Will it... Won't it... Semi-serious! (HEQ5 loading)

[Macavity]

Well, I had to (at least just) try it out...

And not just for (limited) bragging rights!

I have always been intrigued about maximum loading

of mounts. This a (rather heavy) SW MAK 150 with an

Altair Astro ED 66-R atop. Total weight 23lb (10.5kg). 

Interestingly, it does balance... And with the standard

two weights only just on a standard extension bar.

There are doubtless folk who load an HEQ5 to 10kg+

 - With impunity and successfully. For me personally,

it all begins to feel just a little too bit much though.

Since I don't HAVE to run a dual scope configuration 

(I'm a Video Astronomer, so don't need no guiding!)

I think I will return to having EITHER my (8kg) 8" f/4

Newt or (8kg) MAK150 separately on the HEQ5... 

I learned that small APOs can be deceptively heavy!

Anyone want a nice new SW guide scope mount? lol

(No advertisement... Just something I wondered)

[xtreemchaos]

overweight or not its a cracking setup mate, i look at the max weight as a guide ,with carefull balancing you can push it a bit.thanks for posting. charl

[Macavity]

In retrospect my ideal mount would have been an "Az Eq"...

But such was just fantasy, when I was accumulating this.

[DaveS]

I've had a Skymax 180 on my HEQ5, though not for imaging. Balanced OK without extension rod, though it was on the limit.

[RobertI]

Nice setup, the Mak looks lovely. I have never looked through one or used one but would love to have a go. I also found a piggybacked small refractor can create a lot of leverage as it sits so far from the axes when mounted on the larger scope. A side by side configuration creates less leverage but seems a bit complicated to balance to me, so I have never tried it.

Rob

[ollypenrice]

Who cares about weight? It dominates discussion endlessly when it is only one of many factors and it shouldn't be given the supremacy that it is usually given.

What are the real factors? (Not all these apply to Chris's specific requirements.)

Weight.

Required guiding precision which can only usefully be specified in arcsends per pixel.

Damping time, partiularly important for visual planetary observers.

Smoothness of PE.

Response to autoguider.

Backlash.

Resistance to wind.

Reliability.

I'm sure I've forgotten a few!

Olly