12" dob to EQ mount

[Pinwheel]

Is there a cheaper way to mount a 12" GSO/Bintel dob to an EQ mount. I don't want to spend $4,556.00 on a mount for a $849.00 telescope.
I'm not looking at doing Astro-photography, all I want is star tracking for observation. I can get a pier but these Sky watcher EQ8 mounts are just ridiculously expensive. :screwy: There's just got to be a cheaper way.

[Steffen]

A 12" SkyWatcher Goto Flex-Dob is $2400 (from Andrews), if you want to avoid the usability complications of an EQ mounted Newtonian.

That said, I think the NEQ6 should be able to swing it (pun intended), at least for visual. I believe I've seen that before.

Cheers
Steffen.

[rrussell1962]

I had the GSO 12 inch F5 OTA on an NEQ6 Pro for a while. Needed 3 counterweights. Just about OK for visual on a still night with careful balancing, but IMHO definitely pushing the EQ6 to the limit. I found it was a lot better with a wide dovetail and not a Vixen style one. From memory the weight with Tube rings and Farpoint wide dovetail was around 23KG, add (say)another KG for a 2 inch Wide field eyepiece. I also found the eyepiece gets into some awkward positions. Had I kept the combo I would have investigated rotating tube rings at some point.

[raymo]

Don't they do a Go To kit for GSO Dobs like they do for SW Dobs?
If they do, I imagine it would cost around $900. That'd be the cheapest way by far of gaining tracking for your DSO Doug.
raymo

[John K]

Why not an equatorial platform?

http://atomicplatforms.com/index.html

[Pinwheel]

I looked at these, still undecided.

[Pinwheel]

Any web links to this?

[raymo]

Hi Doug, you could get a platform, but as you may or may not know, they
only track for a limited time, and then have to be reset.
I suggest that you call or email a GSO retailer on the matter of a Go To
kit for your scope. SW have marketed Go To Dobs and kits for quite a while, so I'd be surprised if GSO don't follow suit. I have to say that I don't recall seeing any reference to the subject on Bintel's website.
I might have a look now.
raymo

[raymo]

Sorry Doug, I've been to Bintel and GSO sites, and no sign of motor kits
for their Dobs. GSO appear to have a much smaller product range than SW. Maybe they are a smaller company, and can't afford the costs
associated with making Go To models.
You could sell your 12 and get an Orion 10 Go To for $1500.[ assuming that it reaches prime focus]. The SW 10 Flex Dob Go To is dearer at about $1699.[It does reach PF]. I'm guessing that you don't want to drop in aperture though. I think the 12" Go To Dobs start at about $2099.
Much cheaper than buying a large EQ mount, and much easier to set up.
If you're not into imaging, I would have thought it would be the ideal solution; out of pocket about $1000 or 1500, depending on whether you went 10 or 12.
raymo

[Pinwheel]

Glad I kept the box....

[barx1963]

Doug
The obvious question is go to actually what you are after. You say you want star tracking, by that I assume you mean once you find an object, it keeps the object in the field?
Or are you after something that will find objects for you and then you manually move the scope to keep the object in the FOV?
A fully motorised systems such as Sky Watcher do will do both but if you are after the latter, what you need is a push to system such as Argo Navis. They are easy to install (I have done it on 2 of my scopes, a GSO 12" and the 20") and fairly inexpensive to buy, at least compared to an EQ mount.

Malcolm

[Pinwheel]

Hi Malcolm, I want to select a star or say M42 be able to change an EP go inside to grab a beer & come back to the Dob and the target is still there.

[rrussell1962]

Hi Doug, Having read your last post, have you considered fitting Argo Navis to your dob? It would not give you tracking ability but would enable you to very easily find the object again when you get back to the telescope. Just move the telescope until Argo Navis tells you the object is centred again.

[pixelsaurus]

I have no idea how well this will work but I am tempted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSgUX6_VaOk

[rustigsmed]

a flex tube skywatcher goto dob would meet your needs.

[Pinwheel]

Could be motorized but would be heavy. Still not a bad idea.

[raymo]

It's not quite as simple as it looks . Firstly, you have to add adjustable
altitude, or you are limited to using it fairly close to the latitude it was
designed for[ if you want to track using only one axis]. Secondly, you need to make it so the tube rotates easily in it's support block, because
if you don't, the balance is affected as you move around the sky. When the scope is one side of the zenith, the focuser and the eyepiece are
on the side of the tube furthest from the centre line, and when the
scope is the other side of the zenith the focuser and EP are on the side nearest to the centre line. You could eliminate this problem by having the focuser on the "back' of the tube, so the balance is not affected, but the
focuser would be in an incredibly awkward position, and you'd have to sit astride the tube in order to be comfortable.:D:D.This latter problem
wouldn't apply to very small Dobs of course. I built a wedge for my
10"dob thinking that I could come up with an adjustable
counterweight system, managed that, but the eyepiece got into such
awful positions that I gave up on the experiment.
raymo

[pixelsaurus]

post#18, a working example.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/30202-how-to-equatorialize-a-dobsonian/

[raymo]

Tried to take a look, but it said images deleted.
raymo

[SteveInNZ]

Goto post #18. It's an animated GIF so may take a while to load. The other Imageshack ones are deleted but not this one.

Steve.