Apprentice

Sorry for bringing this up so late. But have you used this with 1.75" sw tripod? Not sure if I udnerstood the previous posts. As I am looking for an AZ mount but want to reduce the costs

Is the gtix still performing well and suits the scope? I am looking for az goto mount for mine, and i do like to bino with it. So curious if gzix is the way to go.

Just a quick question, regarding the goto accuracy. Does the GTIX use external power supply like the GTi? If so, what supply are you using, batteries or a powerbank?

It's a valid option. But the quickchanger is required since I want to use binos with the bayonet. I received some advice to buy the gpc for MB2 and MarkV, and that one screws into the bino, and that setup is descriped as using the bayonet to attach to the prism diagonal.

Thank you very much! I did a read through but failed to find information about the GPC, zeiss bayonet and the heavy duty changer, which is of main concern.

Hello good people. I have recently bought the 102mm doublet (TS photoline, Starfield equivalent). Intending on using it with the MB2 binos. I already had a thread where I was discussing various options but decided that a new thread focusing strictly on the baader side of things might be in order. My wish is to assemble a good baader diagonal which I would then use for bjnoviewing and potentually include a 1.25" and later 2" EP holder. Caveat: I can only order directly from baader, as there is an official distributer here and ordering from other shops doesn't seem to work. But I am ok with that, as the distributer is a really good chap and feels like buying directly from baader. This means that I need to find stuff on the baader website (which is proving to be a pain, since the product and information overload is quite substantial. I am gussing that going from the telescope side: - m63a baader click to replace the stock twist lock is in order (currently out of stock on the baader website, but eilling to wait and order at a later time) - T2 2" nosepiece - prism diagonal t-2/90deg 32mm (Theres a plethora of options here, maybe a good value buy is the one with with additional gizmos.) - i would love to include a heavy duty quick changer which would allow me to quickly change from binos to single EP holder. If I understood correctly the MB2 have a zeiss bayonet which should help, does this affect the choice of the GPC as well (buying the MarkV type that screws into binos rather than the diagonal) - 1.70 GPC (again some advice on finding the right one on the baader website) - clicklock 1.25" or maybe smarter to buy 2" cliclock that can fit on the quick changer (need help with choosing the proper product) and use a 1.25 adapter for smaller EPs Thank you for any help and answers!

My TS 102 (starfield equivalent) sits comfortably on the azgti. Of course a beefier mount would be welcome, but for a GnG it gets the job done. A second of vibration, but generally manageable. I am guessing the azgtix will be even better.

It's the 3/8, but ehen screwing the extension on the tripod, i can only screw it so far, then it becomes to stiff despite best efforts. Like the bolt becomes too wide or the thread too narrow. Not sure if I am explaining this right

Does anyone have and use the skywatcher "heavy duty" 1.75 steel (with 3/8 screw) tripod for the gti? I bought one, and seem to have issues with screwing the mount with extension pier to it. I can only get like 5 full rotations on the screw and then it becomes impossible to screw it any further. But the extension is not snug on the tripod and you can still rotate the entire mount with extension around its axis. Also bought the skywatcher counterweight kit, which doesnt seem to fit the counterweight shaft on the mount. Kinda bummed out with this.

Well woohoo, the fpl53 version just arrived! Need to snap some photos, but a quick question, is it possible that it has some sort of clicklock mechanism. I did a quick inspection and if i twist the lock i can take out the 1.25" extension, similar mechanism to maxbright ii eyepiece twist to lock. Otherwise a much more subtantial scope than i expected and focuser is really really good looking and also behaving! @Franklin thank you for steering me towards the fpl53 version!

As someone who started out with a newtonian, not many years ago, i have to chip in and ditto on the ep kit. But given that you already ditched it, a more important thing that I found (after buying the laser, which needed collimation as well) is that a concenter proved to be a much simpler collimation tool for me. It's a pain to shell out over 70 quid for it (glorified plastic tube that is), but it was the first time I actually properly collimated the scope (and ot was quite off despite me thinking it was 'good enough'). If the budget can cover it, it works great in tandem with the laswr collimator, (which i use to quickly check primary collimation), but I managed to to collimate it using the concenter. And welcome to the clan!

The 6kg payload seems to be the sweetspot for my intended setup. The secondary sadle would likely hold a counterweight.. Have you tried using the extension pillar for the GTi with this mount? Also what is the tripod like (assuming you bought the bundle)?

