If everyone follows these steps, there sure would be a lot less traffic on this forum! 
However, some people just want someone to tell them what to buy without the going through the research process. Some people need to experiment in order to see what fits their needs the best. Star parties are great if you actually have the time and the patience to attend a few before making a buying decision. When I started out, it was difficult to figure out what it is I would be into. A few minutes at the eyepiece at a star party was not adequate to determine what I like or don't like.
After owning a few scopes and attending more star parties, I now know what I like to do and pretty much ignore most equipment recommendations that I read. Everybody has different requirement in terms of portabilty, time, type of observation, budget, location, blah, blah, blah. For many, it's a trial an error process. The bad news for newbie is there are some real bad beginner scopes out there.
Using something like the 3-step process, I recently came to the conclusion that the perfect scope for me is 16-18" dob with tracking. My living situation has changed drastically since I made my last big purchase. What the heck am I doing with a 10" scope? Now, all I have to do is raised the funds for it.
Nat Chotinun
Santa Fe, NM
portabilty? we don't need no stinking portabilty!
However, some people just want someone to tell them what to buy without the going through the research process. Some people need to experiment in order to see what fits their needs the best. Star parties are great if you actually have the time and the patience to attend a few before making a buying decision. When I started out, it was difficult to figure out what it is I would be into. A few minutes at the eyepiece at a star party was not adequate to determine what I like or don't like.
After owning a few scopes and attending more star parties, I now know what I like to do and pretty much ignore most equipment recommendations that I read. Everybody has different requirement in terms of portabilty, time, type of observation, budget, location, blah, blah, blah. For many, it's a trial an error process. The bad news for newbie is there are some real bad beginner scopes out there.
Using something like the 3-step process, I recently came to the conclusion that the perfect scope for me is 16-18" dob with tracking. My living situation has changed drastically since I made my last big purchase. What the heck am I doing with a 10" scope? Now, all I have to do is raised the funds for it.
Nat Chotinun
Santa Fe, NM
portabilty? we don't need no stinking portabilty!
