, Orion sells a similar scope for $99 with a better finder.

3. Others have pointed to the Orion XT 4.5 This is a $200 scope so it is considerably more expensive but it also considerably more capable. The 4.5 inch mirror collects 2.25 times as much light as the Meade 76, making the images brighter and sharper. The F8 Optics are easy to align/collimate and this scope gives nice views.

The mount is a Dobsonian mount, very simple to use but more importantly, it is much more solid than a inexpensive tripod mount. The DOB puts the scope right on the ground so there are no flimsy tripod legs to flex and wobble.

If you are able to afford it, I would suggest seriously considering the XT-4.5. Scopes like the Meade 76 and the Orion 76 are passable and hopefully would provide enough viewing pleasure to get you and your son excited about viewing the heavens.

However, with either of these scopes you will find that you are soon wanting a better more solid scope.

The XT-4.5 would keep you excited longer and is of sufficient quality that an experienced observer could enjoy using without being frustrated by the mount and general quality.

The next step above the XT-4.5 is the XT-6 for $259, similar to the XT-4.5, it is bigger and captures more light. I often use a 6 inch F8 Newtonian like the XT-6 and it provides some amazing views. So, it seems to always come down to one's budget. Buying a good scope for $1000 is not so hard to do, buying a good scope for $300 is not so hard to do but buying a good scope for $100 is quite difficult, most scopes in this price range are toys rather than simple but decent instruments capable of providing years of pleasure and learning. It takes something like the XT 4.5 or XT6 to do that...

Jon Isaacs

Why bother getting a reflector is it's so darn small? You can afford about the same size of refractor, or if you look for better reflectors you can get a much larger one. For example, look at the Meade factory outlet, linked off the Meade dot come home page:

You could get an ETX-70 EC, for example, for $99 shipped, add a tripod, and have a decent little scope.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Meade-ETX-70-refractor-with-EC-type-keypad_W0QQitemZ7552656318QQcategoryZ74928QQcmdZViewItem

If you're willing to lose computers, you can get a much nicer scope for $175. E.g. pick up a 4.5" f8 Newt tube for only $50 shipped, here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Meade-114NT-Optical-Tube-05114-00_W0QQitemZ7554404099QQcategoryZ28181QQcmdZViewItem

and then get one of these off the classifieds to put it on:
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=386057
or
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=386058

There are often cheap mounts for sale, both alt/az and EQ.

Finally, this is a well known tube with good optics. Sounds a little beat up, but the views through these are considered good:
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=384674

The December issue of Sky and Telescope has a review of scopes that cost less than $200. The short version: Buy Orion (or maybe an Edmund Astroscan). All scopes reviewed by Meade, Celestron, or Bushnell in this price range had major problems. I tend to agree, based on my experience with cheap Orion scopes (pretty good!) and cheap Meade scopes (very bad!).

The XT4.5 was the clear winner according to S&T, by the way.

One of the biggest problems with the scope you list is the finder: Those cheap 5x24 finders with single-element objective lenses are too awful to discuss on a family-oriented forum. The other problem is probably a shaky tripod...I don't know if this particular model was the one in S&T, but I do recall them discussing an altazimuth Meade 76mm reflector which they said had a good quality mount on an atrociously shaky tripod.

If you are looking at 3-inch reflectors, you might also look at the Orion Observer 70 refractor. The Alt-Az is $129. The Equatorial version is $169. They regularly turn up in Orion's clearance section. You'll never have to collimate anything and the scope could easily be converted for purely terrestrial use if astronomy doesn't turn out to be lifelong interest.

Holy Cr@p.....

Thank so very much for all the helpful advice. I did not expect all the replies.

So I have scraped the Meade. It looks like i will be going with the Orion Space Probe 3 Altz. In the end the pocket book wins. I hate that it comes down to that but, reality is often sad, but always true. If my son (or myself) show interest then i may be able to upgrade the mount. again thank you so very much.

PS I will be taking my 2 sons to our first star gazing party held by my local club this Saturday.