Telescope Reviews: Just got the scope.....now what else do I need?

Need? An eyeball and cooperative weather. Beyond that, it's all negotiable.

A fresh set of 8 AA cells will last approximately 16-20 hours of accumulated use. Rechargeable cells are a little problematic in scopes because they actually run at a slightly lower voltage (around 1.2-1.3 volts vs. 1.5 for a non-rechargeable cell.) The cumulative drop in voltage can actually be between 1.6 to 2.4 volts in a freshly recharged set! This can (and likely will) result in tracking errors and eventual "motor errors" in the AutoStar GoTo drives. So to get back to what Aidi and Joe have said, if you're going to be using this for any extended period of time away from access to household current, then an external power supply is worth the investment. No, you don't need it right away. But with the cost of 8 AA cells being around $6 conservatively, if you observe with any regularity you'll be chewing through 1-2 packs of batteries per week.

If you're going to be setting up around the house and within reach of an AC outlet, then you might look into an AC adapter to power the scope. I got mine on e-bay, and opted for the one that featured the separate "cigarette lighter" adapter on one end. This serves two purposes; first, I can operate the AC adapter while in or near my house. If I do go out away from an outlet, I can plug the scope into a power supply or (although I'm loathe to do so) into a car lighter. Click this link for an example of the one I bought.

Now, do you need a dewshield. Dew is moisture condensation that occurs when an object is moved from a relatively cooler environment to a relatively warm environment. Think of when you take a can or bottle of cold soda/beer from the fridge what happens to it. The outside of the container will soon start to "sweat" from condensation. Even in low moisture climates, you will have a "dewpoint" that is derived from the ambient temperature modified by the relative humidity. It may be less of a problem where you are, but not an altogether negligible one. The best judge of this will be experience. Take the scope out for a few nights and check the corrector plate after you've been outside for a while. If it appears to be fogging or if there's actual moisture pooling on the bottom of the element, then you know you'll need a shield. In some instances, folks even need dew strips, which are bands that wrap around the body of your scope and have an electrical current passed through them to heat them up. So long as the temperature stays above the dewpoint, it won't allow the optics to dew or fog up. This latter option can be pricey, but in some areas of the world, it's as necessary as an eyepiece.

Best choices for "safe" lights are the new red LED devices, particularly those that have a dimmer control on them. This comes in handy not only for preserving your dark adaptation eyesight but for those around you as well.

One inexpensive item I picked up (also from e-bay) was a "flexi-focus" cable. This attaches a short (8" or so) cable from your focus knob. It allows you to focus your 125 without the focus "jitters" that can happen when you focus manually. Because of the long focal length and high magnification of this scope, small "bumps" and movements are amplified correspondingly, and it takes a couple seconds for these to dampen out. The cable focus helps lessen the effect that focusing has on shaking the scope. If you're really brave and money is no object, you can look into electronic focusers but unless you really have a need for such a thing, it's a waste of a couple hundred bucks IMO. I think the flexi-focus cable ran me around $8-10. That's more my speed!

None of these items are crucial to running your scope. They are intended to make your life a bit easier in the long run, and folks who have had their scopes for a while have found them to be worth their while to add to their collection.

Keep us posted on when the new scope arrives. Looking forward to your first light report!

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Tim

Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!

Meade ETX-125PE
Meade ETX-80
Celestron FirstScope 76mm Mini-dob

Updated: 09/16/2009