My new scope! I'm going to the dark side!

[iceman]

After imaging with my EQ platform for almost 18 months, I've decided to get an EQ mount. Working at long focal lengths (up to 10000mm) is pushing the limits of the platform, and it's time for me to upgrade to something with GOTO and more consistent tracking at long focal lengths.

It just so happened Enrique (who bought h0ughy's LX200 12") had an EQ6 and 12" GSO, and he contacted me when he heard I was looking..

So I'm buying them both!

The 12" GSO newt (flocked and baffled, with the Orion accufocus and a right angle finger) will be right on the limit of the EQ6 (with skyscan goto , version 2.5 or something), but it should still be ok for planetary/lunar imaging. Not sure how it will go in a breeze/wind or when changing filters - will have to wait and see how much bounce and vibration there is with the long 12" tube on the EQ6.

The increased aperture and focal length (3m) of the 12" (over my current 10") will be great for planetary imaging, to give me more image scale and better resolution.

I'll probably move my moonlite CR2 over to the 12", but we'll see. Depends how smooth and accurate the Orion unit is on the standard crayford. Will also need a bigger base plate for my fan unit, although Enrique already fitted a fan so I may not need to in the short term.

I pick it up on Saturday! Can't wait! I'm not sure i'll have room in the car to bring the 12" to Lostock, but I'll definitely bring the EQ6 so someone can show me how to use it :) I've never setup an EQ mount in my life :)

I'll probably get an ED80 or similar in the future, for DSO imaging with my 350D.. but that's some time off.

I'll most likely be selling my 10" dob (with SkyCommander DSC's) and EQ platform sometime in the next month. Expressions of interest can be sent via PM :)

Here's a few pics sent by Enrique.. i'll take some more on the weekend!

[beren]

:) Congrats....everyone needs goto :whistle: hope the new newtonian puts out like your 10"

[matt]

Many congrats Mike:)

You're really going to enjoy the EQ6 and SkyScan, not to mention the 12".

You've done amazing things with the gear you've used for the last 18 months. You've proven what can be done with a dob... both tracked and untracked.

If anyone deserves a little "luxury" after all that, it's you.

Your new rig will be very sweet indeed.

Well done.

Don't hesitate if you have any questions about the new mount or polar (drift) aligning etc etc

[sheeny]

Congratulations Mike!

I hope you can fit it in to bring it to Lostock!:D

Al.

[janoskiss]

That's not that dark, Mike. I thought you were going to tell us you're getting an SCT.

Good luck with the 12". Just be sure the size is not an issue for everything you'll want to use it for before selling the 10".

[ving]

sct? thats what i want! ":D

welcome to the dark side mike :)
I havent given my synscan a run yet (just got the cables today) but i'll let you know how it goes :)

if you find the 12" too much trouble on teh eq6 you could drop back to the 10" i guess :)

[Omaroo]

If I'm not mistaken Mike, our MAS club president Noel has this setup and it works very well in the field.

[ving]

actually you are right chris, that is what he has. he had his legs chopped considerably tho to compensate for the lonf FL... i dont know that he has goto tho.

hey, i'll be bringing my scope (now goto) to stargard this saturday. hope its clear...
you coming?

[Omaroo]

:scared: I hope he'll be allright!!!! I haven't seen much of him lately......



Yep! I'll be very interested to have a squizz at your GOTO. I'll actually be bringing the 12" now that I have the wedge. I haven't had either the time or clear weather to give it a go since I've bought it. See you there! :)

[jjjnettie]

I'm glad you live down south Mike, we've had enough cloud up here from Pauls recent purchases.
Congratulations on your new scope and mount.

[Striker]

Congrats Mike,

Enjoy your new set up.

[sejanus]

by gosh, 12" on an EQ6 :scared:

I hope it works well for you. I was a bit more timid and backed out of buying a 10" and went to a 8" as I was scared it was too much, let alone a 12! :lol:

[astronut]

Yeh David,
with shorter legs now, Noel's knuckles drag along the ground.:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[xstream]

Congratulations Mike, I'm sure you'll love it.

The only suggestion I would make is wait till the weekend after Lostock to pick it up. We do want clear skies you know! :rolleyes:

[Orion]

Congratulations Mike
Not knowing to much about the EQ6 would the 12" GSO's weight be an issue:shrug:

[EzyStyles]

congrats mike! .. hmm i will be very scared putting a 12" newt on the EQ6. how heavy is the 12"? EQ6 max capacity weight is around 18kg.

[davidpretorius]

1 minutes silence please............................d a....da....da..da, da da da da da da da

a dying breed, the old dob owner.............unless of course they owned a eq before like houghy!

