6 replies to this topic

[skeetgirl]

I got my Dad & father-in-law SkyScouts for father's day last year, and they have been having a lot of fun with them. Now we are thinking about getting them the SkyScout scope to go with it. Anyone out there using them? What do you think?

Additional question, how do you update the software from a Macintosh? Can you?

Thanks for any suggestions or input!

[BoriSpider]

To update I think it's windows vista 32bit and earlier only.
I could be wrong.

I don't know anything about the SkyScout Scope but I do know that there are SkyScout mounts so you can mount your SkyScout to any scope. There are threads about them in this section but I can't find one at this moment.

[tincup01]

I bought one very recently, because the price was low and thought it would compliment SkyScout for a small cost.

I am just sorting out various issues. I found my SkyScout was pointing outside the actual target, battery changes made no difference, but I downloaded the up-to-date fimware (I was on 2006, as pre-owned model) and now Deneb, Altair and Jupiter were bang inside the targeting circle. I now think I can then align the Skyscout to the skyscout scope,using the ALT-AZ mechanisms built-in, because I am assuming the adjustments take you within the zero magnification zone of the targeting circle, but cloudy on Sunday in the UK, so have to wait for that test. Took Saturday to download drivers and up-date fimware :-), because the previous owner had not given me the CDs or I have misplaced them.

Meanwhile, the 90mm objective gives nice images, not looked at moon or Jupiter, and the tripod is sufficiently robust for stable images. The only obvious problem is the ALT mechanism is rather crude, you simply pan up and down (with the pan handle) and then screw-in to hold the scope in place, which always has to be slightly higher than the target, because there is plenty of slack. It is not going to be easy to nudge, so not going to like high powered images. Also you have to screw in the pan handle quite hard, otherwise the whole lot drops. Careful to screw in the scope into its dovetail and retighten at night, when everything contracts, because it is colder, otherwise another disaster is possible!

The only other downside is that is looks as if only accepts 1.25 lenses in the drawtube, so no way to turn it into a short tube scope, panning wide areas of sky with 30mm 80 AFOV type of lenses.

[tincup01]

You can easily search for the SkyScout brackets with disrupters for your 8" Dob.... ScopeScout-II " D" ... I have not used them, but I have some other bits from them, when I was last in the States and they seemed fine.

[tincup01]

The only reason I had not checked the alignment on this SkyScout is I gave my 'old' one to my neice, having made sure it worked properly...but I didn't check this one (because it has been Summer months) and rather assumed they were all equally okay.

[tincup01]

To be fair to the SkyScout 90 setup, it is very easy to pan sideways, that motion is easy to lock, unlock and move, which is typically the case for a Dobsonian.

[tincup01]

Having played with the skyscope 90 over the weekend. I think this is the way to play it. You know from a bright star like Altair how much off the skyscout is 'off' that evening with those batteries, so dial in the object and adjust slightly, then look with the 40mm lens, you will see the bright target. For a fainter object, you could use the sighter scope and starmap to make the final adjustment..at least you are looking at the right part of the sky, with 5 degrees.