Posts Made By: Bill Meyers

This same question has been recently discussed in the yahoo talking telescopes group and a very different conclusion was reached, as I recall.
Bill Meyers

I am very sorry to see Ed Ting's reviews go into hiatus, maybe permanently. They are by far the best available.
A factor in Ed Ting's slowdown in reviews in recent years, I have heard, was a threatened lawsuit by the Ukraninan maker of an alleged spherical aberration correcting lens, over a review. A big blow to amateur astronomy.
Ed Ting is a fine writer and a highly respected telescope reviewer. Sky & Telescope, which is very choosy about who it lets review, uses Ed as a reviewer.
I am indebted to Ed for his review of the Starmaster 11 ELT. On the basis of his review, I bought this scope, and it was by far the best astronomy purchase I have ever made.
Good luck to Ed and thanks again for all the work has done on behalf of the amateur astronmical community.
Bill Meyers

Henry,
Of those choices, I prefer the 8 inch Portaball, which will give you fine, high contrast planetary images, and a good clock drive is an accessory for it.
My own preference in your price range would be a Starmaster ELT, which sells for 3,295. I own one and it is a fine scope. This will give fine deep sky images and fine planetary images, with high resolution and great contrst. But the Paracorr and the SkyCommander and the anti-dew heater for the diagonal mirror will be extra costs. I have them and it is well worth it. This scope can be obtained with go-to but it is expensive. It is not necessary for this sizs scope in my opinion (and I believe in Rick Singmaster's opinion too.
But the Mag 1 8 inch Protaball would be a simple solution.
People have suggested a Rob Teeters long focus Dob planet-killer, and that might work fine for you too. I think I would prefer an 8 inch Teeters planet killer to the 6.5 inch DGM, as I think it would have better resolution, comparable contgrast, and better light-gathering power.
A ten-inch Compact Precision Telescope from Mark Wagner, with a Bob Royce mirror, would be another fine choice. I own one and it is a fine scope.
If money were no object, an 8 inch TEC Mak-Cass would be a good planetary scope.
I would stay away from the 7 inch Meade.
Bill Meyers

I meant to add, that most galaxies and globulars are out of reach for a five inch scope as far as details go, though some detail can be seen on a few. Most observers feel that globulars begin to look great at 8 inches, and galaxies begin to show considerable differentiation from each other at the 8 inch aperture point also. So, if I were choosing, I would choose the Celestron.
Bill Meyers

Hi,
CPT is indeed still in business (see their ad for the First Base Collpasable Mount in the current Sky & Telescope), but Mark Wagner, the owner, has just gone to Chile for a week or so to observe under southern skies. (He reports, on the TAC mailing list, accessable by anyone, great skies.) I am sure he will promptly answer your phone call or email when he returns.
I own the 10 inch CPT and it is a splendid scope. Beautiful enough people tell you it belongs in an art museum. Can be set up in one minute. Holds collimation. Compact enough to fit into the trunk of a subcompact car easily. Highly recommended.
Mark is a very good guy to deal with, is principled,and keeps his word. I was one of the very first purchasers of the CPT, and in the process Mark and I became good friends. Mark is widely respected among his fellow California amateurs, is the founder of TAC (The Observers' Collaborative) and is also the person who runs the Shingletown Star Party.
Clear skies,
Bill Meyers

