Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Kalan
Hi, I’m looking at spending $500-600 on a new scope. I already have a 10inch GSO dob, so am looking for something that’s more portable. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
|
In this price bracket I couldn't in good conscience recommend anything other than a smaller dob.
The az3 mount doesnt have its axis of rotation at the centre of gravity and has no counterweights, meaning balance becomes an issue away from the horizontal. As you point higher, the COG falls further behind the axis of rotation meaning you need the tension on the axis bolt pretty firm, meaning you will get rough jerky movement and is generally unpleasant. The az3 is fine for a spotting scope, but if you want to point upwards you will find it lacking.
Cheapest alt-az mount I could recommend is the gso model, which is fine for an 80mm refractor or a short tube 100. The 120 would be pushing it even given the official rating of 20lb, which I think is overly optimistic having checked out the stability of one in the shop. Even now you are outside your budget.
As for the eq3, well I think that eq mounts are unsuitable when portability rates highly in your criteria. You will find it as much trouble as moving the 10" dob.
I went down a similar path. I owned a 10" dob and wanted a second smaller scope. I bought an ed80 and was seriously disappointed in how little could be seen from my suburban back yard. I sold it and ended up with this..
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ghlight=r130sf