I'm trying to wrap my brain around what Orion is thinking

 when they sell a scope for one who is"Intermediate".

I almost know which end of the scope to look through.

Anyone want to add some detail to this.

Thanks

If you'll look in the catalog they mail out(if you get one), it kind of breaks that down for you.  I don't have a catalog sitting beside me right now, but I'll try to nutshell it.

Beginner:  basically throw the thing in the yard and start looking.  No real set up nor collimation needed to use the equipment.

Intermediate:  a little bit of set up required.  Some basic stuff needs to be done like collimation, zeroing finder scopes, etc.  The controls aren't too difficult to master.

Advanced:  quite a bit will need to go into the set up and upkeep of the scope.  Controls are more for the very serious observer and a good working knowledge of how to use technology and the like should be something the user possesses.

Like I said, I don't have it right in front of me.  But it goes something like that.

For their dobs, I think the designations have to do with the electronics involved.  The scopes with the Intelliscope option (digital setting circles, or 'Push-To') have the "Intermediate" designation.  The Intelliscope feature requires some set-up each time it's used and the willingness to use the hand-held keypad to enter and locate objects.  The basic manual scopes have the "Beginner" designation.  From what I've read the Intelliscope feature isn't difficult to use.

Thanks, zd.  I hit "post" before I had commented on how I thought the dobs, in particular, fit into the levels of use.

i think that 'levels's 1-2 and 3 are one of the most ridiculous things on their website

 So what does that say about those of us that use advanced telescopes (according to their designation), and beginner and intermediate telescopes? Are we beg-intermedi-vanced amateurs?

Kevin Bozard:

So what does that say about those of us that use advanced telescopes (according to their designation), and beginner and intermediate telescopes? Are we beg-intermedi-vanced amateurs?

Maybe you could get in touch with Orion, toss the idea to them and see if they'll add your new level to their explanation in the catalog.

Kevin Bozard:

Are we beg-intermedi-vanced amateurs

Yeah, we who have been at this awhile are really hard to peg sometimes.

One has to remember though that this 1,2,3 system was most likely the brainchild of marketing to try and steer total newbies into certain directions.  Most places try to do something to guide the potential buyer into something that would interest them whether it be ability or price.

Thank goodness they still send me their catalog on printed paper.  It makes for diverting reading and wishful thinking while sitting on the throne.

L

 Yeah, me too, and in bed.  It's nice to be in a happy frame of mind just before you doze off.

I might have known something about *astronomy*... or more accurately astrophysics before I bought my scope from Orion, my first real scope.  But when I placed he order, I immediately became a newbie, from a practical viewpoint of the amateur observer, a real astronewb.   And but, I ordered a  then available push-to GEM Newt which was classified as "advanced".  Yeah right.

I only theoretically knew telescopes and their use; I was not advanced at all.  But using an "advanced" seems really a matter of getting used to using it.  The "extra" things that have to be done, in my case, like leveling and balancing the scope, learning the RA and DEC slow motion controls, were really just getting acclimated to the particulars of that type of scope, almost like learning a new DVD recorder/player, or something like that.

Thanks to all for your responses.

 It's as clear as mud ..I'm a.......Newbie/Expert!!

Think I'll go with the Sky Window instead.

The size and bulk of a telescope are also taken into account. Though a dob is probably the easiest of all scopes to use, they are usually the biggest and weigh the most. Hence the difference between the 4.5" dob being a level 1 and the 12" dob being a level 2. Basically, they have the exact same operation, it's just a matter of fitting them through the doorway.

 Moving a GEM Newt in and out of the house isn't easy either, and you can only hold that mount with one arm only so long!  But I prefer its use, so I don't mind the set up/take down and attendant schleppings.