New group -- the financially challenged amateur

Any one interested in starting a group for the Financially challenged amateur.

There won't be much to talk about.

Except perhaps:

"Instruments I would like to own."

"Observations I might have made."

"Virtual mountings."

"Missed seeing the belts of Jupiter and Saturn's rings, again!"

"Wish I'd seen M81."

"1001 Things to do with a dead milk bottle."

"Telescopes not to avoid on ebay."

Sorry
Chris.B ;-)

"halfro" wrote in message
...
Any one interested in starting a group for the Financially challenged
amateur.

I seem to recall there is a group (or two) on Yahoo for the frugal observer.

Ed T.

subjects such as:
1. getting a free or cheap telescope. -- remember over half of the
telescopes sold wind up in someone's closet or garage un-used for a year or
longer.
2. sources of inexpensive instruments capable of seeing M81
3. sources of cheap parts
etc. etc. etc

remember, Rather scream about "its dark" light a candle(except when
observing)
wrote in message
ups.com...
There won't be much to talk about.

Except perhaps:

"Instruments I would like to own."

"Observations I might have made."

"Virtual mountings."

"Missed seeing the belts of Jupiter and Saturn's rings, again!"

"Wish I'd seen M81."

"1001 Things to do with a dead milk bottle."

"Telescopes not to avoid on ebay."

Sorry
Chris.B ;-)

YUP, save your penies for a good used Discovery DOB. Astronomy a small
amount of money to play.

wrote in message
ups.com...
There won't be much to talk about.

Except perhaps:

"Instruments I would like to own."

"Observations I might have made."

"Virtual mountings."

"Missed seeing the belts of Jupiter and Saturn's rings, again!"

"Wish I'd seen M81."

"1001 Things to do with a dead milk bottle."

"Telescopes not to avoid on ebay."

Sorry
Chris.B ;-)

halfro wrote:
Any one interested in starting a group for the Financially challenged
amateur.

I guess "Financially challenged amateur" is a relative term. I would
like to buy a Tak C400, but doing so would be financially challenging.

Mean Mr Mustard wrote:
halfro wrote:
Any one interested in starting a group for the Financially
challenged
amateur.

I guess "Financially challenged amateur" is a relative term. I would
like to buy a Tak C400, but doing so would be financially
challenging.'

Somehow I don't think you're taking this thread seriously enough. ;-)

What the impoverished amateur needs is access to the hundreds of
thousands of useful telescopes that lie idle year after year. Doing so
is arguably even more challenging than finding the money for a new
telescope.

Removing a mirror or lens (or complete OTA) from a useless telescope or
mounting and then fitting it into a cheap Dobsonian might be a way of
becoming equipped quite cheaply. But you still have to find a
cheap-enough donor.

Advertising in the local paper might produce a few POS scopes that
nobody wants (even you) at a price you really don't want to pay.
Profiteering is rife in the pre-loved telescope market! :-)

Ideally one needs a smiling face and a good story in the local paper to
remind people of Uncle Albert's white elephant gathering dust in the
garage or loft. Who knows, you might hit pure gold?

Perhaps any instrument is better than no instrument at all? I started
as a boy with a dirt-cheap, draw-tube 30x30 refractor. It was so
useless at 30x that I removed the erector lens for a smaller, sharper
view of the Moon. I made a Mechano mounting for it with slow motions. I
learnt a great deal about balance and wormwheel reduction ratios and
how not to do it.

In desperation I went on to make a two meter long refractor with a weak
spectacle lens. That was complete crap too! Now my finder is actually
better than anything I put together as a teenager.

Eventually equipment poverty started me on a long run of mirror and
achromat lens making. There lies a possible route to a decent
instrument, given enough patience. But you still need to have your
finished mirror coated which can be a real hurdle.

But I would always start by contacting the nearest astro club or
society in the hope of borrowing or even buying something useful from a
member who has moved onto better things.

Chris.B

halfro wrote:
Any one interested in starting a group for the Financially challenged
amateur.


A friend of mine has the right idea. He hangs out in the library
studying astronomy magazines and books for interesting doubles, DSOs,
comets etc, and gets a good idea of how to star hop to them. He's
indispensable, like having interactive GOTO. He gets to look through
other's scopes with their blessings and seldom even sets up his 50mm!

Shawn

No venue is large enough. There will be a GreatDepression soon to sort
it
all out.



halfro wrote:

Any one interested in starting a group for the Financially challenged
amateur.