Celestron SLT Mounts

[John]

I'm thinking of getting a Celestron SLT GOTO mount to use with my Vixen ED102SS. The Vixen OTA is pretty much the same size and weight as the Celestron 102mm F6.5 achro that is sold as a package with the SLT mount so I assume that the mount will take the OTA OK.

As a budget GOTO solution does the SLT mount have any drawbacks that I need to be aware of ?.

Thanks,

John

[GordonCopestake]

I wouldn't. The SLT is a great little mount for the price but I found it too frustrating in everyday use. It has an 8lb max weight, which isn't quite enough for most people

[John]

Thanks Gordon - my OTA is 9lb so I won't bother.

John.

[Stormwatch]

I don't know about weights, but for the 102 SLT refractor I found the mount to be perfect. Once it was aligned I could add a 2" diagonal and eyepieces and it still worked well enough. I don't know what Gordon found frustrating about it, but for me it's been a perfect mount for a beginner and I can't think of any drawbacks, other than the obvious fact it's not so great for long exposure photography.

If you just want to use it for visual use, I really think it's perfect. VERY light, VERY simple to setup and align, and cheap too.

[GordonCopestake]

I agree it's a great mount for a beginner and I recommend it in that instance often. However for someone who isn't a beginner the tripod stability and the mount arm flexure is too much to bear. At least for me

[Stormwatch]

I agree it's a great mount for a beginner and I recommend it in that instance often. However for someone who isn't a beginner the tripod stability and the mount arm flexure is too much to bear. At least for me

I can't say you're wrong Gordon, as I never used it THAT much. The times I did, conditions were nice, no wind or anything, and the little tripod performed perfectly.

For visual use, in decent conditions, I'd say it's great. There are also ways to work around the tripod stability, such as adding weights.

The mount arm weight carrying thing I really don't have a clue about. People on Cloudy Nights claimed to have added weights to their OTA to stabilise things, which would suggest the mount can take extra weight pretty well.