While I am waiting for my scope.....

[SteveT]

I am waiting for my scope to arrive which sadly wont be until around April according to Martin (FLO), I went for a CGEM 925 as i wanted a quite high end setup for viewing etc and a good foundation for some AP later on.

While I have the money, I was thinking of (yes I know i havent got my first one yet but..) getting a second faster scope for viewing/imaging DSOs etc which I am assuming I would be able to mount in parallel to the C925 with appropriate hardware etc.

I am looking for suggestions as to what I should get for a reasonable experience that will complement the 925 - I am not too fussed about budget but dont want to go overboard as I need to set some cash aside for CCDs etc. I was thinking about an SW Equinox 80ED Pro as it seems a popular choice and mid quality (f/6.25) or maybe a WO Megrez 72 (f/6).....

Am I in the right area or are there others I should consider, and is this the right scope to complement the C925 ? I am aslo assuming that when I have both mounted on the CGEM mount I can use either one for tracking depending on which one I am using for imaging/viewing (with appropriate CCD or something) ?

Any advice appreciated as I want to spend some more money

[DOBBY]

Drinks all round would be a start...

[foundaplanet]

Plenty of people get brilliant results from the skywatcher ed80 in AstroPhotog. It is also a useful grab and go scope. Don't forget you will need to get a flattener as well.

There is the William Optics GT81.

This is worth a look Starwave 80 ED Refractor Telescope*::*Refractor telescopes*::*Telescopes*::*Altair Astro I think its new brand and there is a bit about it on the forum here.

Good luck

[SteveT]

hmmm... that Starwave looks good value, but that GT81 looks awesome, perhaps a little above the budget I had in mind though.

[SteveT]

Equinox 80ED or WO 72 or 80mm for imaging?

[brantuk]

The Meg72 is a very nice little wide field scope well capable of imaging dso's. But it's a small aperture so I wouldn't recomend it for deep sky observing, and it's wasted as a mere guide scope. You'll need more counterweight too cos it's quite heavy.

Have you considered an OAG and reducer for the 925? Or you could guide with an ST80 which is nice and light.

[hemihaggis]

.... april ........... :icon_eek: you will have missed the whole winter ????? whats the hold up ?????

[SteveT]

Haggis, there's no stock of 925s in the UK until next import expected April.

Brantuk, I may well look at a reducer for the 925 but I was looking at a second OTA to give me the best of both worlds, and also something I could get my hands on before the winter's out!

I may end up with the Equinox but I keep getting tempted by the DDG of the WO, I think 80mm seems a good aperture and with a reducer would be near perfect from what I have been seeing others use.

Apart from silly money, the Equinox appears to be among the best of the range and would be a good complement as a dual mount with the 925, the weight is not an issue I hope with the CGEM mount. As I haven't played with anything yet I'm just looking for some reassurance that I'm getting the right setup.

[Luke]

I had some issues imaging with my C11 (admittedly heavier) on a dual mount bar on the NEQ6 which seem to have gone away since I switched to using an off-axis guider. Whether it's the lesser weight, guiding at the native imaging focal length, anything to do with mirror flop, balance issues, flexure, etc., I am not sure?

For my ED80 I'm very happy with it on a dual mount bar with the relatively cheap ST80 as a guide scope.

Good luck with whichever way you decide to go!