Deadlake

How do you go about aligning either of these two mounts if you want to use in visual in ALT-Z mode? Seems a little overkill to have to use a pole master or sharp cap. In fact I'm not sure why its not built tin to the device???

Thanks, I already have the Scopetech Zero, hence the interest. I've been using more and more then my SXP2 as so much easier to get setup with. Interested to hear you get on with the tracking kit, hopefully will be the most flexible in portable guided mounts.

Do you think would work with a Vixen SD103S scope, same size as a Takahashi FC-100 scope? Is this the Alt-Z or GEM flavour? How do you align the mount? Thanks

The t-pod is the only tripod I know of with a built in handle. Should gain some followers here... 😀 Agree on the scope zero, needs some more fine motion controls. I wonder when the AZ50 is coming out???

@ecuador I don't know if this feature request has been discussed, but if the phone could be attached to the polar scope could it not do plate solving? In this way you would not care about the interference to the phones compasses etc? I think that some of the Celestron apps can do this to guide observers around the sky. Best wishes, Martin

They do but they also use GSO mirrors as well, so their UK dealer tells me....

GSO has a machine for producing mirrors by which all accounts is very good. They supply mirrors to other vendors such as ASA (very high quality) and CFF as well.

Waiting, I guess quite a lot of people would have overlap (share a nexus) with the AZ100?

Asked Sergi at astrodevices if there is a digital circle encoder kit. Not the first person who has asked. 🧐

The motorised goto mount seems to of been pulled, any ideas why?

Is that fabricated by Long Perng? Even so just because it’s the same factory different specs, happens a lot with EP’s and scopes.. Wonder what the back focus is, 96 mm, very short…

This model was also an option https://www.365astronomy.com/apm-telescopes-super-ed-apo-astrograph-107-700-apochromatic-refractor-telescope-with-3-apm-focuser is F6.5, it’s been discontinued due to SharpStar quality control issues. However there is a Long Perng 104/650 built model for APM in the pipeline with an optional Starlight FT focuser option. Not LZOS but half the price.

Any idea what the modern day equivalent of the Vixen ED102SS (F/6.5) would be? I'd imagine the weight would be similar to the SD103S.

What mount do you use with say a Ethos 21 and Vixen ED102SS (F/6.5)? When I use my SD103S on a ScopeTech Zero with an APM XWA EP the scope will move any time I change an EP due to the larger then usual weight of the EP.

With your dark skies @jetstream you can see quite a lot due to the contrast you have. Even with your TSA-120. However with portability in mind to get to a dark sky a smaller scope might be the answer. I’d imagine a Mewlon 180 would be very good which @Fedele already has. Presume that’s not portable enough???

Interested to hear what the differences are between standard and uprated version. It’s not although I’ll be able to order one anytime soon, given the availability of lens cells…. Next year, however the FT and rube adds a thousand to the price… In addition what it performs like once barlowed if possible. You can always add focal length but cannot take it away, without cutting the tube. 😃 I know Takahashi Q extender might be an option, works with AP scopes as well.

Are you saying get a FT for it? 😃 GPC aren't hat bad, needed for correcting the prims in the bino originally? Is it the F6.2 or the F8? Thanks

An NP101 did cross my mind as well..... Genesis no longer available. An FSQ-106 from RO is around £4000, a little cheaper then the LZOS mark II and you can actually buy....

Presume a wide field scope needs a F ratio faster than F7?

@Stu Thats a good idea. Additional requirement is to have 220 mm of focus range to support Bino's as well without a GPC. A DF or DZ could do this if FT? Cheaper then a LZOS, which will not be available until sometime in 2022...

SW Esprit 100 has a back focus of 183 mm, not enough. What about your APM 105? 😃

For portability reasons I'd like a 4" refactor (Doublet or Tripet) that can support 2" eye pieces. I have at present a SD103S that I can use with APM 5, 13 and 17 mm XWA's by using them with a 1.25" fitting to a Baader T2 prism diagonal. However when trying to use the above EP's with a Baader 2" dielectric diagonal there is not enough infocus. A 2" Baader prism diagonal has an optical path of 100 mm, that saves 12 mm over the 2" dielectric optical path of 112 mm. This will not be enough, the issue is the scope. I'm looking for a scope which will support the 20 mm APM XWA and an APM 30 UFF. These need a 2" diagonal. I suspect a Takahashi 100DL would have the same issue of not enough infocus either. Is this correct? The only option I've come up with is a LZOS 105 mm/F6.2, focuser will have the range to support the EP. Any other ideas or options? I'd need to cut the tube for the SD103S to work. I like the Vixen SD103S however I like the wide field views more. Interested in 100 mm scope, not smaller or bigger. Also supported Bino's without a GPC would be good, back focus of around 220 mm. Thanks

How much wide field viewing would you imagine doing with the scope, e.g. with an Ethos 21 mm or APM 20 XWA? My SD103S does not have enough infocus for either of these EP’s so I need to use another scope and I suspect the 100DZ has the same limitation. The APM 140 will not had the focuser has the range to accommodate these EP’s.

I believe the 140 mm has got a poly-Strehl around 0.92, so how many nights of the year will you be able to make use of a scope with a higher Strehl? Note, TMB defined 0.95 Strehl as a limit where a scope would be seeing limited most nights of the year, so why engineer more? I’m sure your SXD2 would be able to handle the 140 mm, so unless portability is a requirement I’d go with the larger aperture. Also how much overlap with you Mewlon 180? Always good to have a 4” for flexibility, does it need to be a DZ?

Surprised no NV intensifier attached. 😄