[iceman (Mike)]

Originally Posted by janoskiss

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

nah I'd never go there

Originally Posted by janoskiss

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".

Originally Posted by gbeal

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

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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?

Originally Posted by Orion

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

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

Originally Posted by bird

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

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.

Originally Posted by bird

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

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

Originally Posted by [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.

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

From Mick Pinners thread, i'm quoting Geoff:

Originally Posted by starkler

As for Mike going from an eq platform to an eq6, I would have thought the platform would be more stable Perhaps the difficulty is in getting accurate polar alignment. Just random ramblings on my part, I might be totally wrong and i hope for Mikes sake that I am.

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 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!