badhex

Indeed! Happy with visual for now, AP is an Einstein-Rosen bridge too far.

Agreed! I am thankfully yet to fall down the black hole that is AP but even I would be drooling.

My AZ-GTi handles a C5 pretty well (I chose C5 over Skymax127 as it's a bit lighter) but I think the only real problem with the mount is weight distribution, as it definitely feels a bit lopsided. I am planning to get a counterweight when I can find one in stock somewhere which would bring the weight close to the 5kg but I reckon would handle a bit more easily enough as @jadcx mentioned.

Hello all, I'm building out a travel kit but struggling a bit with the tripod. Ideally I want something that packs down reasonably small but has about the same performance as the Skywatcher tripod supplied with the AZ-GTi and similar mounts, which is a great tripod but a bit bigger than I'd like at 65cm when folded. Does anyone have any experience of these two TS tripods? Both pack down to 48cm. https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8275_TS-Optics-Optics-A284FMO-Aluminium-Tripod---Height-145-mm-to-1670-mm.html https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8276_TS-Optics-C255FMO-Carbon-Tripod---Height-up-to-1560-mm.html Other suggestions are also welcome - ideal budget is <150EUR for something that packs down to around 50cm max but will happily hold around 5kg with mount/scope/accessories etc. Thanks Joe

Nice! Look like a good option, thanks. Am I right in thinking that it will accept the synta-style finder foot? Looks like it might.

Thanks, thats what I was thinking. I will try it all again with the scope rotated so that the finder is closer to the axis. Unfortunately I think that will mean the focuser clashes with the end of the dovetail now I moved everything up but I'll see what I can do. The longer term solution given all these modifications may end up being to remount the rings onto a losmandy plate anyway, adn the vixen dovtail can be used for the finder rings perhaps.

Ah, maybe I didn't explain well - I mean to move it so that the finder is on the same plane as the axis, which also happens to be in line with the top of the scope rings i.e. Not forward but essentially rotated about the scope.

Two questions: 1. What is/are the item(s) ? I'm now dying to know 2. How did you manage to not open the package immediately? I'm impressed with your willpower. I am impatient from the moment I click 'buy'! 😂

Perhaps in the interests of equality we should name this the thread "What did the postie bring?"

Me three! Arriving tomorrow I think!

Yeah, this is my assumption. I also didn't have the Panoptic 41mm then, and wouldn't have attempted balancing even if I did as it was already undermounted. I've used electricians tape for this in the past, works pretty well. The counterweight bar is stored inside on the eq-6 though so I might go with pen to be safe. Pictures are also a great idea, thanks! I guess I'm probabky worrying unnecessarily about balance in this scenario. I know it's crucial for AP and not good for mounts to be unbalanced long term but I guess the EQ-6 will be absolutely fine with the occasional light or heavy eyepiece. RE the finder I'm wondering if repositioning it directly above the rings i.e. On the same plane as the scope and dovetail bar is the right approach? That way the centre of mass should be down the middle of the scope. Not a physic genius so I might have the terms wrong!

Got everything set up this weekend to test balancing again (although no clear skies, naturally) and I'm able to balance it for the most part; the original problem is solved but I now have a couple of new ones! First issue is that I usually balanced my old mount with whatever EP I think I'm going to use most, and rack out to approx focus, but also quickly check my heaviest and lightest EPs for reference. Currently, the difference between the two is at least 500g so it's pretty much not possible to balance it for both so I'm not sure what the best thing to do is. Second issue is that I managed to balance it pretty well without the finder (SW 50mm straight-through supplied with the 80ED) first of all, then added it afterward and made a few adjustments. I could get it to broadly balance whilst the scope was horizontal, but after turning it maybe 60° *in either direction* it would want to flip completely and come to rest upside down, i.e. finder on the lower side. I assume this is because the finder alters the centre of mass/gravity (not sure which is correct here) upwards and makes it top heavy but I'm not sure why I didn't experience this on my old mount, nor what the best approach to fix it is!I 'm going to do some digging on balancing tutorials but any suggestions appreciated. Thanks Joe

So far very impressed! A good example of getting what you pay for.

Okay next bit for the travel kit arrived! Think Tank Airport Essentials bag (it didn't come with all this stuff in it though sadly)

Let us know how you get on. Could do with some of that round here!

Reviving a dead but excellent thread (sorry mods hope that's okay!) as I've started to build out a travel/ultra portable kit. Inspiration from various places including a number of SGL threads, and whilst it's not a final setup (scope will be a TS 70ED, eyepiece setup will be different) I think it will look something like this:

This arrived today for the start of my ultra portable travel kit, based on a recommendation from somewhere in the depths of the Internet. It's a compact little package and some nice additional features, but I think the postman might have to take it back tomorrow as it did not fare well with an AZ-GTi and C5 on it, even though it's supposed to take 8kg ☹️

