Equatorial platform

[Robbos30 (Peter)]

Has anyone had any experiences with an equatorial platform?
I'm curious at how effective they are at allowing Dob owners the ability to do extended photography without getting field rotation?

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

hi peter,

sorry I have no experience with eq platforms, I assume they work in a similar fashion to meade equatorial wedges for their alt azi mounts.

another option is to install a field derotator eg http://www.optcorp.com/optec-pyxis-3...d-rotator.html

Russ

[Mighty_oz (Marcus)]

Best site to see what they enable you to achieve is
http://www.equatorialplatforms.com/ lots of pics and info.
Enjoy

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

I have built one as an experiment which worked quite well.

For Astro-photography it can be a bit fiddly. I was using cheap wood so there was a bit of flex but when I got it right the shot I achieved were not bad.

I have move three time since that build and I am concentrating on my 80/480mm on an EQ5 but afterwards I will consider either an EQ platform or may go to a Horseshoe mount.

Link to images most planetary taken on my 12" DOB on a platform. I will try to add some photos of the platform when I locate them.

https://goo.gl/photos/GTBnU2A9t4QYnSJt8 - M42/3
https://goo.gl/photos/XfRRMAPmS7JKRJSf6 - Moon wide angle
https://goo.gl/photos/gmoxALQhJ6o7ZKaUA - Moon with a 3 x Barlow
https://goo.gl/photos/9Z5x5jCR6EiKi76fA - Jupiter
https://goo.gl/photos/PWncpjp8w62QQ4B37 - Venus
https://goo.gl/photos/DVRofECCoJwXfRiM8 - Neptune


and many more planetary. Not much on deep sky as I moved soon after the M42 shot and dismantled the EQ Platform in the hope of building another one more stable.

[Robbos30 (Peter)]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.I loved the photos of the planets and nebula. I was possibly looking at putting the 30 onto an aluminium equatorial platforms from the website. With an auto guider and camera and or Mallincam,
Im thinking it might just work, without the Hugh cost of building an equatorial mount for an appature this large?
Cheers Peter.