Jasonb

Parts 2 and 3 of my mid-life crisis arrived today, a lovely AZ5 mount (thanks @Dean Hale!) and a new 150P Explorer. Unfortunately the shop didn't ship the EPs, Finder and Barlow with the Scope, so I'm waiting to hear back from them about that! But still, my master plan is taking shape! Next up is a bolt to connect my Meade Field Tripod to the AZ5...

Yep @Philip R, that's basically my plan. A 3/8 bolt and an AZ5 mount on top of the tripod, all going well.

Only catching up now, sorry. Yep, tripod comes with a 1/2" centre bolt. Thankfully the tripod itself isn't threaded and the bolt just slides out. A friendly SGL member has sent me another bolt, that in a perfect world, will be 3/8 at one end, we'll see. Otherwise I'll be looking at some sort of adapter alright.

I will if I can get it to connect to the tripod!

Thanks for your replies. I've found a used tripod online which is easily going to meet my needs (check out the Postman thread for pictures!) and I have a (barely) used AZ5 on its way, so I'm slowly but surely (actually, quite quickly) upgrading my setup to a far more stable tripod and mount. Now I just need to get out and use it!

Funny woman, I've *no* idea what you're talking about...

Part 1 of my recent 'mid-life crisis' purchases arrived today. It's a second (or 3rd/4th) hand Meade Field Tripod I found for sale here in Ireland. It's a beast, the top plate that comes with it is huge (I don't have small hands!) but thankfully it also comes off. I swapped some email with Meade in the UK and then the US, and they say this tripod is able to take up to 30Kg. So it should be fine for my 130P! For the price I got it for, I couldn't resist, it should be a tripod for life. And quite a bit more stable than the aluminium SkyWatcher tripod I currently have. The fun part is connecting it to my mount, but that's another day's work. Thanks to everyone on here who helped with my questions about this tripod before I pulled the trigger and bought it!

"Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light..." He needs to wait for his telescope to cool down a bit.

Well excellent, I'll send you a PM, thanks!

Excellent, thanks! The seller has confirmed that both the top plate and the vaguely triangular shaped spreader are not threaded, so it really does look like replacing the centre bolt will work just fine, fingers crossed!

That's very generous of you, thanks! I'm in Ireland though, so I'll definitely pay you something as postage probably won't be cheap, it probably has a bit of weight to it?

Thanks for that info, good.to have another potential option. Could you tell me how long that centre bolt is @wookie1965? And how much would you want for it? I actually just found out from the seller that the top plate isn't actually threaded, which means replacing the centre bar might be a solution, and by far the easiest one.

Just to resurrect a relatively old thread, something occurred to me. Why do EQ mounts have counter weights and AZ mounts don't, or is that an accurate statement? Also, reading back over this thread, £139 for the AZ5 and £109 for the tripod has changed in the last three weeks, they're £175 and £129 now! I've spent a bit of time looking at tripods and mounts, and man it'd be a lot easier if they actually all fit each other!

Thanks for all your replies everyone, I'll do my best to respond. I've read a few threads on CN about this tripod. Apparently the centre bar is 1/2 13 (which I'm pretty sure is diameter and number of threads per set length). The centre bar is threaded through the spreader and top plate and is designed like that to add tension and stability. Thanks for those different mount sizes @John, it seems crazy to me that there are so many different sizes, you'd think a standard size would be a good idea? Though the EQ6 using M12 does give a possible solution. @Davey-TThanks for the pic, I think your tripod is one of the heavier Meade ones (they have versions like Field Tripod, Giant Field Tripod etc.) hence the thicker legs. The fact this tripod seems to be rock steady and can take a lot of weight is why I'm spending time looking into this. The very wide top plate being removable is a plus too, it would possiby be in the way. I emailed Maede's supplier in the UK with pics and they said that tripod could be up to 30 years old and that they don't have any adapters. They also said their current version of that tripod can take 30kg, but the older one might take more. @wookie1965Thanks for the offer and for taking the time to look, I appreciate it, and what you find might add to my options. So I have a couple of potential options. Firstly, one of the threads on CN showed this tripod with a tubular mount adapter on it. Someone asked about it, and the owner said he got it from Universal Astronomics (he uses their mounts) as it went from 1/2 13 to what the mount needed (I don't know the second measurement). So I checked out Universal Astronomics, and they're out of business but still selling off accessories, so I emailed them to see what the adapter changes the 1/2 13 to, if the have any left, what cost etc. The second line of enquiry will be with FLO. @Johnmentioned the EQ6 being M12. FLO have an adapter for an EQ6 tripod to fit 3/8 (https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tripods/astro-essentials-3-8-photo-adapter-for-eq6-tripod.html) and 1/2 and M12 are very close in size, so I'm going to see if FLO might know if they're interchangeable. Of course, all these might not work, and they add extra cost on top of the tripod. So I'll just have to see how viable they are! Fun and games, eh?

