Vixen Porta Mount.

[acropolite]

Having just acquired an ED80 (not delivered yet...) I have been looking around for a good Alt/Az mount for HRH Liz to use with the ED when I'm not using it piggybacked on the LX. Following a post from Steve (janoskiss) I checked with Astro Optical Supplies about the Porta Mount. Apparently the Porta Mount is only available with OTA attached and the salesman at Astro Optical claimed that they would have to buy 100 (mount only) to get them imported in to the country. He then went on to extoll the virtues of the porta mount which by that time I had crossed off my potential buy list. Not selling the mount only seems to be a real shoot yourself in the foot move. Is anyone aware of any source for the Porta mount as mount only in Australia??

[janoskiss]

Phil, try MyAstroShop for the Vixen Porta. Astro-Optical seem pretty clueless in my limited experience with the Melbourne shop, and way overpriced (ask about Meade SWAs and UWAs, and compare with Bintel, or Vixen LVs and LVWs, and compare with My-astroshop.).

[acropolite]

Thanks Steve I'll give them a try.

[Starkler]

I just did a quick google and these mounts are selling for $450US :scared:

If you own a good photo tripod they are maybe some better options for the price like the Helix hercules, or the Universal Astronomics range of alt-az mounts.

[Miaplacidus]

Yeah, I have a Helix hercules and it is the best value alt/az mount I have come across. And STRONG! Definitely overbuilt. Still, it is nice and light with my Megrez on a Manfrotto tripod, and if I'm using high powers it sits nicely on a surveyors tripod. Only problem is that as far as I know there is no option for attaching encoders for DSCs. (I must ask the Argo Navis people about that.)

DSCs I can see looming large in my immediate future, so perhaps I would suggest anyone looking for an alt/az mount to consider whether they might want this as an option. The Telepod allows this, and maybe even the Vixen Porta...

Cheers,

Brian.

[acropolite]

Astro Optical claim $700 will buy it here complete with OTA.

[janoskiss]

AFAIK, this is the place to check the price of Japanese astro gear:

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/

It's all in Japanese but the search works if you know what to look for.

Takahashi FS102 $AU2300
Pentax XW $AU320
Vixen LV $AU120
Vixen LVW $AU210
and
Vixen Porta + 130mm Newt $AU480, so $700 locally is not so bad I guess... :shrug:

[gary]

Unfortunately we don't have an off-the-shelf kit available for the Helix
Hercules but we do for the Vixen Porta Mount.
See http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/images/vixen_porta_mount.jpg

We also have kits available for the Tele Vue mounts.

For a DiscMount, we recommend to order the encoders from us when you
order the mount. We then ship the encoders to DiscMount where they fill
factory fit them.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[acropolite]

I did note the availablity of kits for the Porta Mount, I'm a bit puzzled by the availability of the kit when Vixen seem to be reluctant to sell the mount only. I would have thought that, considering the reputed quality of the mount and the availability of aftermarket kits that Vixen dealers would be jumping to sell mounts only... :confuse3:

[gary]

I have no idea and are therefore in no position to comment, however
I don't believe this is universally true. For example, probably the world's
largest Vixen distributor would be Vixen America which is a owned by Tele Vue.
In fact they share the same office as Tele Vue.

According to their web site, Porta Mounts appear to be available from Vixen America
as standalone items. Model # MT-AZ-3992 is with aluminium legs and
Model # MT-AZ-7311-W with wooden legs.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.

[Starkler]

I just noticed this on myastroshop.

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-180

[acropolite]

Just to clarify, the porta mount is now available as mount only. Steve @ myastroshop has ordered one for me and two extras, they should be here in 4-6 weeks. :D