Any experience with dual sadle azgtix

Can't seem to find it here: https://www.astroshop.eu/telescope-accessories/adaptors/extension-reduction-adaptors/reduction-rings-adaptors/15_37_20_20/m,Baader-Planetarium/a,Zubehoer.Allgemein.Serie=ClickLock

So we have a go for the M68 clicklock on tge TS 102ed? :))

So effectively a baader clicklock on the focuser wouldn't affect the infocus? Well thanks to you and @Space Hopper for spending my €€€ for me 😁😂, i have decided to postpone the prism and accessories for 2 months and scope purchase for one month, but I have decided to go with the FPL53 with lanthanum. Frack it, we only live once and knowing myself I would regret not getting the better version soon enough. And tbh, having the TS 102ed Photoline for just under a grand on sale also helped with the decision. It ended up 250e more tham the fpl51 version.

Well, it will exceed the capacity by 200 grams when I will be using binos :)) calculations place the 107mm f7+ maxbright ii + diagonal + 2x bco 18mm just shy of 5.2kg The tripod is the beefier SW bought separately. The thing is, I can hardly justify a major purchase of gear, but I am very excited about upgrading the glass (which is tipping the balance). Only other option is ioptron az mount which is anothe grand and a half if not more.. hoping that the craftsmanship holds for a year or so

Thanks Lee, it's strictly AZ mode for me. So figuring a small counterweight will allow me to place 5.2 kg setup on the sadle. If I understood correctly, the counterweight doesn't add to the payload weight towards capacity. It just helps with balancing of the setup and reducing strain on the gears?

Tried scanning the thread, but decided to ask as wrll: - what is the maximum payload for visual that anyone has successfully managed. That is excluding the counterweight. It's my understanding that an addition 1-2kg counterweight helps when we reach the capacity on the sadle side. I have seen images of people using 102 ed doublet f7 on it, and those vary from 4.2-4.5 kg (the latter for the fpl53 version) for the ota alone. So with diagonal, bino or big eyepiece it seems to work. I have the beefier sw tripod which has a capacity of 30kg and i installed the adm sadle. So curious if having a counterweight allows me to use a 5-5.5 kg ota+diagonal+ep setup for visual (mostly if it has been done successfully)? Cheers

No worries, i am lurking on this forum for years and it's very amusing when we all kind of want to push just a little higher with our purchases 😂 I love the classifields, but unfortunately it's difficult to buy from UK, since the brexit thingy, not sure how that would work. And of course the second hand market is virtually non existent here.. Btw found one that could work fpl53 from astroshop and a grand might be possible to pull off: https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/ts-optics-apochromatic-refractor-ap-102-714-photoline-ota/p,61222 Since its photoline i am guessing its the right one, but the description is empty for some reason..

Well to be honest, FLO customer service is so great that I bought most of my stuff from there. Cant say I found any in the eurozone that come close. But agreed, for a scope of around 1k, it might be easier and less hassle in case there is a need for a return. They have the photoline which seems identical to starfield for roughly 1100, which is well over 50% more than I was looking to spend.

Looks great here, over 400 quatloos for the diagonal bits alone 👍🔭 Thanks for breaking it down mate.

Sad to say, I'm already stretching the budget, especially if I go for the full baader setup we are discussing which might be done in 2 parts. So ultrashort clamp for clicklock - check. Starfield is only available through FLo, that includes some more expenses - the wretched customs, and I would go well over 1100EUR for the tube alone. It does look extremely appealing tho :/ I do feel that the fpl51 would knock my socks off in this setup by itself, but kind of painful to think that I might regret not getting the starfield or other fpl53 (ts has one too).. i am strictly visual though, and hopefully not too picky or sensitive to CA. But would expect the ed doublet fpl51 to be very good if not great.

So coming from beginner scopes such as the achro 80mm f11.3 and basic 5" newt, I am not going to be dissapointed if I proceed with the cheaper FPL-51 version?

So @Franklin and @Space Hopper if I get this correctly, the optmial setup would include the following products: 1. This prism: https://www.astroshop.eu/diagonal-prisms/baader-zenith-prism-t-2-90d-32mm-prism/p,10810 2. This GPC https://www.astroshop.eu/accessories/baader-maxbright-1-1-70-glasspath-corrector/p,8663 3. This clicllock (should it be 2"?): https://www.astroshop.eu/reduction-rings-adaptors/baader-2-clicklock-sc-clamp/p,14687 4. This nosepiece: https://www.astroshop.eu/other-adaptors/baader-2-safety-kerf-nosepiece/p,59843 Edit: The GPC would be optional for low power, but desireable for high mags?