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Olivier Biot
Amused
Reged: 04/25/05
Loc: 51°N (Belgium)
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Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
#5074924 - 02/16/12 06:00 AM
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Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
By Mike Carr.
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Mark9473
Postmaster
Reged: 07/21/05
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: Olivier Biot]
#5076736 - 02/17/12 10:20 AM
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I understand the scope was not very well treated, but what do you mean when you say it was not well received?
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WAVT
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/22/10
Loc: Bellingham, WA
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: Mark9473]
#5076813 - 02/17/12 11:09 AM
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Quote:
I understand the scope was not very well treated, but what do you mean when you say it was not well received?
Only that it was abused when it was received and opened. The packing & boxes were destroyed. I think some of the small parts were lost when it got opened. They never did get it set up to look through. That was a shame because once I did, they loved it.
The lesson learned was mine. The guy in the home is an adult (albeit mentally challenged) and I assumed he would be able to assemble it. I assumed wrong. Mental illness is a dreadful disease.
The positive side of the story is that I now have a small flock of followers who are trying very hard to comprehend some of the wonders of the universe. It is a great therapy.
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caheaton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/26/09
Loc: SW Ohio
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: WAVT]
#5106716 - 03/05/12 02:40 PM
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I was lucky enough to purchase one of these when OPT carried them. I originally purchased the pair with the intention of keeping the mount and selling the scope, but I was so impressed by the scopes fit and finish (and later its optics) that I decided to keep both.
It's first light was with a group of cub scouts who were delighted with what it could show. It's a great little scope. As my stable has grown I've toyed with selling it, but can never bring myself around to letting it go!
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WAVT
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/22/10
Loc: Bellingham, WA
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: caheaton]
#5107389 - 03/05/12 09:50 PM
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I can picture a Cub Scout Den having a blast with that scope. It's very kid friendly. And I know what you mean by the growing stable, I just picked up an ST80. Thats pretty fun too. I bought it dirt cheap off Craig's list and thought I would flip it and get a C6 but now I can't seem to part with it.
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Josh Graves
super member
Reged: 01/30/11
Loc: Japan
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: WAVT]
#5116288 - 03/11/12 06:06 AM
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Mike,
Thanks for the review. That is a great scope. I was drooling over it for quite a while on OPT. I instead bought a 6" Dob, but maybe someday I will find one of these used as a second scope.
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CollinofAlabama
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/24/03
Loc: Lubbock, Texas, USA
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: Olivier Biot]
#5126515 - 03/17/12 02:05 AM
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I got one of these, too, last year +. I must say that for the $60 more, it's in a different league than the Vixen 70mm Carlino reviewed. The focuser seems pretty decent. The weight is nice, but the mount is just killer! In fact, that's what I bought it for and sold the OTA with an old EQ-2 in alt-az mode to a local person to encourage astronomy here.
I use the mount with my much heavier, though shorter Orion 102 F/7 ED refractor. The mount handles it well except with wind speeds above 15 mph. Then it gets a bit jittery, but otherwise, even my much heavier ED refractor rides it well.
Thanks for reviewing this fantastic buy. Too bad it's not still offerred, but as my grandmother said, "If wishes were horses, we'd all ride"
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caheaton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/26/09
Loc: SW Ohio
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: CollinofAlabama]
#5127724 - 03/17/12 10:11 PM
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I agree that it's a fantastic mount (and the scope is no slouch either). I've found the mount can also handle a 120mm F/8.3 as long as you're careful to balance the scope. (Though it will get shakey with all that weight in a wind).
It's a very versatile mount.
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CollinofAlabama
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/24/03
Loc: Lubbock, Texas, USA
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Re: Sky Watcher SW 80AR-AZ4A Telescope
[Re: WAVT]
#5128038 - 03/18/12 03:00 AM
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I'm with you, Mike, on the ST80. I had one for years and swore I'd never part with it until the Celestron 80ED came out. I got that, then sold my ST80. Then the AstroTech 80ED came out, with a dual speed Crayford and shorter fl, so I sold the C80ED and bought the AT80ED from our sponsor. That was in 2006. A sub F/7 80mm refractor is such a portable thing, and packs an awful lot of optical punch. Make it an ED and eliminate the CA and it's perfect. It can't bust up globs or show great detail in galaxies, but it can show you both to an identifiable degree, and show a whole lot more besides.
And this SkyWatcher 80mm introduces a person to this whole realm. Glad I could pass mine on to someone locally.
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