Stargazer McCabe

@Alan White I phoned Beat and same day it was in the post. Swiss post and Parcelforce led to a “delay” of a week...

Give him a call or an email. You’ll be surprised at his current stock levels and production capabilities. Even for a bespoke AYO II with Encoders I only waited a month...

And Beat is a master engineer. His AYO II has had my 8” EdgeHD one side with a 20mm Lunt 100* eyepiece in it with an ED120 holding a 30mm ES 82* the other.

That’s the beauty of his design and engineering. It doesn’t have to look like a tank to be as “sturdy” as one...

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

Looks most interesting,
is the Vamo more sturdy than it looks?

Seek and ye shall find... http://www.aokswiss.ch/ayo/vamo_traveler/main_vamo_traveler.html

It is rated conservatively to c 7kg. As shown, it holds my FC100 DF with ease...

I don't need anything sturdier as a travel mount. If I want sturdier for the ED120 & 8" EdgeHD which often get mounted side by side, I reach for Beat's AYO II...

@Stu As Dave Brailsford said “it’s all about the Marginal Gains” !! ??

@Stu

As a follow up I have more or less completed the layout of the case. The photo below includes:

Takahashi FC-100 DF with original focuser, AOK VAMO Traveller with Encoders, 2 Filters, Nexus II unit, SW 6x30 RACI Finderscope (without bracket), Baader T2 Prism including 2” nosepiece and helical eyepiece holder (but those bits are removed and in a separate pouch), ES24mm 68*, ES14mm 82*, ES8.8mm 82*, ES6.7mm 82*, Nagler 6-3mm Zoom

Weighed this morning, with all that, I’m at 9.95kg.

So I’m sure you could hit your 10kg target.

Admittedly I may ditch the 6.7mm or have a rearrangement and I will have to use checked luggage (for more robust stuff like brackets, rings and dovetail) and my “scope mule” Susie for other delicate stuff like binoculars etc ?

But it gives you an insight as to what can be achieved and included within your allowance 

14 minutes ago, GavStar said:

Stu, I find the Think Tank Airport Accelerator backpack great for travelling with children since it means you can keep your arms free for other purposes ?.

Not sure how long the Tak is when the focuser and dewshield are removed though...

It’s about 2cm too short for the DF tube. If the DC is shorter and comes in under 47.8cm it could work.

@Stu glad to have helped. And I was in two minds as to where to post this. Mount subsection seemed logical, but the travel thread did cross my mind. So worry not, questions on all aspects of the setup are welcome...

@Stu

Stuff like rings and dovetail will go into checked. Thus far, he said touching wood, whether it be Budget Airlines to La Palma, Scheduled to Southern or Eastern Africa and the usual light aircraft charters around those countries the Castor or Mini Giro, tripod, Dovetails, finder brackets and anything "not breakable" have travelled safely in checked.

Carry on has been limited to scope, eyepieces, filters, finderscope and Binoculars. This time I'm considering the mount in Carry On because of the encoder discs and readers. I spoke with Serge who said it would be best to not remove them too often as the screws into the readers go into plastic, and he feared widening the holes through regular insertion and removal - no matter how careful one tries to be.

@Stu The mount with encoders weighs 1.4kg. 

What you see inside the case picture - the case, FC-100 DF (bear in mind heavier focuser than your FT and even the DC focuser) and Mount - weighs in at exactly 8kg at the moment...

Any other dimensions / weights or combinations - just holler...

@heliumstar It is an old Gitzo Carbon G1325 Mk2 that I used to use for photographic purposes.

At high mag it seems to work fine. After focusing it takes a fraction of a second to settle as is to be expected, but is very stable. The MEF-3 fine focuser helps reduce disturbances, as does the helical focuser eyepiece holder. Between the two I can make fine adjustments without inducing too much wobble.

And whether the tension on either axis is tight or relaxed the mount moves exceptionally smoothly in Altitude and Azimuth... No criticisms thus far...

@martinl

They are indeed the TrekPak dividers and metal clips they provide. They’re easy enough to grasp and withdraw, so thus far I haven’t employed the tags. 

Although we thoroughly enjoy finding our way around the night sky manually, there are occasions when my wife and I elect to let our encoder equipped Dob and AYO II Mount assist us. While it's been nice to have the option of letting "technology do the work" from time to time, thus far this choice hasn't been available on our overseas sorties. However, during a recent conversation with Beat about improving our travel kit, he made mention that he and Serge at Astro Devices had worked on designing an encoder kit for his VAMO Traveller Mount.

