Portability

[starnut]

Hi is this to big/practical and heavy to cart around in my car as I live in a flat.

Skywatcher Skymax 127 (EQ3-2) with goto

[rowan46]

it should be manageable to the car and back but it's not a hiking accessory. you still may need 2 journeys though as you will probably need a power pack. it should fit easily into the car although i would take the scope off and put that in a case or something

[Mr Q]

I agree with Rowan. The limit in size of any telescope you want to purchase depends on its portability - if it's too big/heavy, it won't get used as much and end up collecting dust as well as causing you to loose interest in the hobby. But DO try to get the largest aperture you can afford without hindering its portability. Best to buy "large" the first time to save money down the road with larger scope purchases.

[damnut]

That Setup is nice but definitely a double trip!. Grab & go here is a st 120 on az3. Goes in the roofbox, boot or backseat, reasonably bullet proof gets the odd bit of dog slobber, sand and snow!.

Cheers

[Grunthos]

What you will find is that a lot of instruments are described as portable whereas, in reality, they are merely transportable (a subtle but important difference).

The scope you mention seems good enough though (just don't contract "aperture fever" and buy a 12" dobo!).

[West End Wendy]

I think you've got just the right balance between portability and performance there.

Those mounts don't tend to fit neatly into a box, and you always seem to end up carrying the tripod separately, but it's no big deal.

Tim

[misc999]

According to Skywatcher the weights are:

"Tube" (=Scope?) - 3.4 Kg

Tripod - 3.76 Kg

Weights (which tend to be forgotten) - 5.2 Kg

Giving an overall weight of around 12.36 Kg (or in old money - 28 Lbs or 2 Stones)

Think of it as a bit of weight training...but worth it.

Nice choice on scope I reckon as well.

[swamp thing]

What you will find is that a lot of instruments are described as portable whereas, in reality, they are merely transportable (a subtle but important difference)

Guilty as charged.

Being a builder, I am used to using and moving large table saws and concrete mixers etc all the time. In comparison to them even very large Dobs are lightweight and one person manageable.

These concrete mixers are still called portable as they have wheels. The table saws despite being heavy and hard work to move are also portable. The pneumatic drills we use are around 20kg- 30kg, (this is heavier than a 20" Dob mirror). These are considered handheld.

It's easy to forget that not everyone has the same ability as yourself and call something portable, when as you say it's just transportable.

Regards Steve