dantro

Hopefully you can get some answers from someone who has actually tried a 4" refractor on an AZ GTi.  Perhaps the moderator Stu could help, or try the AZ GTi owners thread.

9 minutes ago, Elp said:

The tripod makes all the difference. Tripod is the most important part of any setup.

I agree.  If you drive an axe into a stump and try to move the axe, it will be stable.  If you drive and axe into a log and try to move the axe, both will topple over.  The physics explanation is surely more elegant, but a  light tripod , even if it has a very high weight capacity, lacks the mass needed to stabilize even some lighter scope/mount combos IMO.   Adding low lying weights to stabilize a light tripod can help but kind of defeats the purpose of having a light tripod in my view.

The AZ GT1 has a stated capacity 11 pounds.  I tried my FC100DC on a manual Skywatcher AZ5 with a stated capacity of 15 puunds and found shakiness with visual.  The AZ GT1  has always been appealing, but I think that even a light 4' refractor like the DC will be borderline stable on the mount.  It might, though, be functional with a heavy tripod.

On 08/02/2024 at 12:19, jjohnson3803 said:

That's interesting.  I usually run my refractors with a ScopeTech Zero on an Innorel RT90C (carbon), but I have an AZ5 that I use now and then.  The max practical weight limit with my scopes was 11-12 pounds.  I'll have to put the AZ5 back on the 90C and see how it does with my ST102.  (What I really need to do is take notes when I try different combos so I don't repeat my "experiments".)

  I would be very interested in your comparison of the AZ5 with the ScopeTech Zero on a RT90C tripod especially at higher magnifications.  Thank you for the reply.

'Class', but not too much.  'Price', but too much.

I reget the purchase of  an AZ5 and heavy duty carbon fiber tripod for my FC-100DC.  Total weight dropped from ~32 to ~22 pounds with new mount and tripod, but settling time increased to to the point of bothersome when focusing or touching the eyepiece.  The combination looks very nice and is easy to carry in one piece. The mount is well built and works well with slow-mo controls, but stability with the refractor especially at higher powers is a real disappointment.  I am now shy about lightweight mounts and tripods for my 100mm refractor and wonder if any of the new lightweight mounts are suitable.  Perhaps the carbon fiber tripod (88 pound capacity) is a contributing factor, but I was unable to improve stability with usual tripod stabilization methods.

The original setup is ~32 pounds, a little hard to carry around, no slo-mo,  BUT but rock steady.              (UA Unistar Deluxe mount and surveyors tripod)

At age 70, I acquired this preowned F100DC as my first and only telescope.  Now I near 76, and I am beginning to suspect that it is aging at a considerably slower rate than I am.  It is lightweight, works well. and I enjoy it, even on cloudy days.

On 14/05/2021 at 05:59, Surfer Chris said:

Back onto eyepieces for my FC-100DC, as I mentioned above, I have recently purchased a 4mm Delite (for higher power). So now I have the following;

4mm Delite, 5mm BST Starguider, 6mm BCO, 10mm Plossl, 8-24 Baader Zoom, & 24mm Panoptic.

I am not too keen on the Plossl or BCO - turns out I don't like the short eye relief. I have not tried the Delite at night yet, but using it in the scope to look at trees in the distance this morning, it seemed quite comfortable. Sadly, I think I find the BST Starguider eyecup slightly more comfortable - but I am guessing (hoping) the Delite will provide slightly better views. Annoyingly, I also noticed lots of small circular floaters with the 4mm Delite using my left (observing) eye. So looks like that might be an issue for me below 5mm.

Before I start focusing on building up a long term set, I thought I would try a variety of eyepieces (to see what I find comfortable) hence the random collection so far. And I have just ordered a 12.5mm Morpheus this morning to add to the mix! The plan is that I will sell on the ones that don't quite work so well for me once I have decided.

Another one I am thinking of trying is the Pentax XW's. I know they are very well regarded, but I guess the only thing that is putting me off them is the size and weight. On paper, they seem to be quite bulky pieces. I am wondering if they would be a bit too big and heavy hanging out of my small Tak prism diagonal? Just wondering if anybody has any opinions about this? Perhaps there is a better way of configuring the back end of the scope to cope with the weight though (e.g. different adaptors)? Below is a photo showing my current configuration which I am guessing is fairly standard for 1.25" EP's.

 

Chris, I decided early on to go with 1.25" eyepieces with my FC-100DC and have been pleased so far.  I started with the Pan24.  It works much better as a finder than the straight finder scope decoration which will kill your neck.  Then came the 8-24 Baader zoom which is my favorite.  A friend offered a 3-6 TV zoom for a bargain so I added another zoom and a Baader Clicklock eyepiece holder.  It was all working very well except star-hopping was a chore for me with upside down reversed view.  So I bought a 1.25" Baader astro-grade amici T2 diagonal.  This purchase was an epiphany.  I cannot recommend this diagonal enough.  At first, though, it presented a problem.  The Baader zoom would no longer focus.  Removing  #81 from the light path solved that but made the Tak diagonal not work (which has not mattered since I use the amici exclusively).  I had always wanted to try a TV Ethos, so a used 10mm came up and I bit.  But the 10 Ethos would not fit over the Clicklock(Who would have guessed?) so a few weeks later I acquired a standard Baader eyepiece holder, stored the Clicklock away, and finally looked through the Ethos.  The 10 Ethos works very, very well for a wide field after the Baader zoom has characterized the object well.  Then I load the TV 3-6 zoom for higher magnification if seeing allows.  I have  enjoyed the 10 Ethos so much that I now am looking for a 3.7 Ethos to complement the TV 3-6 zoom.  I considered the Pentax XW's at first but the 10 Ethos is such a pleasure to use.   But if you ever get adventurous,  I heartily endorse the T2 astro-grade amici diagonal.  Thanks.Ethos 10beforeafter         

Dave

This is my first frac.  I added the Baader zoom and 2.25x Barlow.  Very early days but so far so good.  The only concern is that I am the THIRD proud owner of this wonderful scope, and in keeping with my melancholic personality, am listening for the other shoe to drop.