difference between portable and grab and go

[rowan46]

We have all done it at times somebody has it in their heads to go striding up a mountain and do astronomy from on top of the world and they ask what's the best grab and go? Or somebody asks for portable and somebody replies well it only takes me 5 minutes to move my 36" sct into my back garden and i can do it easily by myself. To my eyes there is a difference between portable and grab and go what's your take? And what scope mount tripod combo would you take on a 15 mile hike

[DirkSteele]

Grab and Go to me means I can carry everything that is required to observe by myself in one go (and not straining to do so) and have it constructed (if not already so) and ready to observe in less than 10 minutes. Portable means I can fit it in some kind of motorised transport. By that definition, the 22" Dob that someone brought to the astrocamp I was at over the bank holiday weekend is portable...which it is. But not grab and go.

[rowan46]

Grab and Go to me means I can carry everything that is required to observe by myself in one go (and not straining to do so) and have it constructed (if not already so) and ready to observe in less than 10 minutes. Portable means I can fit it in some kind of motorised transport. By that definition, the 22" Dob that someone brought to the astrocamp I was at over the bank holiday weekend is portable...which it is. But not grab and go.

I beg to differ sir portable means it can be carried by a person if you use machines or animals it's transportable

[ronin]

The difference? About 12 to15 kg I suspect. :grin:

[Ben Ritchie]

To my eyes there is a difference between portable and grab and go what's your take?

To me 'grab and go' is simple and quick enough that if you looked outside and saw a favourite through a brief gap in the cloud then you'd be outside looking, even if it only lasted a few minutes - if you couldn't (too slow) or wouldn't (too much hassle) it's not grab and go.

My 76mm f/6 refractor with a RDF and Alt-Az mount is my grab and go - lives ready for use, and i'm outside and observing in 30 seconds. An 100mm f/8 refractor or an 8" SCT on a HEQ5 is portable, but it's not grab and go.

[DirkSteele]

I beg to differ sir portable means it can be carried by a person if you use machines or animals it's transportable

Semantics but then that is what this whole thread is about! I suppose I was considering portable and transportable the same thing. I do not consider the notion of portable the moving of the scope from my house to the garden. Though it could certainly be considered to be the case.

I certainly would not want to carry my fork mounted C11 very far and under the definition of can be carried by one person, it would pass, but at 65lbs for the fork/OTA assembly, it would be less than fun quite quickly.

[scuffer]

Grab & go is something you can just decide to take at the last minute - just go pick it up and get off , portable will be depend on the lengths people will go to to make it portable and where it needs to be portable to . As for a 15 mile hike think I'd take a micro - scope

[Schorhr]

I'd take a micro - scope

For me portable is anything that fits into a backpack and is <10kg (maximum beeing a ~10" travel dobson).

Grab-and-Go is anything I can carry a mile and you don't have to assemble (Small refractor, Mak, or h130p!).

Of course there are larger telescopes possible if you pay a lot or custom build them :-)

My next telescope will be a 76/300 or 70/450 dobson that will fit into a 10x10x5cm (4x4x2") box, and thus into a pocket ;-)

[JamesF]

My 10" dob is easily portable. It is never going to be "grab and go"

James

[rowan46]

My 10" dob is easily portable. It is never going to be "grab and go"

James

you see we're back to that definition of portability. I don't drive and i can't view from the back garden. I am not a weak person but i could not carry a 10" dob to my viewing area easily.

[Scott]

Is portable not short for transportable?

I guess anything that's not pier mounted in an observatory by definition must be portable (transport from indoors to outdoors). for me, grab and go fits in one bag and can be carried easily in one hand or on your back.

[Schorhr]

I'Ve seen people showing off their 10" and 12", even lighter then the 10" sumerian, so it's possible :-)

But only if some cheap thin mirrors come along:-)

[RichieP]

I always think grab and go sort of implies a short cool down time as well I.e. so you can be out and observing in minutes on a whim. I only think of my small refractors as grab and go for that reason.

[dephelis]

In my mind:

Grab and go: Able to take everything in one go without needing a car. Quick setup time but not necessarily quick cool down, as you invariably can still observe on low power until the scope has cooled. Examples would be small fracs, catadioptrics under 6", or newts of 4" or less on light mounts.

Portable: Where a single person can transport the equipment. House to garden or house to darksite via car.

