Mount for an 8'' dobsonian.

[pcool2]

I have an Saxon 8'' dob. I want to upgrade and buy an equatorial mount. What mount should i buy? I want to spend no more than $1000. Also how would it perform of this mount? Any help will be appreciated.

[Tandum]

Patrick, for a grand you'll only get a heq5 but it will carry an 8" dob just fine. I ran one for some time a few years back and I also stuck a 900mm refractor and a couple of cameras on it. Here's a pic of the scope and an image from it. I did have to get a 3rd counter weight to balance it all.

[pcool2]

thanks i will look into that. Where would you suggest getting one from? would it have goto?

[Rockah]

Hey Robin

I've got an 8inch SW newt with a heq5 pro mount, but given the mounts load capabilities, I would have thought having the newt plus a guide scope would have been pushing it past its limits? Obviously you got some nice pics out of it! Did you have any noticable issues with having the above mentioned setup? I have an ED80 and although I liked the idea of that on top of the newt, I thought there'd be no way of the mount handling both?

[Tandum]

I think I had 17kgs on the poor little thing at one stage :) So long as it was balanced with the camera hanging down it was ok but as with all newts, the wind was a problem. I eventually swapped to a Vixen VC200L and a side by side bar which dropped a lot of weight off the mount. That meade refractor was no light weight either.

[Tandum]

Patrick, the HEQ5pro is a goto mount and the H means the heavy version. It looks like andrews (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm) has them for under a grand but there's one in the 4sale forums. If you can afford it the eq6pro carries more weight.