A question for PST owners.

[barx1963]

A question for PST owners. I am considering buying one but I need to know how much they weigh?
Can anyone help?

Malcolm

[Poita]

With or without the case?
I can weigh mine roughly at lunchtime, how accurate do you need it?

[barx1963]

Thanks Peter
Without the case thanks.

Malcolm

[Poita]

It is just under 1.5kg, mine is in bits so I hope I did the math right. It will be lighter when I replace the stupid black box with a proper focuser.

[Poita]

That is sans eyepiece.

[barx1963]

Thanks Peter.
I should have explained that I am also considering one of those Vixen Polarie Trackers, and was curious if it could handle a PST. They are rated up to 4.4 pounds or 2 kilos sho I should be OK.

Thanks again

Malcolm

PS Any comments on the focuser of the PST Peter?

[Poita]

The reviews have been poor for the vixen, and for the money I'd almost look at just getting a Heq5.

The PST is easy to mount, it only has a tripod type bolt thread, but it is rather unbalanced, photography is tricky due to the tiny 5mm wide blocking filter below the eyepiece, you would want to get a BF10 or BF15 for doing anything vaguely serious I'd think.
Or I could just be a bit useless, both are possible.

[barx1963]

I had read a good review, think it was in the US S&T latest edition.
My thinking was I was going to use it for some widefield stuff. Not that interested in imaging with the PST, just if I was going to get the vixen, I could use that to observe with the with PST rather than get another mount.
Also I am heading of on the S&T tour of Hawaii to see the Transit in June and want to take the PST to use for that, and my graphite tripod, Vixen and PST sounds like an easy way to keep weight down.

Malcolm

[Poita]

You could definitely reduce the weight by replacing the black box, mine weighs 740gms on its own. It is over half the weight of the scope. I'd be more tempted to get a pentax k5 and gps module for the money.

[JB80]

The max load on the Polarie says it's 2.0kg(4.4lbs) and the PST specs are at 3lbs, so while it's concievable in theory I agree that it will be a pretty tricky affair with the weight distribution looking at the way the Polarie sets up with a camera. It may work though and would be worth a try.
I would be curious to see if this would work.

I haven't seen many reviews on the Polarie either and what I have seen is positive. I think once they hit sale in Europe soon there will be more reviews floating around.