+1 for the 17.5mm fan club over here. I had an 18mm Meade 5000 UWA which was the first expensive EP I bought, but it after storage ended up with some strange field lens coating issue. I was originally looking for another to replace it as I loved the 'porthole' feeling but then @Chinapig put me on to the Morpheus and I'm so glad he did. In comparison, the Morpheus is a far superior EP. Physically it's lighter and less bulky, the eye lens is huge. Where the Meade was a porthole, the Morpheus is Ten Forward on the USS Enterprise! 😂 I also use the extension ring for ideal eye positioning, and the glow in the dark lettering is a nice touch, although I only own one Morpheus so it's easy to locate in the dark anyway. Optically also far superior - can only echo what others have said - so rather than technical details, an anecdote: When I was first starting out in astronomy I once saw M13 through a huge 12" dob and was totally blown away. So many stars! Before I got the Morpheus I'd had a bit of a break from astronomy for various reasons, and I had that same awestruck feeling seeing the whole Pleiades through the Morpheus - even under Bortle 8 skies - and I'm sure I could see stars in there I'd never picked up before. It reminded me exactly why I love astronomy so much. Needless to say it's spent the most time in use of all my eyepieces since.

Thanks. On the subject of that specific Barlow, I know it's generally thought to be pretty good for the price and in my slower scopes it has been fine, albeit not a daily use item. Much as fast scopes can be more demanding on lower quality EPs is this similarly true of Barlow? My optical knowledge starts to falter a little at this point.

You're completely right, apologies, I wasn't clear. I was just doing a quick calculation based on my 30mm 2" GSO superview which is the only other 2" EP I have (aside from my Panoptic 41mm which I would be terrified take in my travel kit!). I'll admit I've had a nagging feeling that dropping the 2" diagonal means sacrificing much of what this scope is actually best at! I will have to rethink. Regarding the zoom thanks for the heads up - I had actually momentarily forgotten that I have a Seben 8-24mm bought years ago as a stopgap and which doesn't really get used. Perhaps I'll dig it out and give it an airing once the scope arrives.

Hello all I'm building out a lightweight, minimalist grab and go/travel kit based on a TS Optics 70ED which has a FL of 420mm and thus F6. Overall my goals are not dissimilar to Stu's plan in this thread: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/374172-small-fracs-for-viewing/ Although obviously this scope is geared towards wide-field/low power, I'd like to also use it for a bit of planetary as well, so I'm in the process of building out my EPs for the kit. Initial thoughts are as follows: 1x low power 1x medium power 1x high power 1x barlow (currenlty own a 2.5x Revelation/GSO) I've started with medium power, as that's an easy win - I know I'll be very happy with my Baader Morpheus 17.5mm which gives me 24x or 60x barlowed so I think this will work well. First troublemaker is the high power; I already have a BCO 10mm (42x / 105x) and BCO 6mm (70x / 175x). I'd like a bit more than 105x when conditions allow, but 175x is too much. For the low power, I do have 2" accessories/ EPs already but this adds up quickly, weight wise. I'm debating a 1.25" good-quality plossl in the 32mm range like the Baader Classic Plössl, to keep weight down, which will give me 13x / 33x - and crucially a manageable 5.33mm exit pupil. I guess then my questions are: What should I do with the high power? Perhaps an ortho at 8mm (52x / 131x) or at maximum 7mm (60x / 150x) would fit nicely in that gap? Any suggestions? For the low power, I appreciate the FOV will be restricted by the 1.25" barrel size at low powers, but is it worth adding at least half a kilo for the diagonal plus whatever EP, for that extra degree of sky? 3.8° TFOV vs 4.8. Lastly regarding the barlow, as I will be heavily relying on it for the in between steps, is the Revelation going to good enough in a small scope at high(ish) mags, or to get the best of it should I consider investing for example in a Powermate? Any advice or thoughts welcome! Thanks Joe

This really appealed to me too with the 70ED. Can't wait to try out my Panoptic 41mm in it even if the exit pupil is huge and the EP is virtually the same size as the scope!

Thanks for the feedback Stu! Really glad you're enjoying the setup. I will also be using my TS 70ED on either the AZ-GTi or the TS AZT6 push-to depending on what works best for that moment. I also have the SW tripod from the AZ GTi so will use that at home I'd imagine. I'm actually looking at a whitelabel tripod which packs down to 30cm for travel but a bit worried it might not provide enough stability. How did the Geekoto work out for the setup? Comparable to the SW or less stable? Whilst at home I will use a 2" diagonal and EPs for widefield views same as you and currently debating my high power EP setup. Glad to hear that the 6mm + 2x barlow works well for you, although my barlow is 2.5x so likely to be too much of a push at 175x! Either way it sounds like our two setups will have a lot in common so I'm glad it's worked out how you planned

Hello Stu, A few weeks later I wondered how you were getting on with the new scope? I'm planning to build a similar grab and go setup with a TS 70ED which has a similar aperture and FL although obviously inferior optics. I wondered also what tripod you ended up with? I'm looking for something that folds down to about the same length as the scope (30cm ish). Finally, wondered what EP/Barlow combo you are planning to use for the planetary viewing? I currently have a BCO 6mm which only gets me about 70x so considering other options to squeeze a last few mags out of the scope when conditions allow!

Does it count for this thread if I had to go and pick up the package myself from the paketshop? Also, it's actually a repair so not even a purchase 😂 My Lynx Astro 4-port dew controller had to be sent back due to a minor manufacturing issue but is now back and better than ever! Thanks @FLO for the speedy turnaround! File format is an uncommon .TRAPEZOID 😎