200p flex tube auto.... goto possible?... and other questions

[palatine]

hi

can anyone tell me if it is possible to make the auto into a goto? is it simply a case of acquiring the correct handset?

any help is much appreciated.

also is there a wedge available to allow long exposeir astrophotography?

and while I'm, askin... would a dlsr mounted to this set up be ok as the balance point is fixed?

I'm fairly new to all this stargazing and have been using a modest refractor on a german eq mount for nearly 2 years but want to upgrade.

cheers

ira

[russ.will]

Yes. You just buy a Synscan handset, make sure it has the AZ firmware and off you trot.

A wedge would be of limited use, because the tracking action of Auto/Got Dobs is so coarse compared to a half decent and well adjusted EQ mount. Equatorial tracking platforms exist for Dobs, but for the money they cost, you could almost get set up with a second hand HEQ5 Pro and an ED80 which would be a lot less faff.

Russell

[SeedyF]

_Palatine,

_{I looked into the possibility of upgrading an auto to Goto last year when I was buying my new dob. It certainly is possible and there are quite a few threads on here about it. Sadly I couldn't source a 250 auto at the time so went the whole hog and bought the Goto.}

[SeedyF]

PS - I overlooked the second part of your question.

I nkow nothing about wedges but the dob isn't really suited to long exposure (probably why you are asking about wedges I guess!)

A DSLR will probably drag the front of the scope down - it does on my 250 flex tube. I have got round that by using a 1kg welding magent which I attach to the mirror end of the tube. The magnet is strong enough to keep it in place whatever the angle and it balances the camera nicely. I got a magnet from Amazon for less than a fiver.

[palatine]

thanks for the replies gents...

my other option is to stretch the budget out and wait till a used schmit cass or . and a EQ goto comes along.

i want to be portable if poss but also want a "best of both" photo and observing scope... am I on the right path?