That then leaves the larger scopes that either need permanent observatories or multiple people to assist in carrying/setup.

Damien

[bomberbaz]

I have a skywatcher startravel 80 OTA and now looking for a cheap, lightweight mount. I have seen a EQ1 (not table top) for sale at 50 quid and toying with that. Would have prefered AltAz for such a little scope but still only would only weigh about 6Kg all in.

Would that count as grab n go?

Anyway like some others have said and i agree, grab n go and portable are two different meanings.

I think the ultimate grab n go are bins, but they aren't scope plus mount eh.

Anyway, my best portable would be something along the lines of what I am looking at above, mainly because I don't know any better on smaller scopes. But I wouldn't do a 15 mile hike with or without it

[foundaplanet]

I always think grab and go sort of implies a short cool down time as well I.e. so you can be out and observing in minutes on a whim. I only think of my small refractors as grab and go for that reason.

This mostly covers it for me to. I don't see grab and go so much for grabbing and going somewhere, I see it more for the moments when I can only get a few minutes in or for when I'm cloud dodging. So a decent pair of bins does the job best for me as they live next to the back door.

Portable for me is putting my dob and all my gear in my van and driving to dark site.

[Naemeth]

To me, there are different levels of portability.

1) Walking Portability - Anything that can be carried by hand or put in a holdall / suitcase and carried or wheeled to an observing site without arm strain. (My Heritage 130P will fit this criteria once I finish modding my holdall for it, but doesn't fit into this category yet)

2) Car Portability - Anything you need a car to be able to transport your scope further than your back garden.

3) Back-Garden / Observatory Portability - Anything you can't realistically move without hassle, but can be moved with the right equipment (think huge refractors for instance)

Grab and Go is more about setting up time, if you're out in 5 minutes observing, or don't need any extra time to set-up other than cooling down, it's grab and go.

[JamesF]

I have a skywatcher startravel 80 OTA and now looking for a cheap, lightweight mount. I have seen a EQ1 (not table top) for sale at 50 quid and toying with that. Would have prefered AltAz for such a little scope but still only would only weigh about 6Kg all in.

If you set the latitude to 0 or 90 degrees on an EQ mount then it effectively is alt-az

James

[Moonshane]

for me grab and go is in the eye (or the back) of the beholder. it really depends what you want to do and your circumstances etc. I can pick up and start using any of my scopes (at lower powers) within a few minutes in the back garden and they are all transportable in the car. however, I'd not wish to carry any of them up a mountain on my back. for that criterion, I'd use either bins or a small refractor I think on a photo tripod with a small alt az head like a mini giro.

personally though, if I were going to the effort of travelling to a mountain observing site, I'd just choose the venue to allow me to drive to the site with my 16" dob. if I'm honest I cannot see the reason for the emphasis on grab and go. being outside and set up ready to use in ten minutes applies to almost any set-up, including my 16" dob (although perhaps not some closed sstems like SCTs/Maks) although I do concede that one reason I bought the 12" dob I have is that on those nights when it just clears quickly and is likely to cloud over again at some stage, it's not worth lugging the 16" out even into the back garden.

[LukeSkywatcher]

For me, my 8" SCT is portable. My Heritage 130P is grab n' go.

[Schorhr]

I'm curious, do you observe with the 130p on the ground, or do you have anything that's portable or to carry it in and doubles as a table?

[LukeSkywatcher]

I use it on the ground. The EP is at a good height this way for me in my wheelchair, which is about the same as a kitchen chair etc.

[Schorhr]

Oh okey, I find it difficult on some low objects, even with the tiny folding chair I usually take along. Perhaps I'm just clumsy - Almost tipping over once would suggest that ;-) But to my defense, one of the stool's legs was sinking into the mud...

[LukeSkywatcher]

I dont tend to worry about low down objects as my views are obstructed by houses and trees. More often then not i have the scope pointed about 50-60 degrees up as thats about the point when i can start to see things.

[rowan46]

Here I think is my ultimate portable setup for hiking up a mountain

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/optical-tube-assemblies/celestron-c5-spotter-spotting-scope.html

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1795_Tecnosky-eLLe-Binomount---Montierung-fuer-Gro-fernglaeser-bis-100mm.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bilora-C283-Perfect-Carbon-Tripod/dp/tech-data/B0018KCYR8/ref=de_a_smtd

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pentax/pentax-xl-8-24mm-zoom.html