[DJ N]

Hi everyone.

I want to purchase an alt-az mount for my ED120. This will enable me to take a scope on our upcoming getaway with out compromising too much on “loading space” in the car for the rest of the family .

All up, the scope weighs around 6kg. I do have a Moonlite focuser with the DC motor on this scope, so that should at least minimise vibrations when focusing.

After perusing a number of the suppliers, I am finding it difficult finding many alternatives.

One which does seem interesting is the Vixen Porta Mount II. According to the manufacturer’s website, it has a capacity of 20 lbs (9.1 kg).

http://www.vixenoptics.com/mounts/porta2.html

Anyone had experience with this mount? I believe is an upgrade to the original Porta Mount which had 10 lbs (4.5kg) capacity.

I suppose the other contenders could be the Skywatcher T-mount and also the Bintel (GSO) Skyviews…….. I realise there are other alternatives such as the Televues and so forth, but not really wanting to spend that much. I was also thinking about a "small" GEM such as the EQ3 or EQ5, but I think I would prefer the simplicity of an alt-az.


Looking forward to some suggestions.

Cheers,

Daniel