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How Good the NexStar 114 GT for Beginner



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 25th 04, 10:13 PM
Chris Jones
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Default How Good the NexStar 114 GT for Beginner

Hi,

Looking at a scope for the family with good results, had an offer for the
above £275 nearly new, would it be too difficult for a beginner, but also is
it big enough for us to grow into?
Any info appreciated, BTW my girls are 10 & 7 and are really into the night
sky (get it from their dad)...

Chris


  #2  
Old February 26th 04, 01:34 PM
Mike Murphy
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On Wed, 25 Feb 2004 21:13:45 -0000, "Chris Jones"
wrote:

Hi,
Looking at a scope for the family with good results, had an offer for the
above £275 nearly new, would it be too difficult for a beginner, but also is
it big enough for us to grow into?
Any info appreciated, BTW my girls are 10 & 7 and are really into the night
sky (get it from their dad)...


Chris, I recommend reading this (if you've not already done so):

http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/firstscope.htm

- Mike


  #3  
Old February 26th 04, 02:29 PM
Stephen Tonkin
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Chris Jones wrote:
Looking at a scope for the family with good results, had an offer for
the above £275 nearly new, would it be too difficult for a beginner,


No. It's intended to be a beginner's scope. I personally believe that
you get better VFM if you forego the computerised stuff and get better
optics and mount but, that said, it's reasonable.

but also is it big enough for us to grow into?


You could spend a lifetime and not exhaust its possibilities but, that
said, some of those possibilities would be easier with other scopes.
Alastair Thomson (who posts here) has a site on small telescopes and I
have a book on them -- consider this: you will have light-gathering
capacity that Charles Messier could only dream of!

Best,
Stephen

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  #4  
Old February 26th 04, 05:52 PM
Roger Smith
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In message , Chris Jones
wrote
Hi,

Looking at a scope for the family with good results, had an offer for the
above £275 nearly new, would it be too difficult for a beginner, but also is
it big enough for us to grow into?
Any info appreciated, BTW my girls are 10 & 7 and are really into the night
sky (get it from their dad)...

Costco were selling these for £160 last autumn.
--
Roger
52:54:41N
01:30:05W
Orion 127mm Maksutov.
  #5  
Old February 26th 04, 08:06 PM
Chris Jones
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Cheapest new in UK I can see is £335 from Amazon.co.uk and most specialist
retailers who stock it looking at £495..........is Costco USA?
I know the guy who is selling the unit and he has agreed to drop to £210...
:-)
It's only 6 months old, and if I don't like it on it goes in Ebay, theres
two on there now one for £93 and one for £200 with afew days to go...what
can I lose..

Chris

"Roger Smith" wrote in message
...
In message , Chris Jones
wrote
Hi,

Looking at a scope for the family with good results, had an offer for the
above £275 nearly new, would it be too difficult for a beginner, but also

is
it big enough for us to grow into?
Any info appreciated, BTW my girls are 10 & 7 and are really into the

night
sky (get it from their dad)...

Costco were selling these for £160 last autumn.
--
Roger
52:54:41N
01:30:05W
Orion 127mm Maksutov.



  #6  
Old February 26th 04, 09:39 PM
Stephen Tonkin
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Chris Jones wrote:
I know the guy who is selling the unit and he has agreed to drop to
£210...


Probably just about worth it, if it's undamaged, etc.

Best,
Stephen

Remove footfrommouth to reply

--
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+ Stephen Tonkin | ATM Resources; Astro-Tutorials; Astro Books +
+ (N51.162 E0.995) | http://astunit.com +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
  #7  
Old February 26th 04, 09:41 PM
Roger Smith
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In message , Chris Jones
wrote
Cheapest new in UK I can see is £335 from Amazon.co.uk and most specialist
retailers who stock it looking at £495..........is Costco USA?

No Costco are a UK discount warehouse company, the sort of place you can
stock up on catering packs of food etc. last time I was in just after
new year they didn't have any scopes so they may not be doing them any
more, I just thought to mention it as if the scope came from them the
seller would be making a handsome profit.

I know the guy who is selling the unit and he has agreed to drop to £210...
:-)
It's only 6 months old, and if I don't like it on it goes in Ebay, theres
two on there now one for £93 and one for £200 with afew days to go...what
can I lose..

Chris

"Roger Smith" wrote in message
...
In message , Chris Jones
wrote
Hi,

Looking at a scope for the family with good results, had an offer for the
above £275 nearly new, would it be too difficult for a beginner, but also

is
it big enough for us to grow into?
Any info appreciated, BTW my girls are 10 & 7 and are really into the

night
sky (get it from their dad)...

Costco were selling these for £160 last autumn.
--


Late last autumn someone at the White Peak Astronomical Observing Group
who also had a scope like mine passed the word that Costco were selling
these scopes and suggested that at that price they were worth it for the
GoTo mount alone. I have used the mount with my Mak a couple of times
with varying degrees of success but have only looked through the scope
once a couple of nights ago. The scope is quite short and scarily light
even with an eyepiece in and the finder attached, a friend has a Tal of
similar aperture which is longer and much more substantial in feel.
--
Roger
52:54:41N
01:30:05W
Orion 127mm Maksutov.
  #8  
Old February 27th 04, 01:53 AM
Shane Matthews
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:41:15 +0000, Roger Smith
wrote:

In message , Chris Jones
wrote
Cheapest new in UK I can see is £335 from Amazon.co.uk and most specialist
retailers who stock it looking at £495..........is Costco USA?

No Costco are a UK discount warehouse company, the sort of place you can
stock up on catering packs of food etc. last time I was in just after
new year they didn't have any scopes so they may not be doing them any
more, I just thought to mention it as if the scope came from them the
seller would be making a handsome profit.

Costco is a U.S. company although they have a few places in the U.K.
now. I bought the 114GT from a Costco in California before Xmas for
$189.95.
  #9  
Old February 28th 04, 03:43 PM
Chris Jones
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Default

Hi,

Thanks for all your tips, but did the worst thing and went and saw some
scopes and get some advice, forget the NexStar, I was very smitten by the
ETX range and after looking on the web when I got back bought a 125EX for
£800 with tripod etc talk about a £500 limit, but the extra eyepieces for
£99 and the price did it.
However I can put the Binocs away now...well at least to one side :-)

CJ



"Shane Matthews" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 20:41:15 +0000, Roger Smith
wrote:

In message , Chris Jones
wrote
Cheapest new in UK I can see is £335 from Amazon.co.uk and most

specialist
retailers who stock it looking at £495..........is Costco USA?

No Costco are a UK discount warehouse company, the sort of place you can
stock up on catering packs of food etc. last time I was in just after
new year they didn't have any scopes so they may not be doing them any
more, I just thought to mention it as if the scope came from them the
seller would be making a handsome profit.

Costco is a U.S. company although they have a few places in the U.K.
now. I bought the 114GT from a Costco in California before Xmas for
$189.95.



 




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