TS dob tracking platform

[Mr Flibble]

I'm looking to get a tracking platform in the next month or so and was wondering if anyone has used or has any opinions on the TS version. The reason I'm interested in this one is because its much cheaper than the Watch House and the Geoptik, and I can't see me making one myself because I'd struggle with finding time! Thanks.

[Dodge]

They look nice, but it says they're preset for Central European lattitudes and "Differing latitudes can be considered in the production process."

I don't know it that means they're adjustable, or you're stuck with how they make it.

If you do enquire I'd be interested in the response.

[estwing]

that's half the price of one i've been lookin at! =£217...not bad

Edited July 23, 2012 by estwing

[Mr Flibble]

They look nice, but it says they're preset for Central European lattitudes and "Differing latitudes can be considered in the production process."

I don't know it that means they're adjustable, or you're stuck with how they make it.

If you do enquire I'd be interested in the response.

I'll send them an email and find out what the situation is with the latitude settings. Will let you know the outcome.

[alan potts]

I would go for the geoptic, I know some that has one and I could stamd on it and it would turn me. I know it's more money but I think it would be better in the long run.

Alan

[Dodge]

I'll send them an email and find out what the situation is with the latitude settings. Will let you know the outcome.

Hi David,

Just wondered if you ever got a response them TS?

Cheers

[Mike73]

By the looks of the first pic on the TS site it looks like you can adjust the height of the south sector so I should imagine the two northern ones would be the same. It wouldnt make sense to make it so you couldnt change it to different latitudes.

The only thing I dont like about the TS platform is the way the motor sticks out, its just asking for an accidental kick in the dark!

Apart from that it looks very good, being able to take weights unto 60kg and the price being the two biggest attractions to me.

[Mr Flibble]

Hi Dodge, yes I've been in touch with TS about the platform and the lattitude is set when it's built at 55 degrees. They said this will be fine for my lattitude at 51 degrees but they can also build one to a specific lattitude if needed, so I've placed an order for one for 51 degrees, should take a few weeks for it to be built - excellent service from TS

Mike, the motor positioning is the one potential downside that I can see so when I try it out I'll see if it is an issue. If so maybe it can be modded somehow, or even fix some sort of protective shield around it.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Mr Flibble

[Dodge]

Excellent - thanks for letting me know. Looking forward to your first light report!

[Mike73]

Mike, the motor positioning is the one potential downside that I can see so when I try it out I'll see if it is an issue. If so maybe it can be modded somehow, or even fix some sort of protective shield around it.

One problem with the Celestron motor is the speed control is a bit fiddly to get right. If you wrap a cable tie around it you'll have alot better and finer control of the speed.

[Mr Flibble]

Thanks for the tip Mike .

I need to correct the last post I made about the latitude. I've just received a communication from TS stating the standard platform is set at 50 degrees and not 55 degrees as I was previously told . All's well that end's well!

[Mike73]

Before I bought mine I read a couple old threads on here saying that the Celestron motor wasnt all that good at keeping stable speeds, it nearly put me off buying a platform. I've only had that problem once, I changed the battery and after that it was fine! So another tip is to get a few decent quality batteries as back ups. I bought a pack of 5 Duracell for less than a tenner off Ebay which is cheap as chips compared to buying them in the high street. I observe nearly every time its clear and always use my platform and found a battery will last about 2 months.

I've only polar aligned mine once and had DSO's in the FoV for about 40 mins but to be honest unless you are doing web cam imaging then just a rough polar alignment of the platform will do. At higher mags you'll still have to give the dob a little nudge every 10 minutes but its no bother. There are some lunar sketches on my blog which I used around x300 mag, I'm really not very good at sketching anyway so it would of been all but impossible for me to do at those mags without the platform!

I'm upgrading to a 16" dob soon so will probably just keep the platform at home and use it for lunar and planets. I know I will miss the platform to start with but I'm sure I'II get used to being without it again.

IMO EQ platforms for dobs are great, not a necessity but still very nice little luxury to have.

[Mr Flibble]

Due to some unexpected clear skies last night I got my first opportunity to try out the platform.

Firstly the build quality is good, its very strong but surprisingly light. It comes in two parts which just sit on top of each other so its easy to transport and stick in the car boot with the rest of your other bits and bobs and hardly takes up any space at all. The EQ2 drive is adequate for the job, a little on the noisy side but tolerable. There is no bubble level or compass included so I'll be looking to fix one to the bottom section to ensure correct alignment. Like the complete numpty that I am I set it up with the wrong end pointing north at first and couldn't work out why I couldn't get it tracking but then luckily I was with a mate at the time who got it sorted for me . I'll also look into getting some adjustable feet so that levelling will be easy.

With the scope and dob placed in position I set about getting a bright star in the FoV of a high power eyepiece and adjusted the speed of the drive. This was very straight forward and I got the tracking speed set correctly pretty quickly and it kept the star centered nicely. Time was an issue with having to pack up with work the next day so with all of the donkey work now done I'm looking forward to getting out on my next session and giving the tracking a thorough workout on some DSO's.

[GTom]

Reviving an ancient topic I wonder if anyone has long-term experience with the TS EQ platform, especially some deep sky photography?

I am interested if a dual-latitude version would be possible, 28 AND 45 degrees. I intend to travel with the Dob, and those are interesting for me. Alternatively I wonder if latitude can be adjusted with e.g. a fixed angle wedge, shifting the range with 20 degrees??