Which portable mount?

[gregbradley]

I am looking to upgrade my portable mount.

I have a 300mm Pentax 645 F4 ED lens which is like a mini telescope.
I intend to get the upcoming William Optics Redcat 51 pertsval F4.9 250mmm "lens".

I also intend to get my Sony A7r2 modified for Ha enhancement and use it for nightscapes as well as for deep sky widefield.

That means my Vixen Polarie won't cut the mustard.

Ideally that means a more accurate higher payload mini mount.

Skywatcher have one and Fornax Lightrack is another possibility.

What would you recommend? I am thinking it may need autoguiding but
exposures may be in the 30 second band so unguided may work out at 250mm focal length. The Polarie may be able to do it with a perfect polar alignment but its asking a bit too much. I have imaged with a 180mm before at 30 seconds and it trailed a bit but wasn't really what is needed.

I don't want a heavy GEM either as it'll be 2nd rig whilst my main rig is imaging and the dark field beckons for another rig imaging widefield.

Greg.

[skysurfer]

The Skywatcher Star Adventurer (https://www.bintel.com.au/product/skywatcher-star-adventurer-bundle-white/?v=6cc98ba2045f) for $500.
5kg payload which will carry your Sony A7 DSLR + the Pentax lens. The package includes a polar scope to adjust to the 'trapezium' at the South Pole.

[gregbradley]

How is the polar scope? Is it accurate. The Vixen one is very good.

Greg.

[Camelopardalis]

Greg, I’ve had some success at 200mm, it’s not that hard to get 2m unguided shots with the Star Adventurer. I recently started guiding and I rejected 2 out of 65 subs of the first guided target.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s not that hard to get the SA running nicely. I’d imagine at 30 second subs, you’d be rocking and rolling in minutes.

Regarding the polar scope, I’m not sure how you’d determine accuracy, but if you release the RA clutch and spin it around, you’d soon see whether the SCP trapezium is well positioned.

[Sunfish]

I have a star adventurer and have used it with a Nikkor 800mm ED which weights about 3.5kg. So with the camera, 4.5 kg. And then the one kilo weight It just works getting it all to stay balanced but tracks surprisingly well once aligned. Hard to to get enough tension on the lense foot mounting bolt and wedge until you get the hang of it. One minute would be the limit at that length or better at 45 sec or a lighter lense but I have seen much longer exposures with shorter lengths and it is great with wide field.

The polar scope is good if you don’t mind getting down on your knees ( you can use a right angle finder from a camera but the tripod needs to be low ) but the light is not much use. I use a red light if required or set up earlier so there is enough backlight to see the finder scope markings after using the camera GPS to get close to South. There are a lot of discussions on CN about this mount. I did see however for a little more money there is a SW portable mount with “ freedom find “ star map pointing which looks very attractive if it has the weight capacity you require it would be good to be portable but also have pointing accuracy.

[that_guy]

Have a look at the AZ GTi EQ mod. Same price range as the star adventurer but with goto, more stable tripod, same weight capacity and size.

[Atmos]

What about a HEQ5 Pro? It is on the larger side of light portable but it has a lot of stability.

[Wilso]

Tak pm-1 mount or pm-sp very adaptable little mounts.
Both have built in polar scope and ra tracking. Payload 5kg and Tak quality

[AstroApprentice]

Hi Greg,
On the $$$ side like the Tak options:
Astrotrac 360 will be released soon...maybe!
Unitec Swat range - played with one briefly in Japan last year and the build quality is exceptional.
SS-One being discussed on a concurrent thread.

[Peter Ward]

Might want to check Astromart for a used Losmandy Starlapse. I’ve hauled mine all over the planet. You can even option it up to use a G8 digital drive which allows autoguiding (in RA only)

It can be configured to hold multiple cameras or a short refractor, all with no counterweights. Sadly no longer in production, but they do come up from time to time.

[Sunfish]

Ah yes. That would be the dream portable if you can find one, or Fornax if you can keep it dust free.

One Starlapse was sold here for quite a reasonable price and I still kick myself I do not have it .

[Wilso]

One for sale now in the ice classified section!

[Peter Ward]

A bargain IMHO. :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

Any idea what the PE of these are?

Greg.

[AstroApprentice]

Hi Greg,
Evidently iOptron are about to release a new small mount in their centre-balanced range:
http://bbs.imufu.cn/thread-779999-1-1.html

[gregbradley]

Interesting. I read up on the earlier model the CEM25. It sounds fairly good.

