let me see your grab and go set up

[Daniel-K]

im after a grab & go for when im at home, i do all of my deep sky observing from wales but sometimes it would be nice to get out in the garden for a hour when its clear. so im looking for some idea's. im due a little back pay from work next month so starting the research for equipment i fancy a small ED scope like a 66 or 80mm but on a camera tripod for ease of setting up

[emadmoussa]

Previously...

[Daniel-K]

thanks Emad but thats too heavy duty for what im after

[emadmoussa]

80ED and AZ4...that's what you need...perhaps

[swamp thing]

10" dob mate.

Every observer should have one.

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[emadmoussa]

10" dob mate.

Every observer should have one.

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Mine was too big to be called grab and go...ah well, quick to set-up, but not that small.

[Stu]

80ED and AZ4...that's what you need...perhaps

That sounds like a good option Dan.

I have a TV76 on a mini giro and Induro AT413 tripod, very good for grab and go. An ED80 would do just as well I'm sure.

I used to have a WO66 which I used on a photo tripod, worked well for travelling but maybe not enough aperture for you? I reckon 80 mm is the smallest you could go and still see some reasonable planetary detail and split some doubles.

I can use the mini giro with the PST alongside during the day, or just have the counterweight bar/weight for nights.

Anyway, what's wrong, has the sun got to you? What's wrong with a small dob? 150p or similar? ;-)

Cheers,

Stu

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[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I planned to use this for grab and go

and found it could handle this

which is WAY better for DSOs except very wide ones.

It now mainly carries this:

As my main scope sits better on my GP mount, which I can set up in 5-7 minutes for visual. The (mini-)giro head on a photo tripod is an interesting option I am looking into for travel purposes

[Dude_with_the_tube]

my frak is my grab and go.

takes 5 mins to bring out and plonk on the mount.during the day no electronics and used as manual,in the evening,takes 10-15 mins to set up,allign and off ya go.

[Daniel-K]

Stu what tripod is that giro on.a 130pds would be great idea.no sun stu just overtime .

[emadmoussa]

I planned to use this for grab and go

and found it could handle this

which is WAY better for DSOs except very wide ones.

It now mainly carries this:

As my main scope sits better on my GP mount, which I can set up in 5-7 minutes for visual. The (mini-)giro head on a photo tripod is an interesting option I am looking into for travel purposes

Loving the homemade mount...nice work!!

[Stu]

Stu what tripod is that giro on.a 130pds would be great idea.no sun stu just overtime .

It's an Induro AT413. Not cheap but about the most stable photo tripod I've found. I tried a Redsnapper carbon fibre jobby but thought it vibrated quite a lot so returned it.

http://m.indurogear.com/products/induro-alloy-at-series-8m-tripods-at413.aspx

I got mine from Dale Photographic

http://www.dalephotographic.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/DalePhotographicOnline/_AT413/319582/Induro%20AT413%20Alloy%20Tripod

Stu

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[paul mc c]

This an 8" on a home made base,very light and with enough appeture to keep me happy.

[AlexB67]

For not breaking the bank I am still  loving the Heritage 130p after owning it almost a year, no picture to show but loads of them on the net and here on the forum.

A 5 inch mirror cools and settles down very quickly,  compared to my 10 inch anyway. It works very nicely for double stars and planets after not much cool down and grabs some deep sky too.

For home use the 5 inch h Dob has provided me with a lot of nice sessions when the weather is in that sort of undecided mind, and I just can't be quite asked with the 10 inch in those situations. Due to our glorious climate  that happens quite a bit.

One issue with the Heritage is that It will not take 2 inch eyepieces. At some stage I am tempted to upgrade to something like this perhaps .

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=74684

Who knows,  I had a small Maksutov in the back of mind as well on AZ, or a nice  smallish refractor at some point,

Right. I am not really helping with a specific scope am  I?   Just a collection of random thoughts

[Nakedgun]

Daniel-K,

For G&G, a camera tripod is convenient, but, the head selected can have a big impact on viewing pleasure, or lack thereof. A simple two or three-way head often lacks the necessary control one needs for tracking at desirable powers.

First image is of an angle-bodied spotting scope with red-dot finder I keep mounted for carrying outside to quickly engage targets of opportunity, such as wildlife, aircraft, etc. and though max power is 60x, it will show Saturn's rings but is better at wide field objects such as open clusters and double stars not too closely separated. A Manfotto tripod w/501 video head makes this a useful combo.

For a true featherweight, the next image has a Borg 60ED mated to a Vixen Mini-Porta head, which I have adapted to a Manfrotto tripod. At f/5.8 its size can be appreciated by the Rigel mounted atop the tube.

In a three-inch size, the last picture has a Tak FC76 on the William Optics EZTouch, attached to a surveyor's-type tripod. At 4lbs. this light scope can be mounted on a wide variety of tripod/head combos, so long as it will be stable with an f/7.5 tube.

Good luck.

[Stu]

I'm seriously looking at the Technosky Elle for travel and grab and go use.

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1795_Technosky-eLLe-binomount-for-big-binoculars-up-to-100mm-aperture.html

Stu

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[rowan46]

I'm seriously looking at the Technosky Elle for travel and grab and go use.

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1795_Technosky-eLLe-binomount-for-big-binoculars-up-to-100mm-aperture.html

Stu

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I have an 80mm triplet on a technosky elle  and theres somebody who uses a 90mm megrez . it may not be quite as good as a giro but it requires no counterweights and fits better into a suitcase if you want to take it on a plane. In short if its to move a scope from the lounge to the back garden there are better. If you need hyper portable eg backpack or something it may actually be the best mount out there. it is also very easy to make into a push to system  not quite digital setting circles but good enough and very cheap

[kerrylewis]

Dan

I have two G&G set ups - the 100 mm refractor on a Portamount and the Dob .

The Dob is quick to set up at home but would not be quite so easy to transport. My son calls it the 'trundle scope' having seen me trundling it out of the garage on its trolley !

As a Dob man I thought that you would go for one of the smaller ones - nothing much easier than that. But for a tripod type set up the

Portamount and a refractor is great.

Kerry

[estwing]

Wasting money that could go towards that big dob...tut,tut Danny boy..get a Telementor instant classic..or something like what rustysplit has got

[Laurie61]

I have been using my 100 mm bino's, cool down is not usually a problem and they are comfortable to use with a stool.   

[kerrylewis]

They look good Laurie. What are the two black eyes?

[Moonshane]

what sort of thing are you looking to / hoping to observe from home with this kit? I bought a 90mm f5.5 scope as a G&G and found the views relatively unrewarding after a very short period of time, possibly due to the light pollution at home.

in all truth my grab and go is my 12" f4 dob which can be set up in minutes and used immediately for low power. I also have a 6" f5 on an AZ4 which is really great. light and easy to use, doblike in movement and I also made a solar filter for it. this would be my recommendation for a smaller scope. 

[rowan46]

some pics of my technosky elle

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

That TechnoSky mount is also one I am considering.

[Laurie61]

They look good Laurie. What are the two black eyes?

I had them set up for white light solar when I took this shot, what you can see is a cardboard sun shade held in place by a car mobile phone holder using the sucker attachment.The two black eyes are the phone holder protruding through card for night time use the phone holder is used with a phone and a stellarium type app as a finder.