Hi all... A very basic, simple question about this mount! I've done some searching and haven't been successful, can anyone tell me the diameter of the bolt that connects the mount to the tripod? Is it a 'standard' 3/8 or something different? Thanks...

Andromeda was my first Galaxy (all of 2 months ago) and I loved seeing it, so congrats and that's a big tick! Route 2 works for me and I can do it fairly quickly now. Can't wait to see it in all its glory if I get to some dark skies.

I was wondering that, but the top plate is threaded, and I think the spreader is threaded, so if I replace the 1/2 bolt then neither of them are tight anymore, which I assume would cause an issue?

Yep, my understanding is the long threaded bar screws up through the hole in the bottom of the top plate, and the top of that bar pokes up through the hole and connects to the bottom of the mount. The vaguely triangular shape is a spreader that pushes a little against each leg, adding stability. I've checked and the hole in the top plate appears to be threaded, so it needs a 1/2 bar to go through it. Realistically, I think any adjustment would need to be made to the part of the bar that sticks up over the top plate, basically putting something on top of it that can accept 1/2 from below, and has a 3/8 bolt on top, or something like that.

So I've found out that the central bolt in this tripod is basically a 1/2 bolt, and obviously the mounts I'd be looking at are 3/8. Anyone any tips/advice on how to do a simple conversion? I think the bolt is used to help give the tripod some of it's stability, so not sure if a 'simple' bolt replacement would work...

Thanks @icenfire66 My plan would be to get a new mount as well, I'm still deciding between something like an EQ5 or an AZ5, depending on which I want to go with (I've another thread about that!). I know it's probably not an easy question, especially as it's second hand, but any idea how much the tripod might be worth? Or how much this kind would cost new? Thanks...

Hi all, I'm keeping my eye out for a tripod upgrade, and found this on a second hand site. It's listed as a Meade LX200 Field Tripod. From what I can see it's an older model, and I'm finding it hard to suss out what kind of quality would it be, what weight could it take etc.? I currently have a 130P Reflector and I don't do AP, do I don't need a massive tripod/mount, but I am looking to improve on the aluminium one that came with my scope. The seller says its from a Meade 10" Classic Telescope and that the the tripod is spec'd to handle gear up to 50kg for vibration damping, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Thanks in advance...

Cool, thanks for explaining that.

Interesting, may I ask why? I find star hopping using binoculars to be easy, the magnified view and the right way up and around. The RDF is fine for point the scope at a target, but no use for star hopping. Obviously I've never used a Telrad, but while I'd imagine that the rings on it etc would help with star hopping, I think I'm right in saying it's not magnified? Anyhow, would love your take on this, as I do realise I've never used either so am just guessing really...

Thanks @Pixies Yep, a RACI is definitely on the cards. I don't know if I'd get a Telrad as well, I on;y have a 130 Reflector so both might be overkill on the scope, but I think a RACI (probably the Astro Essentials 9x50) would be a great replacement for my RDF, and would really help with the star hopping. Of course, I haven't used the scope itself in ages, Sunday was my first outing since early Jan and I was only using my binoculars. I have 3 new BST EPs that I haven't even got to try yet!

We keep on getting snow warnings, but no snow, and it was 10 degrees outside today! Practically summer!