Skymax 127mm Synscan & CG5 tripod

[kevthered]

I've just bought a Skywatcher Skymax 127mm Synscan, and although I'm very impressed with the quick views I got of the moon through it, I was a bit disappointed at how much shake there is when adjusting focus.

To help make it more stable, I was wondering, would I be able to switch the 1.25" leg tripod it came with, for a more substantial CG5 tripod, or would the size of thread / fittings prevent this ?

Thanks

Kev

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I think tripods are interchangeable, but i'm not sure if it's the same between companies. The meade with 2" steel legs is pretty good i'm told. Failing that, there are some mods, like hanging a weight or filling the legs with sand.

[JamesF]

Hanging a weight from the underside of the tripod or putting weight in the eyepiece tray is a favourite way to increase the stability, as is not fully extending the legs. Some people modify the focuser to make the knob larger (basically cut a hole in the centre of the lid of a peanut butter jar and fit that over the focuser knob, but do eat the peanut butter first which helps a bit. Another option that I used to use is to clip a peg onto the focuser knob once I'd got the the focus position close and then focusing is just a case of pushing the peg up or down.

James

[kevthered]

Hanging a weight from the underside of the tripod or putting weight in the eyepiece tray is a favourite way to increase the stability, as is not fully extending the legs. Some people modify the focuser to make the knob larger (basically cut a hole in the centre of the lid of a peanut butter jar and fit that over the focuser knob, but do eat the peanut butter first which helps a bit. Another option that I used to use is to clip a peg onto the focuser knob once I'd got the the focus position close and then focusing is just a case of pushing the peg up or down.

James

I'd read about the peanut butter lid idea, now I can't stop craving peanut butter (got to be crunchy !!)

I think I'll give the peg a try first, but I was hoping a sturdier tripod might improve things even more, I'm just not sure if the Skymax and CG5 are compatible.