skyliner on Eq mount

[Bungielad]

Hi all,

I am wanting to get the skywatcher explorer 200p but was wondering if I could get the best of both worlds and buy the skyliner 200p on dob mount, but if I wanted to.....I could take the ota and use it with an eq mount if i was to buy one seperatly.

is this possible and would the eq5 be capable of supporting the ota?

cheers,

Bungielad.

[John]

It's quite possible - you just need to get some tube rings and a dovetail bar to fit the Skylinter 200P tube, which are the same as the Explorer 200P. The EQ5 might be a bit overwhelmed by the longer tube though. For imaging you would really need and EQ6 but an HEQ5 might be OK for visual use.

[Bungielad]

Nice one john, cheers for that.

Bungielad

[Scott]

It's doable although the 1200mm skyliner might be a step too far for the eq5. The 1000mm explorer was fairly close to the limit on my eq5. Others who have tried it may know differently though.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want the eq? is it for imaging? If so, I'd definately stay away from the 200p skyliner. 

[Scott]

Or do what John says... Too slow again Scott

[Bungielad]

I would like to do imaging, whats up with the skyliner for imaging, is the length a problem?

Bungielad.

[Scott]

Yeah, definately too long for an eq5 (IMHO). I used to image with the explorer which is 200mm shorter on an eq5 and was throwing away a lot of subs due to wind etc. Guiding will need to be spot on too. When starting out with imaging, it's generally recommended that you start with a shorter focal length such as 80mm frac or the 130p ds. At the end of the day though, it's down to you. many people break the mould and get exellent results. Good luck with whatever you choose to do

[AstroAdam]

I use exactly that scope on an HEQ5.  Its right at the limit, but can be used for imaging, as long as there's no wind around, and you take the time to balance properly.  They're like a sail if it's windy, and wobble quite a bit with every gust.  However, the 200p Skyliner on an HEQ5 is absolutely fine for visual use, barring the fact that the focuser can be very high up...

Best to start in the home position with the focuser pointing downwards I find.

Apart from that, it's a fine scope for use both on the dob base and the EQ mount.

Here's a (fairly old) shot of it in use...