[Starkler]

Not me ! Im spending over 6k on a scope I'll have to push :lol:

I would have been interested in Mikes eq platform except his lattitude is all wrong :(

[Rodstar]

I can't believe, Mike, that you DO have goto, and I DO NOT.

What is this world coming to??

[gbeal]

Well done Mike,
you looking to put the 12" on the EQ6, or keep the 10" for that, or waht?

[stephenmcnelley]

Good on ya Mike, push the boundaries a little, chances are you will come up trumps with hard work if past imaging results are to be gone by, sounds like an interesting challenge with that combo. A 12" in the back yard, :thumbsup:

[stephenmcnelley]

Complete bollocks, Davo:lol: the dob for visual work will rise again in everyones life at some time:shrug:
That sort of convenience can be banked on:P :whistle:

[acropolite]

Welcome to the dark side Mike, I've always thought that dobbers were wannabee go-toers.:whistle:

[anj026]

Hey Mike

If the 12" GSO is ok on the EQ6 maybe I could get away with a 6" f15.:D
Just kidding, I don't think I want another equatorial just yet after selling the EQ5. I wish you all the best with the new set up, your planetary images are outstanding.

Cheers

[bird]

C'mon Mike, bring the 12" + EQ6 to Lostock. You know you want to...

umm, maybe best to check that the camera comes to focus beforehand...

Bird

[stephenmcnelley]

:rofl: Drawing a very long bow there acropolite..:whistle:

When i retire from astronomy, poor and broke.... a humble 12-13" dob will be the old faithfull choice at hand, amongst other possibilities, by then i will know what i want to observe.. and have an even shorter attention span..lol.

[Astroman]

YIKES!!!! a 12" on an EQ6 wow thats pushing the boundries, although it can be done easily. One thing that could give you a bit better support would be to get a losmandy dovetail head on ethe EQ6, with the wider dovetail it might give a bit more stability. But you never know it might be right on the money..... I wouldnt be so worries about the weight its the canterlever (I think thats the word) action of the tube that would cause trouble, than the weight. The EQ6 itself can still push around 50lb of weight, visually with a short tube..

[Astroman]

Hopefully by then GSo will have a 20" Dob out :o

[stephenmcnelley]

Stuff that Astro, LOL.... a 20" dob?!! no way when i am 80 years old and a bit feeble... thanks for the thought though..laughing. i am gonna have to work until i am 95 years old to pay off the current debts so the future ambitions aren't to grand, long as i can see and share night time stuff.

[matt]

Where would I get one of those, Andrew?:)

[Astroman]

HaThere used to be a guy on the EQ6 yahoo group that made em, if you got the drawings any engineering firm could turn one up.

Oops better get back onto thread topic :D

[netwolf]

Mike you beat me to it congrats. I am almost there a soon to be equatorial convert. But I think I will eventualy switch the 10" newt for a C9.25 SCT. And keep the 10" as a dob.
Regards

[h0ughy]

LOL Mike you know the score, congrats! now go on get another just for fun!!!

[[1ponders]]

Don't worry about the polar alignment Mike. Al got a good lesson last Lostock with K3 and h0ughy got an extended lesson at Astrofest using a reticle, so either way you'll be set. ;)

[[1ponders]]

Oh ......... Congrates :lol: Welcome to the deep dark. You will get hooked :D

[sejanus]

hey mike this might be of interest. this is an eq5 i think, using a strut to help support/stiffen up long tubes.

http://picasaweb.google.com/AstroTasmania/HargreavesStrut

[h0ughy]

Don't remind me, I have had nightmares ever since

[iceman]

nah I'd never go there :P



yeh you're both right - i'm planning on putting the 12" on the EQ6, but I won't sell my 10" until I'm sure the 12" is not too heavy for the imaging I want to do. At 10m focal length, even a slight breeze can cause frustration with the planet jumping around the 640x480 field of view - so I need to make sure the 12" is suitable.
If it's not, I'll sell the 12" as a dob and keep my 10" newt and put it on the EQ6.


Does he use it for visual or imaging?
What is the purpose of the chopped off legs? For reaching the EP easier, or better stability with a lower centre of gravity?


It's ok for visual, time will tell how it is for planetary imaging.


Maybe.. it will take up more room in the car and I've got stacks of stuff to bring to Lostock already so there mightn't be room for it.


Why wouldn't it?
It's a 12" f/5, same as my 10" f/5 but a longer FL. My DMK doesn't come to focus at prime focus in the 10", but with a 2x or higher barlow, it's fine.


