guide/grab n go scope

[monoxide]

hey guys,
im after a decent refractor in the 80 - 100mm range for a grab n go/guide scope to mount on an AZ3 or similar. also ideally should be capable of planetary observing without using 10 barlows or rediculously short focal length eyepieces (a little fringing wont worry me but a lot will.)

i thought about an ED80 for a long time but it would be a waste if i didnt image through it and it is very similar to the focal length of my 6" newt also as a widefield scope id probably be disappointed with it after observing with a 12" dob.

but heres another catch, if i went for a 102mm f7 or similar it would probably be awkward to mount on a short focal length newt and may be too heavy.

not sure what to do, it would be disappointing to have to get a guide scope AND a grab n go scope rather than being able to swap over when needed.

[joshman]

how big is your 6" newt? what about going with a bigger scope and using the 6" as a grab 'n' go?

the ED80 is a good scope, prolly a bit big for a grab 'n' scope, what about a small-ish schmidt-cas?

[monoxide]

Hi Josh,

i have a 12" dob that i use for visual while the 6" is on a HEQ5 pro.

the 6" OTA is fairly compact (763mm focal length) but the mount while not as big as an eq6 is still pretty heavy duty (i think the HEQ5's are a bit underestimated)

the main reason i ask is that it just seems a bit pointless to me to have a scope that is only used to guide with, especially when there are more nights you could run outside with a small refractor and get some observing done rather than have an expensive imaging setup just sitting in a corner for a good part of the year

while the 12" excels at deep sky work its a bit of a hassle to drag it out for a quick look at mars for example where a small refractor on an alt-az mount would do perfectly

[monoxide]

ok, ive decided to go with a QHY-5 guider and Orion ST80,
i don't think ill worry about the grab n go scope for a while yet.
now i just have to get them here and work out how to get it all working together :D