Standard tube attachment?

[jzlcdh]

Dear All,

I have a 9cm Skywatcher Matsukov and I am wondering about replacing it with a slightly larger one, say 15cm or 18cm.

If I keep the existing mounting (see pic - if it is not a good enough pic let me know) and just buy the tube am I limited to the Skywatcher brand or would most other 15cm and 18cm Matsukovs fit the mounting?

In other words are there engineering standards (either formal or informal) for attaching small tubes?

Regards

Geoff

[RichieP]

What is your mount? Is it an EQ2? The larger Maks will be rather heavy for this mount so I think you would need to consider something a bit sturdier.

[RichieP]

Actually I think this is an EQ1 mount which is usually supplied with the Mak 90. In this case you definitely need a larger mount to handle the larger maks. I would suggest at least an EQ5 for the 150.

Maks are relatively heavy owing to the thickness of the corrector plate. Also I think you may be underestimating how much larger these scopes will be than your current scope.

To answer your question, larger Maks of any make usually have a dovetail rail attached to the OTA. Larger mounts have a dovetail saddle to take the rail. There are only two generally available types of dovetail out there, and you can get adapters, so there is no problem mixing manufacturers.

Richard

[jambouk]

I think the 90mm mak has an odd attachment mechanism unlike the other maks which have standard dovetail like attachments. So even if the mount could tolerate the weight, you'd need to work out how to attach the new scope to the saddle.

I suspect you are looking at a new mount too.

James