HEQ5 Pro sounds interesting and there is a belt upgrade you can get to improve it. I haven't been able to find out any PE figures for it though.

Greg.

[Camelopardalis]

Small trackers like the Star Adventurer, Polarie, etc are small, very portable, have few requirements and consequently have limited payload.

Mounts like a HEQ5 are a different kettle of fish. Doesn't fit in a (small) backpack and is relatively heavy.

Different levels of performance and features AND versatility.

Currently, my interest is piqued by the SW AZ-GTI which, with the EQ firmware, is controlled wirelessly and is compatible with ASCOM/EQmod, so goto and plate solving are made available. Still, the payload will be limited, but it's still at the size/weight of a tracker that's easily picked up in the event of inclement weather or carried when travelling.

So really it depends on how you will use it. Your initial post suggested the former "small" trackers might be suitable, but I can appreciate how requirements and specs can shift with a little thought ;)

[gregbradley]

Certainly different types of mounts. The better portable mounts are up around the cost of the lower GEMs though. I am also looking at the possibility of using this mount with a small refractor at some point.

Initially it would be 250 and 300mm lenses perhaps smaller.

Later it may be a small 105mm F6 high end refractor.

Even then the HEQ 5 Pro may not be good enough for a high end refractor. Not sure, perhaps it is. I am sure it would be plenty good enough for a 250mm to 300mm lens and mirrorless camera setup.

Greg.

[Camelopardalis]

For a reasonable focal length scope, you’ll be better off with a “proper” GEM from the point of view of mechanics, payload and computer control.

The HEQ5 has been around for years, so their behaviour we’ll documented. Overall I think it’s fairly positive, given the reasonable price.

[Peter Ward]

My Starlapse has around +/- 6 arc sec, but I have pimped up the ride quite a bit, it is also fitted with a OPWB (one piece worm block), clutch knob set, machined motor cover, G8 digital drive and tripod knob set. I use a Manfrotto tripod for simple camera lens shots, but I can also couple it to a G8 tripod for small refractor (eg FSQ85 or AP92mm )use.

It has been to Ayers Rock, Iceland, Norway and the USA all without breaking luggage weight limits....can't speak highly enough of it. They just work.

[beren]

Been happy with a Vixen SXD2 for portable imaging and quick set-up viewing, works very nicely with the SB10 and a MGEN standalone guider. Come up on astromart sometimes for a good price.

[Sunfish]

Weight is 9kg. I suppose that includes the tripod. What weight is the starlapse if it goes in a back pack.? 4.5kg plus a tripod at 1-2kg?

If I want to carry on or carry up a mountain where the air is clean and 107 minutes is enough maybe a fornax light track at 1.3kg.?

[Decimus]

Hi Greg,
I very recently purchased the Vixen SXD2 mount; it is light (about 9kg) and can take a 15kg load. It comes with the Star Book Ten hand controller which is dazzling and blows away and hand controller I have seen - gorgeous star charts and a mount with very good tracking accuracy. Worth considering!
Cheers,
Richard

[Ukastronomer]

I had one of the Vixen though hardly portable ?

Poster "I don't want a heavy GEM"

[gregbradley]

Thanks very much for the recommendation



It sounds like a reliable piece of gear.





Thanks for that recommendation.



A second for the Vixen.



I plan to upgrade my Polarie with a counterweight setup and that should take to reliable tracking at around 135mm.

Then a larger but still portable mount with low periodic error and capable of handling a large lens or small telescope, perhaps as large as a 100mm or an FSQ.

Greg.

[AstroApprentice]

Rainbow Astro have changed suppliers of their strain wave gear motors. They’re no longer using super expensive Harmonic Drive(used in RST-150), so better price (still $$$) for a very portable mount with only slight reduction in load capacity. No or only small CWs are attractive for portability.

http://www.rainbowastro.com/new/theme/basic/content/product-135.php

Pricing in USD: https://www.tolgaastro.com/store/mounts/rainbow-astro-rst-135.html

The ease of Alt Az conversion is impressive:
http://www.rainbowastro.com/xe/rainbow_media/9966

[gregbradley]

Sounds amazing. Price is still quite high though.

Its amazing how there are all these new astro companies with high level products these days.

I have never heard of this one before. Home position sensor is a very useful feature. I like that a lot on my PME.

I ended up getting a used Tak EM10 and also a Fornax Lightrack ii with a Star Adventurer wedge and counterweight system (for nightscapes and shorter lenses).

Greg.