Hi, Linton,
Here are some random thoughts:
A lot depends on your age and physical strength and fitnees.
Michelle Stone, of Plettstone Telescopes, moved from an 18 to a 15 because she says you can see almost as much and it is much easier to handle.
On the other hand, the diehard members of TAC, The Astronomy Connection, seem to favor 18 inch scopes, but they are people who observe at 9000 feet in midwinter, they are real enthusiasts. But some of them do have socpes in the 14 to 15 inch range.
A Johnsonian popup 18 inch would be very much lighter than any other model.
The 16 inch Starmaster is the largest SM makes that does not require a ladder, even at zenith.
The 14.5 inch SM is a hybrid design, somewhat faater to put together than most truss scopes.
You rarely find a 14.5 inch SM owner sellling because it is too large. You often find larger scopes for sale becasue they are too large.
The mirror box on the SM is slighter larger than the one on the Obs, but the SM permits you to remove the mirror easily and carry it separtely. Since the mirror is the heaviset part of the scope, this is a big advantage.
Your comment that a 12 is in the enighborhood of an 8 (which most people would disagree with), leads me to believe you have aperture fever very seriously and want a really large scope.
. Nevertheless I would lean toward a 14.5 or 15, or a Johnsonian 18, unless your are young, strong and fit and energetic.
Of course you can put the socpe on wheels and roll it in and out of your garage, regardless of sixe, but trnsporting it to dark sky sites is another matter.
Good luck with your decision.
Bill Meyers

I like RFTs too, which is one reason why I like the Starmaster 11 ELT f4.55. It gives a 1.9 degree field without the Paracorr, and a 1.75 degree field with it, using a 31 Nagler yeilding a 6mm exit pupil. Beautiful views of the Plelades, the Double Cluster, the Veil, M 24, and many Milky Way star fields. Once I saw the Veil in a borrowed 31 with an OIII, I was hooked. I bought the 31 and the 2 inch OIII and have enjoyed them immensely.
But I have always loved rich field observing; my earlier telescopes were a 4.25 inch f5 Newtonian and a 6 inch f5 Newtonian.
I didn't know a Schmidt Hewtonian had appreciable coma.
The Paracorr makes an f4.5 scope into an f8 as far as coma correction is concerned, according to the Tele Vue web site.
Regards,
Bill Meyers

Try Howie Glatter. A very good guy.
Bill Meyers

Well I have the Starmaster 11 ELT and I love it. My advice is to call the various scope makers and talk to them. Rick Singmaster is famous for great support after you buy the socpe, even if you buy it used. The 11 is wonderful to use. Both the 12.5 and the 14.5 SM are less than $5000. The 14.5 has a very interesting hybrid design. Starmasters are a bit larger than Obsessions, as far as the base is concerned but they have ligher mirrors (the heaviest part of a scope by far) and the mirrors are designed, in the 14.5 and larger, to be removable for lighger transport. A feature of the slightly larger rocker box, by the way, is that the focusing cage fits into it for transport: very compact. And a lighter mirror cools faster. I like the f4.5 focal ratio plus Paracorr better than the f5 because the scope is shorter and you can more often sit down while obnserving -- a big plus, you look at an object a lot longer that way and see a lot more. And the thin mirrors cool faster. An f4.5 with Paracorr will have coma equal to an f8, so it will be optically better in that respect than an f5 without Paracorr. At least these are my conclusions. But there are many good socpes.
Portaball has a long wait. A great scope though in the 12.5 inch size for visual observing.
The T scopes have a long wait associated with them, probably owing to their economical price. Talk to Ed Taychert and see what you think.
You can also talk with Michelle Stone of Plettstone Telescopes.
Mark Wagner of Compact Precision Telescopes makes a great scope; you could call and see if it is availble in you size. I have the 10 inch size and itis a great scope.
For only 19 lbs of weight you can get a Johnsonian scope of 10 inch aperture for less than $2000, but the design, though revolutionary, has not give rise to any reviews on the Internet yet. Sam Johnson seems like a good guy and maybe he could make you a 12.5 inch version.
I think if you talk with the makers directly, it will be a lot easier o make up your mind. There are lots of good scopes, but I do agree with Randy Roy.
Good luck with it,
Bill Meyers

since weight is so crucial for you, why not see if Sam Johnson of Johnsonian Telescopes can make a structure for you? The whole socpe in the 10 inch version weighs less than 19 lbs, mirror included.
Good luck with the conversion,
Bill Meyers