The ring in binos?  Hmmm.  I have been successful buying used telescopes at pawn shops.  I got a 10" meade dob for $95.00.  Perhaps someone who knows telescopes could watch a couple of pawn shops.   On Monday, December 8, 2014 8:33 AM, Seth Jarvis <SJarvis@slco.org> wrote: Here's the thing about used telescopes - they generally don't wear out. The telescope in your closet with a garbage bag over it as a dust cover isn't doing any more or less than when it's out under the stars.  Good telescopes depreciate very little, and the legitimate secondary market for used equipment is generally the domain of experienced observers buying and selling items that rarely fit the needs of a true beginner.  They're not especially cheap and you have to pay to ship them from somewhere. E.g.: http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/list.asp?classified_category_id=12 The telescopes for sale on ksl.com break down like this: 10% are OK quality with asking prices nearly as high as when they are new, and 90% are department store garbage that will cause a kid to decide that astronomy isn't really that interesting to them. These "telescopes" do more harm than good. I'd recommend that the mom consider giving her daughter a good set of 10x50 binoculars, a couple of good astronomy books and star charts, a good astronomy app for her phone (99% probably that a 14 year old girl will have a smartphone), take her to some SLAS meetings and bring her to a couple of planetarium programs. When she finds herself trying to see the Ring Nebula with her binoculars _then_ it's time to look for a telescope, at which point the used/new issue will be moot. Seth -----Original Message----- From: Utah-Astronomy [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Rodger C. Fry Sent: Monday, December 08, 2014 7:18 AM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Mother looking for a telescope for her daughter for Christmas I received an email from a mother who wishes to purchase a used telescope for her daughter for Christmas.  If you have some equipment that you might be willing to sell to her, please contact her as follow: Kris Komarnitsky [komarkris@gmail.com] I have a 14 year old daughter who has shown a real interest in astronomy for about a year (she loved the new Cosmos series, has done hours of research on the web on her own, and can pick out some basic constellations in the night sky). I would like to get her a telescope for Christmas and was thinking that a used one would be best for her first one. I thought it might be a good idea to see if anyone in the SLAS had a good beginners telescope for sale since your members have a genuine interest in promoting astronomy and are unlikely to sell something that is damaged. Is there anyone you might be able to put me in contact with? Kris Komarnitsky Draper _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".

All good advice and potential. I think the mother's main problem is she has no way of recognizing a good telescope from a bad one, which is why she contacted Rodger in the first place. A wise move. She could go to KLS ads and see a trashco for $25 and think she's doing the right thing. She needs advise on what to look for if she goes to KSL. More to the point, everyone has posted their response on this board and I didn't see her copied, so I have taken the liberty to forward all your responses to her. If she does look to KSL, she should check with someone who posted a response and check to see what she sees is worth the effort. She could get a honey that way and her daughter might grow up to be an astronomer. We'd all love that :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: "Brent Watson" <brentjwatson@yahoo.com>, "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, December 8, 2014 9:40:40 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Mother looking for a telescope for her daughter for Christmas This past year, in the KSL classifieds, I got a Criterion RV-6 Dynascope in immaculate condition, with eyepieces, for $125. I got a 4" Dynascope from 1960 for $50. And a Criterion Dynamax 8 SCT, complete in perfect condition, with eyepieces, drive corrector, and some rare accessories, for $300. Rich Tenney got a modern 90mm refractor on equatorial mount for $50. All of them on the Wasatch Front, no shipping charges. The bargains are out there to find locally, folks. Brent's pawn shop suggestion is a good one. I've found binoculars and cameras at pawn shops for pennies on the dollar. On Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 9:32 AM, Brent Watson via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:

The ring in binos? Hmmm. I have been successful buying used telescopes at pawn shops. I got a 10" meade dob for $95.00. Perhaps someone who knows telescopes could watch a couple of pawn shops.

_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".