(09-01-2023, 12:06 AM)beetlenaut Wrote: I'm don't think we should keep a bunch of small telescopes at all. The reason they were donated to us in the first place is that the views are not very good. If they have poor mounts, they may be frustrating to aim as well. Even worse, many of them are going to have steep learning curves. (I mean the ones with computers or even a equatorial mounts.) I think they are just as likely to turn someone off of astronomy as inspire them to pursue it. An argument could be made in favor of one travel scope or one four-inch Dobsonian that is small enough for a child to handle, but that's it in my opinion.
This is what I wanted to do is see if they meet the minimum usefulness for the club since as you state they might be too small or have poor mounts that can be discouraging to new or young members who get excited in getting a free use of a telescope that creates a bad experience even or give up the club over it.
For the better ones they should have someone with experience to guide them into using them with success this is what a good club should be doing anyway.
I have owned SCT scopes the 8" and 11" sizes on their clock drive tripod mounts have owned 17.5" F 4.5, 25" F5 and now own a 18" F 4.75, have operated an old Edmund Scientific 3" telescope with a bad mount when I was young.
I helped people stay with their telescopes when I showed them how to get them collimated which ended their chronic focusing problems, I still remember people who were very unhappy with their 13.1" Odyssey telescopes at the Oregon Star Party in 1997 when I fixed 3 scopes among a group who were there together were ready to give it up was astonished at the sudden improvement with their scopes after I collimated them, they were so happy they then observed far into the night.
