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best grab 'n go


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My ED80 mounted on an AZ-3 mount is pretty portable - I can lift it with one hand and be outside observing within 30 seconds. Also it's cool down time is virtually zero which makes it even more grab and go IMHO.

As it's 80mm obviously there's a limit to how "deep" it can go but it always suprises me what it will show.

John

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One of the 66mm SD Apo's would make an ideal 'proper' grab'n'go. Combined with a decent phototripod that will be as grab'n'go as you can get. And the 66 SD's are surprisingly capable performers too.

I wouldn't want to lug my 80ED around for too long. Plus I think it would need the AZ3 mount John suggests.

Russ

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If you mean from the shed to the garden, I think the best Grab & Go is a Dobsonian.

If you want to take it on your hols then that is different and depends on your circumstances. For me, it must be tough enough to bundle in the back of the car with all the usual paraphenalia that accompanies me when going on holiday. Something short, with about 4" aperture that is cheap (so I won't fret over it). Something like the Skywatcher Startravel 102. The posh, sexy APO can wait until I'm rich and the kids have grown up!

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I can understand the need to get things packed easily into a car but for around the house/ garden/ shed, how small does a scope need to be? A 8"Dob can be picked up in one go, my HEQ5/ 150mm refractor is the same. How much time hassle is actually saved by having a alt/ az mounted small refractor? People talk of grab and go setups like they're a member of a special forces rapid response team, where every second is vital, rather than an amateur astronomer. :D

<Sorry, its a bit of a bugbear of mine> :D

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:D interesting point Gaz. well, i might have not made this clear enough, i addmit. :p i mean the one you can easily carry arround for an hour or two (10kg or sth) if going on a long night walk, or taking with u on a plane as a hand bagadge. so, no dobs i believe :D thus, i think, the Startravel then, ha?
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The ST80s are great little scopes but if you can stretch to an ST102 you'll see a big difference in DSOs. IMHO the two big leaps in performance for small scopes are those inbetween a 6" Newt and an 8" Newt and a 3" refractor and 4" refractor.

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like they're a member of a special forces rapid response team,

no that's what will descend on you if you try taking an 8" dob (8" homemade mortar to Joe public) through airport customs :D

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Currently also using a venerable ST102. This time mounted Alt-Azimuthally on an EQ3-2. I found the fall-back phenomema of many a conventional Alt-Az a bit of a pain. The EQ3 works (Lithium-greased) well, even without counter weights, as a "poor man's EZ-touch"? W/added merits of slow-motions too! Now complete with Al-Az circles / digital level etc. etc. :D

Oft quoted as grab 'n' go, I found e.g. a MAK 127 a bit "heavy" for the above setup. Not so much the "multiple trip problem" (I use a DIY-store "tool cart" for ALL the bits!) but rather w/counterwights (now necessary) the whole thing starts to wobble a bit, esp. at higher magnifications. Cat-wise, I had some success with the MAK 90 (a great scope!) on various mounts. In that case, perhaps a table-top EQ1 (on a garden table) might work well? :D

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