Astromart

August 17, 2008 07:35 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Only One Scope

jeff yonker said:

If you were a visual astronomer with lets say a $1000-$2500 budget and could only have ONE scope,what would it be and why?Dob,Sct??????

I am scopeless at this time, but have owned over 160 scopes in the past 32 years. I can't see buying a DOB for under $2500 that would be worth a darn, unless i found a used 10" or maybe a used 11" EL Starmaster. All the other mass made Dobs i would never even think of buying.

I'm sure i could find many used SCT's for $2500 and less.

Guess if i had to pick one scope for 2500 and less it would be a nice older 10" LX200.

Only bad thing about buying a used LX200 is that Meade can't fix or have parts for them.

Chas

September 24, 2008 12:58 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

new c6 vs older c8

Posted By Charles Peterson

victor truglio said:

would you say a new c6 with starbright xlt coatings is the equivlent of an older c8 with starbright coatings or would the older c8 still come out on top.

The C8 is 2" bigger, so it's gonna come out on top no matter how you cut it! I have a C6 with the XTL coatings, and will have a older 90's C8 dropped off by Fed Ex Wends, so i can do a side by side.

Chas

September 30, 2008 10:15 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

how old is this c8

Posted By Charles Peterson

victor truglio said:

i just picked up a black tube celestron c8 ota.
i am trying to figure out how old it is.
is has special coatings, not starbright.
there is an orange cap over the collimation screws.
the serial number is 828483.
i spoke with celestron, tech support said they cant tell
the age from the serial number which i found odd.
any help??
didnt come with the stock dovetail.
it looks like the sp-c8 or classic c8.
i am guessing mid 80's

I am guessing around 1986 to around maybe 93 with the orange cap. I just bought a late 80's C6 , but it does not have the orange center. My lens cover has the orange center.

Chas

October 25, 2008 10:14 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

c5 vs c6 cassegrain

Posted By Charles Peterson

david webb said:

1st of all sorry if this has already been posted i couldnt find it.i have ben wondering why the c6 ota is selling cheaper than the c5?i used to own a c5 loved it i am taking it the c6isny as portable but for daytime and nightime is the c6 just as good and sharp?loks to me like eeryone is buying the c6 in one form or another then using it tring it out then selling it.whereas most people with a c5 keep them.i guess mainly should i go for a newer c6 or will i be just as happy getting a c5?again i love taking day pics say of things faraway birds,towers on mountains,trying to get a pic of a plane at 30000 feet and at night jupitor of course trying to get some detail and galaxy and etc you know.just getting started on my avi stacking and aking a hiss drive.i have a sony dscp200 with only 30sec bulb.very curious is the more portability an issue or is the c6 just as good with right mount?thank you

I've owned many C5 versions over the years and now have a C6 on a CG5 mount.

My C6 is sharp as are most C6's being sold, there is a jump in brightness over the C5 but it's not a huge jump. Go from a C6 to a C8 and you can really notice a difference.

But if it's a choice i would rather have a older 1970's C5 on the fork mount since it's much lighter than my C6- CG5 setup.

If you want just one scope then a C6 is fine, if you have a 8" or bigger scope then i would rather have a C5 on a smaller mount as a grab and go.

Chas

November 19, 2008 11:07 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Recession Causing Lower Prices here?

Posted By Charles Peterson

Peter Glus said:

Is it just me, or are there a lot more "fire sales" going on to liquidate? I wonder if there could be such a thing as an Astromart Pawn Shop...someplace where stuff is stored until the owner can put him/herself back on their feet.

I notice some good prices on used scopes, but they are just not moving very fast.

I had a heck of a time selling my C6 OTA, also there is a glut of used C6 so maybe that was case for me having such a hard time selling it.

But i see the same scope ads over and over, some are priced very good and no one is snapping them up. There are also a few scopes with insane high asking prices like a C11 ad i keep seeing.

It's for sure time to buy. Maybe the selling part will pick up when things better.

Chas

November 26, 2008 10:42 PM Forum: AstroMart FAQ