'Which Telescope' questionnaire

Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs, I think it is
time to save ourselves grief and compile a questionnaire for people to
fill in first and then post it back before we unleash our advice onto
them. It will be nice if everyone on S.A.A contribute to this
questionnaire, similar to the 'S.A.A favourite deep-sky objects' list.

For example, the person should indicate :

- if they want the telescope for terrestrial or astronomical use
- for deep-sky observing or planetary or both
- where they intend to use it - city, suburb or the countryside
- if they intend to transport it to a dark sky site or not
- what sized vehicle they will be using for transportation
- if they need to carry it long distances
- the person's age and physical strength
- if they wear glasses (near- or far-sighted) or not at all
- what other equipment they already own
- if they intend to do astrophotography later on or not
- cost caps - the most important!
- where they live - in the US or overseas
- which equipment suppliers are represented in their country
- etc.
- etc.

These questions will force the person to consider a few important
issues, things he or she probably didn't even think of. Hopefully it
won't scare him or her away! ;-)

--
25° 45' S
28° 12' E

"Victor" wrote

Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs

.. . . . . which is where?

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 14:43:32 +0100, "Henry"
wrote:

"Victor" wrote

Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs

. . . . . which is where?



Google is your friend

www.google.com

Henry wrote:
"Victor" wrote

Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs

. . . . . which is where?

At www.Google.com

"Telescope FAQ" - 356 hits
"Binocular FAQ" - 85 hits

--
25° 45' S
28° 12' E

"Victor" wrote in message
...
Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs, I think it is
time to save ourselves grief.....

Some of us don't find hashing it out in real-time to be grievous. A lot of
misinformed and preconceived opinion is corrected in these discussions.
Something that can't be done (well) in a FAQ. Even a well written FAQ only
scratches the surface.

FWIW, when I read what Jay Reynolds Freeman has to say in the often
referenced Telescope Buyer's FAQ posted by Starlord, I always want to run
out and buy a C14 on a GEM.

After I bought Wodaski's CCD book, I wished I had gone with SBIG and
Maxim-DL, instead of Starlight XPress and AstroArt, because he addresses the
former in detail, while the latter is sorely missing. As it turns out, I
went with less expensive alternatives to the products they (even if
inadvertantly) promote by discussing them directly.

I'm not a fan of a "Buyer's" FAQ for the reason that they are not usually
written without the author's equipment bias becoming evident. Anyone with
many years of experience will eventually gravitate toward what they
concluded is the best means to their own end. Which in turn makes them favor
their means in their writings. The one thing a Telescope buyer's FAQ should
NOT do, is mention any equipment by brand. The purpose of such a FAQ should
be to describe the optical solutions that are available for astronomy, with
the pros and cons of each design spelled out in detail. Period.

But your questionaire is a _great_ idea.

Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord

is the main one, but most search engines will bring up any of the multi-copys of
it (most older) that I've allowed people to place on their web sites.


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
Freelance Writers Shop
http://www.freelancewrittersshop.netfirms.com
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Ad World
http://adworld.netfirms.com

"Henry" wrote in message ...
"Victor" wrote

Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs

. . . . . which is where?





---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 10/9/03

If anyone here can remember what the FAQ was like before it was handed over to
me, it was very VERY slanted towards MEADE telescopes. I hope that for the most
part I'm kept the TBFAQ as free of one brand over another as I can.



--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
Freelance Writers Shop
http://www.freelancewrittersshop.netfirms.com
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Ad World
http://adworld.netfirms.com

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
"Victor" wrote in message
...
Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs, I think it is
time to save ourselves grief.....

Some of us don't find hashing it out in real-time to be grievous. A lot of
misinformed and preconceived opinion is corrected in these discussions.
Something that can't be done (well) in a FAQ. Even a well written FAQ only
scratches the surface.

FWIW, when I read what Jay Reynolds Freeman has to say in the often
referenced Telescope Buyer's FAQ posted by Starlord, I always want to run
out and buy a C14 on a GEM.

After I bought Wodaski's CCD book, I wished I had gone with SBIG and
Maxim-DL, instead of Starlight XPress and AstroArt, because he addresses the
former in detail, while the latter is sorely missing. As it turns out, I
went with less expensive alternatives to the products they (even if
inadvertantly) promote by discussing them directly.

I'm not a fan of a "Buyer's" FAQ for the reason that they are not usually
written without the author's equipment bias becoming evident. Anyone with
many years of experience will eventually gravitate toward what they
concluded is the best means to their own end. Which in turn makes them favor
their means in their writings. The one thing a Telescope buyer's FAQ should
NOT do, is mention any equipment by brand. The purpose of such a FAQ should
be to describe the optical solutions that are available for astronomy, with
the pros and cons of each design spelled out in detail. Period.

But your questionaire is a _great_ idea.



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.525 / Virus Database: 322 - Release Date: 10/9/03

Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never
bother to read the Telescope or Binocular Buying FAQs


This is the FAQ i usually recommend...

http://www.perkins-observatory.org/FAQ.index.html

-Florian

I have found that choosing the best telescope for you is often a
psychological process. Finding out what kind of women and cars you like,
for example, is sometimes a reliable indicator of what kind of telescopes
you will like and buy.
If you're lazy and a convenience freak, or are the impatient type, then
maybe goto will be your thing (excepting the large and heavy goto scopes).
If you like good looking girls and good looking cars, then maybe you will
like good looking telescopes. Do you like big cars and big girls? or
do you like small and fast ones? Do you like cheap cars or expensive ones?
Do you care about the performance of the care more than the looks of the
car?
Also, it seems that some poeple get caught up in the details of the equipement
that they forget to look a the big picture. If you're only going to use
your telescope 6 times a year, is it worth your investment to spend $4k
on a telescope that gives you a very sharp view of the planets (for some
people this is true, for others it will not be).
One thing that cannot be pointed out in a fact, of course, is the subjective
part of what a person will like when viewing something through an eyepiece.
Only way to determine that is to actually look through them.
A thorough telescope FAQ should probably take these into account (unless
the FAQ is strictly about equipment).

: Since most people ask the same questions over and over again and never

"Starlord" wrote in message
...
If anyone here can remember what the FAQ was like before it was handed
over to
me, it was very VERY slanted towards MEADE telescopes. I hope that for the
most
part I'm kept the TBFAQ as free of one brand over another as I can.


I never saw it before your version, and I'm glad to hear that you've worked
out the Meade bias. Jay's commentary is not without worth as he is obviously
an accomplished observer, and an experience amateur. But I actually find the
information in Terrence Dickenson's Night Watch to be more equipment
inclusive and preference neutral when it comes to describing the options
available to the amateur.

--
-Stephen Paul