Aquavit

NoH's CM20 with extension pillar, simple but well engineered alt/az mount :

I have been using my 80ED extensively on the AZT6 mounted on a lightweight Manfrotto photo tripod, sometimes with counterweight and sometimes without. Yes it was more stable and balanced with the counterweight but was very useable without, in both instances settle time was a little more than I would like but the weak link was really the tripod. Proof of this was when I acquired a Berlebach Uni tripod, moving the AZT6 to the Uni gave me a much more solid platform, virtually eliminating settle time even without the counterweight. I have a padded storage bag that takes the scope, mount and tripod that makes for a great transport/holiday option without the counterweight, but I may consider upgrading the tripod to something more stable.

20kg, they also do a 30kg version which looks just as nice!

I've been hankering after an addition to my 80ED for some time and decided on a 6"CC to give me the magnification that the little 'frac can't deliver. The first stage in the upgrade process was a more substantial tripod, the Berlebach Uni fitting the bill for that part of the jigsaw, so leaving just the mount to be deliberated over. It had to be manual Alt-Az and my two existing mounts, AZT6 and AZ Pronto, are individually featured with and without Slo-Mo. I spent some time observing with each mount carrying the 80ED to see which method of moving the scope around I preferred. I quickly came to realise that I could not only live without, but preferred the lack of Slo-Mo controls. I'd narrowed it down to the Giro Ercole and the Rowan AZ75 but with the Ercole sometimes getting less than stellar recommendations and the Rowan looking expensive, I hesitated and cast around for other ideas. Fellow SGL forumite Nicosys suggested the NoH's mount, from personal experience of owning one. It met all the criteria on paper, appeared to be very well engineered and fell somewhere between the Giro and Rowan pricewise. So I took a calculated gamble and ordered the 20Kg rated CT20 along with an extension pier and additional saddle. First impression is of a beautifully machined lump of well engineered metal, the movement is very fluid and extremely fine adjustment is possible with the tension screws. It has a very satisfying to use feel to it and I can't wait to point it at the night sky.

The couriers delivered two packages this morning here in Hungary, one from the UK and one from South Korea and, impressively, both arrived in under a week including clearing customs: A nice collection of bits from FLO, a Cheshire collimator for my 6"CC, an 8 x 50 RACI finder, a Baader Sky Surfer for my 6"CC, a Vixen dovetail bar also for the CC and an Explore Scientific 2 x focal extender in place of my inexpensive Barlow (it weighs a heck of a lot more so I'm hoping for a commensurate improvement in it's visual acuity): And from South Korea this beautifully made Alt-Az mount with extension pier and additional mounting plate, all courtesy of Noh's Mounts:

If you want something simple, light and compact I can recommend the AZT6. I mount an ED80 on mine and without a counterweight and sitting on a camera tripod makes for a very portable lightweight set-up. No slo-mo though if that bothers you.

I recently bought a pair of Vortex Diamondback HD 8 x 42 for the same mixed usage as you require. Not too big or heavy for walking around with during the day and as big as I can hold reasonably steady for nighttime observation. I chose these by trialling various options at a high street store, they weren't what I thought I wanted before I went in but they performed the best visually of all the options I tried. Cost around £200 I think. A few hours after leaving the shop with them I enjoyed a close-up view of a deer in the woods and later that night my son had his first view of the Pleiades through them from a dark site in Dorset. Just with those two experiences they had more than paid for themselves within 24 hours!

GSO 6" Classical Cassegrain arrived today: A quick trial on my AZT6 mount which is on the limit for this scope. A single 2" focus ring was enough but targeting a church steeple approx. a quarter of a mile away I couldn't get ultra sharp focus, I presume this means the scope is out of collimation? I'm awaiting a new mount which will enable a twin scope setup running this alongside my ED80.

Steve, my eyecups measure 42mm dia. how would your FOR eyecups fit, replace the existing or squeeze over? I have no idea of how to remove the existing ones either!

Yes, I have heard about that fix, that's my option of last resort.

Thanks Mick, neither of those options work for me, one is in the US and the Amazon option won't post to Hungary. I'm still working trying to track down Fujinon dealers in Europe, you would think a company of their size would have some sort of service network ........

Now it's gone cloudy my attention has been diverted to the workshop so thought I would make my own solar finder, anyone interested in doing the same can find the file here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4905067

My first "proper" tripod arrived today, Berlebach Uni 18 with optional leg spreader and accessory tray along with the Chalon observers chair. A quick trial in the garden viewing the local church steeple and, wow, what a difference. Nothing wobbles! Somewhat overkill for my little ED80 on AZT6, but that is in the process of being remedied:

Out again this afternoon, making hay whilst the sun shines so to speak as wall to wall cloud forecast for the next week. Really nice relaxing in warmish sun as opposed to freezing my proverbials off in -4 in the dark! Swapped the mount from AZ Pronto to AZT6 to evaluate whether I prefer slo-mo or not, I think I prefer without and the AZT6 with counterweight makes light work of the 80ED, smooth and relatively vibration free even on the Manfrotto tripod. Should be even better on the inbound Uni 18: Six areas of activity easily observed with a possible seventh just visible, I found viewing at around 40x suited me and allowed around 2.5 minutes viewing before I needed to nudge the scope. Anyway, here's a rather bad phone snap of today's sunspots:

That thought had crossed my mind! It's a slippery slope🙈