Interesting. You say you use the travel scope more than anything yet you have an impressive line up of scopes. Why does the travel scope get so much use. I have often heard these scopes maligned by people with equipment such as yours.

 

I've got a 70MM Travelscope as well. Its easy enough to modify, and cheap enough that I don't feel awful about it if stuff happens to it - I've blackened the lens edges, flocked the interior, replaced the grease on the focuser, and added a proper finder dovetail on it. Its not my most used scope - that honor probably goes to my 90MM Mak or maybe my 127MM Mak, but its really nice for widefield views, and doubles as an admirable terrestrial spotting scope/birdwatching scope.

Its all about expectations, I think. Is it worse then a TV-76? Yeah, of course it is. You're not getting 200x mag on Jupiter. But if you're looking for something cheap and cheerful to do some widefield observing, its absolutely fantastic at that role. Its lightweight, has zero cooldown, and is well put together (once you throw away the garbage tripod it comes with). My little guy has survived the Appalachian Trail, and the not-so-tender care of the TSA. It can be adapted for simple photography, or used as a big finder scope. I bring it to outreach sessions and let kids play with it because I know its tough enough to take a beating.

Scopes like that get a lot of use because they're simple, take no time to setup, and just work.

 

Thanks.

 

I have an LX90 12" Meade, an AR5 F/9.3 refractor, a 200mm F/4 Rich-Field Newt, and a new 150mm Skywatcher Maksutov-Cassegrain. And my beloved, little ST80! This little fellow gets a lot of use both at my home observing-perch, and as my grab & go traveler and outreach scope. I even went so far as to install a Crayford 10:1 back end to it - that cost me a bit more than the scope itself.

It is also my dedicated solar-scope, and I plan to use it for the transit of Mercury come May 9th. White-light filter by Thousand Oaks, which I prefer over the glass or Baader-foil types. It's more gentle on my eyes and the orange Solar-disk seems more natural. I have over 35 filters also - of all descriptions to play with in the mix. Including a Baader Solar-Continuum one - but that insipid green color takes some getting used to. Though they do tease out a smidgen more detail such as granulation.

You won't hear me maligning little scopes, even though I've got the big guns. But yes, alas, some people do and would. I'd just grin.

Enjoy!

Dave