Enrique had a 400mm aluminium dovetail plate made up - you can see it in the pictures. So the standard one has already been replaced. The new longer, stronger dovetail plate apparently increased stability noteably.


Thanks Paul, good advice.. i'll hit those 2 up :)

From Mick Pinners thread, i'm quoting Geoff:

The platform is stable, but that's not why I want to go to an EQ mount. I can align the platform no problems and generally get good tracking, however at very long focal lengths it highlights any imperfections along the tracking line and it can go from having the planet in the FOV to scooting off the FOV without touching anything.
It's also only got a speed control in RA, so I'm constantly adjusting it to keep the planet centered. I want to be able to sit back and have the accurate consistent tracking on an EQ mount, with a hand controller to make the adjustments in both RA and DEC!
It will be especially helpful when imaging the moon, and trying to find the feature of interest by just using the hand paddle to pan around the moon.
Try doing that with a dob at 10m focal length while looking at a laptop screen!

Thanks all for your encouragement and feedback. I'm really excited about the prospect of more relaxing imaging. The goto will be very handy for Neptune and Uranus later this year too :P And with accurate tracking i'll be able to do longer exposures to get more brightness and detail out of those faint buggers.

I am looking forward to getting an ED80 in the future to do DSO work with my 350D, but planetary/lunar imaging will always be my #1 love.

I'll also be getting the dob base for the 12", so I can still use it as a dob for quick visual use if I need to.

Thanks, i'll post more pictures after Saturday!

[ving]

afaik he is just visual but i saw it in action and it works fine. he chopped the legs to reach the EP, alas doing so makes the foot print smaller and therefore less stable. there are ways to combat this to i believe :)

[wavelandscott]

Congrats Mike...that doesot sound like th dark side at all!

Hope you enjoy it!

CS, Scott

[iceman]

Well I met up with Enrique yesterday, and took delivery of the new scope.

Having never put together an EQ mount before, I pieced it together slowly inbetween running errands with the family, going out to dinner etc.

I still haven't finished yet, got to put the counterweights on and then balance it with the 12" newt on! Man it's going to be big on it. I'm starting to think my 10" will end up on the EQ6, but we'll see.

[xstream]

Mike, you'll be saying in another six months time that the 12" isn't big enough nor is the mount. :P

[iceman]

haha probably the mount.. I'd really like to use the 12" for planetary imaging, but if it kills the mount it's not worth it :)

I'd need a G11 for the 12", I guess. That's not going to happen for a very very long time :)

[matt]

Mike

I reckon the 12" on the EQ6 will be fine as long as the conditions allow.

You wouldn't want a breeze, though:whistle:

[sheeny]

I hope you can bring it to Lostock Mike! HOughy and I will be glad to give you all the polar aligning practice you need... a little occasional rearranging of the tripod when you aren't looking...;) by the time you've re aligned it 2 or 3 times a night at Lostock, you'll be able to do it with your eye's closed! (almost!):lol:

Al.

[iceman]

I'll definitely bring the mount to Lostock, maybe with the 10". I need help! :D

[ballaratdragons]

Congrats Mike!!! :thumbsup:

I'm too scared to even attempt to put my 12" on my EQ6. :eyepop:
I know how heavy it is and I don't want to damage the mount in any way.

Maybe the Meade 6" Astrograph is the way to go. Astrophotography ready and only $399. :)

[sheeny]

No worries Mike. The only thing better than playing with a new toy of someones else's is playing with a new toy of your own! I'm sure you'll get plenty of assistance.

Al.

[ving]

its not a hard task moving from dob to EQ mike. If i can do it anyone can :)

I am finding it real easy now. Last night i went out to teh oaks with a few MAS guys and set up my heq5 in almost drakness. it doesnt take o=long at all.

you'll be fine in no time :)

[iceman]

Thanks Ving, yeh i'm sure once i've done it once i'll be fine. I'm pretty sure i've got it right now, but will wait until I get to Lostock to drive it with the experts.

I haven't had more than an hour or two to play with it since I got it. :(

[sejanus]

piccies please :)

[iceman]

Sorry will post pics in the next few days, when these clouds go and I get a chance to mount it again.

I didn't take any pics at Lostock when I had my 10" on the new EQ6 :(

I'm going to try the 12" next time out, so I can make a decision on whether to keep the 12" or the 10". Then I can sell the other.

The 10" on the EQ6 was just fine at Lostock.. with proper rings (just straps at the moment), proper levelling and alignment, it will be just fine. It tracked accurately (enough) at over 8m focal length, with adjustments needed every 20-30 seconds to move the planet back to the other side of the FOV.