[PRejto (Peter)]

Hi John,

I built a 5" f15 refractor in Los Angeles in the mid 60s. It has a quite nice Edmund lens and I've upgraded the scope with a Moonlite focuser, repainted, etc. It's huge and it's heavy, probably more than the scope you are considering. Optically it is pretty darn good. I know you are not looking at an APO but my TEC140 is in an entirely different league and at f7 is quite manageable in comparison. I've had both scopes on my PMX mount....an incredible mount that can easily take these weights, but the f15 refractor will still shake a bit and take much longer to dampen out than the TEC. Weight is only part of your problem; the other is moment from such a long arm. I don't know much about the mounts you are considering, but I'd say no matter what you buy you can expect the shakes...or more shake than you will get from a folded scope like the Intess. I'm not trying to discourage you from this quest. I think refractors are amazingly instruments but you do pay a big price and not always in $$. Just go into this with your eyes wide open. If you are in Sydney I'm happy to show you mine and you can get a sense of what you will be dealing with!'

Peter

PS If you want a classic mount, I've got a Cave Astrola mount on an aluminium pedestal complete with a frequency generator and adapted for the Southern Hemisphere. You might talk me into parting with the whole kit (scope and mount) for a song if you want to deal with this!