robbymain

That's a good enough recommendation for me! Off to the FLO website to order the kit 😃

I'm planning to add the enhanced EQ5 dual drive kit to my GP in the near future - I did have my heart set on finding a used mount with Vixen drives included, or picking up a pair of MT-1s used but they seem to be rare as hen's teeth nowadays! But anyway it is nice to hear that you are satisfied with the Skywatcher solution.

Many thanks indeed to everyone who weighed in with advice on my query! I'm fairly confident in the collimation (all carefully redone again as I flocked the scope this weekend) and was able to use some satisfyingly high mags on the moon on Friday night so I will persevere.

Hello all I picked up a used 150P on an undriven EQ3-2 a few weeks ago (upgrading from a Heritage 130P - nice optics but wanted something with a little more light gathering power and a proper focuser) and after a good clean, mount rebuild and careful collimation (including squaring the Crayford which was quite out of true) I had it out the back garden on Saturday night. I enjoyed some very pleasing views of M44 in a Baader 32mm Plossl after which I failed to detect locate any of the clusters in Auriga due to the local urban North Bristol LP - can't wait for some dark sky outings! Anyway I switched my attention to Vega and the nearby double-double which I found I couldn't split with a 6mm Ortho. In fact I didn't feel I was achieving very satisfactory focus at x125. A star test showed fairly concentric diffraction rings, not perfect but close enough. Am I simply experiencing poor seeing? Or am I suffering from unrealistic expectations having once owned a 1/8PV, Hilux Orion Optics 8" reflector and remembering how capable that was?! Thanks to anyone with experience of the 150P who can comment ? Rob

Booked an electric pod for the Friday and Saturday nights so my dear lady wife is happy she'll stay warm and comfortable no matter the weather! Thanks for organising my booking Grant!

Loving the 'vintage' Vixen mounts on this thread - I really regret selling my gorgeous green RA-driven GP back in 2005-ish and I'm now looking to pick up a replacement having got back into the stargazing malarkey with a Heritage 130P! Next on the (ever growing) list is to replace the wonderful Orion Optics 200mm Newtonian that I stupidly sold at the same time =P All the best to my fellow Vixen fans ?

Well put CM! I had this same experience near Coldstream on the Scottish border when stopping for a wee on the drive between Newcastle and Edinburgh several years ago now... My wife and I plan to move to Plymouth later on this year where we will be 30 mins from the centre of Dartmoor ?

Sounds like a very sensible investment considering such a beautifully engineered and valuable instrument! I'm hanging a Heritage 130P on mine and I was still concerned lol

That's interesting to read as I've just taken delivery of a Porta 2 and the Dovetail Clamp Knob and Safety Screw are very sloppy fits - almost as if the threaded holes are a size bigger than the shafts... Definitely expected higher quality engineering for a mount that cost nearly £300!