With Beat confirming he had a VAMO in stock and available for shipping that day and Serge agreeing he could build and ship an encoder kit that same week I thought it worth a whirl to see if I could assemble a much improved travel set up before we head out at the end of this week for our regular end of year spell in La Palma...

Both guys, ParcelForce and DHL did their bit and at the end of last week I sat down to assemble everything.

As others (like @JG777 with whom I have been in discussion) may be interested in a lightweight, Encoder enabled "Grab & Go" or travel setup I've documented things below.

Serge's encoder package can be seen below:

The magnetic discs were then pushed into each axis of the mount and tightened with the Allen Key to achieve a snug and secure fit

The Encoder Reader is secured to the mount by screws if the new version of the mount is being used (the new version has the 3 holes seen above). If the older version is being converted, the Reader is secured by a sticky pad on its underside.

Once installed each axis should look like this:

And that's it... That took me 10 minutes.

Serge also designed a shelf which will accommodate either my Nexus DSC or Nexus II units.

Allowing the final travel kit to be assembled like this

I can report it is buttery smooth in both Azimuth and Altitude, even when a 2" diagonal and accessories are being used and is a colossal improvement over our Berlebach Castor. 

And although I haven't fully finalised the layout of the carry on case, having followed @Stu's lead for disassembly and use of neoprene lens caps (plus a couple of neoprene knee braces !!) it is coming together like this... With sufficient space remaining for eyepieces and the Nexus II unit.

The PeliAir 1525 fits within the strictest carry on allowances.

I'll try and answer any questions and will report back on how it all performs, but initial testing this week has been nothing but positive.

11 minutes ago, AdeKing said:

The summerhouse has turned into a scope storage shed and needs to be cleared out.........or so I've been reliably informed in no uncertain terms!!!!

There is an alternative Ade ??

It doesn’t have to be the scopes that go...

?

21 minutes ago, Stu said:

I have just received a Large Lenscoat for a slightly different Tak related requirement.

When I disassemble mine for transport, I normally have to bodge some kind of protection for the objective and rear opening when it sits in its Pelicase. Thanks to @johninderby I think for originally pointing this out on another thread. This one works fine for the front, a medium is on order for the back  

Looks a cracking solution 

@Stu It's something Denis agreed to do for me. I've been in contact with him for a while and been discussing a few things given common experiences and interests...

As many will be aware, Denis has "withdrawn stumps" from his Binoviewer activities because of his wife's illness. But Susie and I were able to use some of our contacts and experiences to try to help them given similar situations previously. He agreed to do it for her as a "thank you"...

I'm sure other machine shops could do similar very easily. After kicking the idea around with Denis I had been in discussions with a couple locally. But Denis said as a "last project" he'd be prepared to adapt Susie's for her... 

5 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Hi Simon,

Something else to consider, I wasn't aware of them. 

That’s the fitting that @Stu demonstrated in his photos. I’m not sure whether the Denks have a suitable fitting under the nosepiece. But if not, it might be possible to adapt them. I’m awaiting the Memsahib’s WO back from having the same done to them...

2 minutes ago, Saganite said:

The nosepiece on the Denk will take a little trimming.

I take it the nosepiece can't be removed for these to be utilised Steve ?

https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-(tcr)-hardened-steel-t-2-changering-(t-2-part-07).html

https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-t-2-quick-changer-with-zeiss-micro-bayonet-(t-2-part-06).html

42 minutes ago, Saganite said:

However, I have just ordered from FLO, the Baader Ultrashort 1.25"-T2 clamp, which with a light path of 11mm should save me about 15mm over the T2 clicklock that is currently fitted to the prism diagonal.

Steve, Just musing out loud here, but do be very careful that any nose-piece inserted into this doesn't touch your prism. I'm not saying it will. It is just that I have seen @iPeace and @John make mention of using spacers when cyclops viewing to avoid eyepieces being inserted too far in conventional holders. Let alone "ultra short" ones... 

The Baader Quick Change adapter and a Bayonet Fitting as Stu showed would avoid any risk of the nose-piece being inserted too far if the Denk's nose-piece can be exchanged for the bayonet..?

@Saganite Should you wish to try all of the 3 items mentioned in Dave's post above drop me a PM. The prism is the standard, T2 32mm rather than the BBHS version, but it does the job...

I'm close to Baldock in Hertfordshire, and have all 3 bits so you can try before you buy...

I also have mounting hardware here awaiting the impending arrival of my FC-100 DF...

I shared your concerns initially about giving my mirror a bath. However, by following @steppenwolf‘s excellent advice in his “mirror wash” video on you tube, I realised how bathing a mirror is a relatively straightforward task...

