Heritage 130p mount

[Monstar]

I've seen an EQ2 for $40 at AstroPetes, does anyone know if it's possible (and easy, I've never even used a mount before) to fix the tube of my 130p Heritage onto to this, and would it be stable enough?

[Monstar]

Here the dovetail on the OTA

[Monstar]

And would I need to buy anything else to fix the OTA to the tripod? Sorry for the beginner question but I am a beginner!

[CJ]

I'm no expert but I think you would. Those mounts come with either a 1/4" bolt, like a camera tripod, or bolt holes suitable for the appropriate size tube rings.
See here.



To use that dovetail you need a dovetail clamp which can be fitted on the EQ2. I Dont think the clamp on the Heritage Dob mount can be used but it might be worth a look.
Talk to Astro Pete. He should be able to tell you. If you find out let me know. I have both these bits of gear too. :)
Not sure about stability. The Heritage is quite light.
Cheers
Chris

[Monstar]

I've just rung him he's not sure if it'll fit either, I'm going to go have a look I'll let you know how I get on.

I just weighed the tube and it's around 7lb, he was a bit worried about the counter weight.

[julianh72]

I bought the same EQ2 mount from Astro-Pete's a few months back:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=1066303&postcount=11 - it's an unbeatable bargain at that price!

I have actually taken the EQ2 GEM mount off the tripod, and installed my Celestron SLT 130 Newtonian with its "GoTo" mount onto the tripod. I did this because the EQ2 aluminium tripod is noticeably more stable than the steel tubular tripod that originally came with the SLT. I have put the EQ2 mount onto the SLT's original tripod, and now I'm using both - the more robust EQ2 tripod holds my SLT 130 (with its GoTo mount), and the old SLT tripod and EQ2 mount (with a single-axis motor drive) is used for my 90 mm Mak (or my short-tube 90mm refractor ).

As CJ said, you will need to find either a set of tube rings or a dovetail adapter to get the Heritage 130p OTA onto the EQ2 mount, but if my experience is anything to go by, the tripod is easily strong enough to carry the 130p. You should make sure that all of the bolts and screws in the tripod and mount are nice and tight to get rid of all free play, but it should be fine for visual use, and maybe even short-exposure photography.

[Monstar]

It could only really be done, without altering the tube and mount, by using the one bolt but this didn't look very secure even though it balanced OK.

But for $40 I bought it anyway! I'll look into it more later or use it for when I buy another scope.