Mine was a 350mm Mirror and with careful preparation disassembling, washing and reassembling went well. 

A tip: I disassembled my big Dob by standing it upright and lifting the tube off the mirror cell and I marked each screw and hole with post it notes so they went back in the same holes. 

I also had assistance from my wife in guiding the tube back onto the cell. But other than that it was an easy job. 

I chuckled afterwards when I thought how unnecessary my fear of the task had been. 

Mine wasn’t as dusty as yours. But I do think the wash improved the observing with less scatter afterwards. But I could be imagining that ?

If you do tackle it, watch the online videos, prepare well and it’ll be a simpler task than you currently imagine 

8 hours ago, 25585 said:

As I said, it's up to the owner. But just because a manufacturer provides certain mounting hardware, that does not mean it's anything more than adequate. 

Upgrading focusers, using centering clicklocks, better finder scopes, eyepieces etc are all part of the same scene. What comes in the box is cheap and adequate, but can and in some cases should be upgraded to better quality and design. 

I think the distinction here is that, in the instances you cite, individuals are possibly asking the provided accessories to operate towards the upper tolerances for which they were intended. For example, heavy cameras requiring an upgraded focuser. Right angled finderscopes to avoid cricked necks. And so on...

Your observation that the provided mounting hardware on premium scopes is just “cheap and adequate” begs the question “for what” ?

Having just evaluated exactly the same Tak mounting hardware during the purchase of a DF, I can correct you unequivocally on point 1. It isn’t cheap, either in price or in terms of its quality. It may not please your eye, but cheap it ain’t...

With regards to “is it fit for purpose” I think the list of owners worldwide reporting failures of the clamshells when used for visual use is probably close to zero. 

Now, have others chosen different mounting solutions ? Yes of course. But these have either mounted guidescopes or controller boxes atop their mounting hardware, or been clear that they have done so through choice, rather than necessity. 

Like others Richard, I feel the supplied clamshells are more than adequate for visual usage. And if weight savings were sought 2 rings (of any colour) would be worth consideration  

I think what I and others feel needs challenging on an open forum is the assertion that for visual usage the Tak mounting hardware isn’t up to the job. It is for 99.9% of people. 

If it isn’t for you, that’s fine. But please don’t carry on inferring it’s only adequate...

Enjoy your scope now you’ve set it up and get out and use it. Make the next shot you post one under the night sky  After all. You have no reason to not use it now !!

 @AdeKing Understand. It was worth highlighting incase you hadn’t seen it and the adjustment screws were similar...

But given they aren’t and you had I guess I didn’t help much at all ?? 

Good luck finding a solution ??

@AdeKing I wouldn’t give up just yet...

When I purchased a previously owned ED120 I had problems with the focuser that initially led me to the frustration and ‘upgrade’ considerations you are reaching. But I managed to resolve my issues through finding the link below.

Now, our scopes are very different. But I just wonder whether there is an adjustment screw that could help you  ?

My problem was that with a 2 inch diagonal and a 2 inch 100* eyepiece the draw-tube couldn’t be ‘racked back in’ and, indeed, kept slipping out gradually. Initially I tried to resolve the issue by using the focus lock knob, but after a quick tweak to to the tension adjustment screw all was well again...

https://teleskop-austria.at/information/pdf/SWD200goto_Skywatcher_Crayfor-Auszug_justieren.pdf

@StuartJPP may be able to help. From memory this mini guidescope was used atop his Canon lens for a long while, I believe he has altered the way it is set up now with his new Avalon mount, but I'm sure he'll be able to help you...

After being alerted to Mr Woods’ book by @Knighty2112 I received my copy this afternoon. Swift delivery from our Amazonian chums...

To date we’ve been using VMA and the Cambridge Photographic Atlas via a long, laborious exercise of printed screenshots from an E-Book that I turned into a PDF and printed out...

This Atlas is superb. It will act as a brilliant “at eyepiece” resource instead of what we’ve been trying to use via a few inferior apps and print outs. 

Thanks Gus ?? Money well spent...

First time of using ENS and what a pleasure it was. Steve Asbury was accommodating of some, perhaps, unusual requests and ensured the transaction was simple and smooth. I'd recommend them unreservedly...

And a particular upside in this day and age of "at a distance commerce" was that we were able to natter directly by phone. Questions were answered without any to and fro, and the conversation evolved to the offering of advice both ways and introductions to one another of other individuals who could be of further mutual benefit. Most pleasant and unusual these days...