Where do you store your mount?

[Mr niall]

Hello,

just acquired an EQ3, it's a huge step up from what I was using before but can't help notice it seems to take up quite a lot of space (well I ididnt notice, Mrs Niall noticed emphatically several times...) so assuming I can leave it up and about I was wondering if anyone out there is in a similar position? Anybody out there completely disassemble their eq mount every time or is there a "sort of" way you can do it that saves space. I just worry that if I take the tray off and fold the legs then the weights will all still be on and it'll be a bit unweildy. But then if I take the weights off I might as well remove the arm and so on and so on and so on...

[Space Hopper]

My mount lives tucked away in a corner of my garage.

Its always attached to its tripod, so i narrow the legs in a little so it takes up a smaller footprint.

There are no counterweights or any other add ons apart from the tripod tray.

Although a bit unwieldy i can carry the whole thing carefully outside.

I've found a  gym membership a useful addition to this hobby.

 

When i visit a dark site, i always separate the mount from the tripod for ease of travel. I don't want any accidents !!

 

[Marky1973]

Take Mrs Niall to an astronomy shop and show her an NEQ6 or above and then the EQ3 will seem less of an issue! 

I leave mine set up, but move the mount and tripod without scope and weights to make it easier and put less stress on the mount. I think it I stripped it all down completely I would never use it.... having said that, I found my old eq3 fairly easy to drop down each time and the tripod slipped under the bed quite tidily. If it is just visual, then stripping down/building up each time is manageable. Now I am into astrophotography, it just isn't as much of an option....

[Alien 13]

I too found the EQ3-2 to be huge after camera tripods but as I am single it lives either in the wet room or hall depending on if I am showering or not.

Alan

[Pig]

Mine is permanently set up in the front room, I keep the Mrs in the shed as she found the cellar to be a little damp 

[Davey-T]

44 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

I too found the EQ3-2 to be huge after camera tripods but as I am single it lives either in the wet room or hall depending on if I am showering or not.

Alan

What, you take it in the shower with you Alan ? 

Dave

[DaveS]

I stopped dismantling my kit some time ago fortunately.

Now it sits on a pier covered by a Telegizmos cover.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telegizmos-telescope-covers.html

[Cosmic Geoff]

Perhaps the most relevant response here is what I do with my EQ5. I keep it in the garage with mount on the tripod, legs at full length and the tray off so that I can fold the legs in. Weights off. The telescopes that fit it are in the dining room.

Generally I keep my kit as fully assembled as possible consistent with being able to carry it with complete safety, getting through doorways and so on.  Assembling a kit from "as delivered in box" to "ready to observe" would take far too long! 

[Alfian]

Carrying a mount in and out of the house with spreader/tray attached is a pain, let alone with counterweights attached. Inevitably paint work will get knocked (door jambs etc)  which doesn't help. Unless you can store it in a shed or garage with a suitable covering, I think you will need to at least collapse the tripod and maybe remove counterweights.  Its useful to store the OTA in its own kit bag, keeps dust off and protects from knocks.  I am fortunate that my AZ4/ED100 resides in the house in a prominent place, my good lady fortunately also sees it as aesthetically pleasing! This still means that it has to be taken down, moved and setup, but  with that combo thats pretty easy.

[Astro Imp]

Until recently I had a 150P on an EQ3-2 and always stored this combo in the garage (little or no cool down time). The OTA was kept in a cricket bag wrapped in an old sheet, the mount in a foam lined case and the tripod wrapped in an old car blanket. I only used this for visual and found once I had got used to it setting up took ten/twelve minutes.

[Astro Imp]

15 hours ago, Pig said:

Mine is permanently set up in the front room, I keep the Mrs in the shed as she found the cellar to be a little damp 

Seems very considerate to give her the choice and at least she has a roof over her head 

[JonC]

Before moving I kept the tripod and weights in one of those plastic outdoors storage boxes, get the right size and you can keep the legs spread and tray attached, the head was kept inside.

[Stub Mandrel]

I take mine apart. It doesn't really take that long, you just think it will.

[Pig]

6 hours ago, Astro Imp said:

Until recently I had a 150P on an EQ3-2 and always stored this combo in the garage (little or no cool down time). The OTA was kept in a cricket bag wrapped in an old sheet.

WoW Alan that must be one heck of a large cricket......  

[davehawkins]

6 hours ago, JonC said:

Before moving I kept the tripod and weights in one of those plastic outdoors storage boxes, get the right size and you can keep the legs spread and tray attached, the head was kept inside.

There's no room in the house for the 200P or the Eq5 tripod and mount so they're kept in one of these boxes. The OTA sits in its original box on the polystyrene packaging and with the top flaps folded down the complete mount with weights removed, legs retracted and folded in as far as the eyepiece holder allows lies on top. There's even room for the folded up AZ3 to stand at one end.The whole lot is then covered with a dustsheet. I remove the goto handset etc . As it's close to where it's used it's really quick to set up.

[RichM63]

22 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

I too found the EQ3-2 to be huge after camera tripods but as I am single it lives either in the wet room or hall depending on if I am showering or not.

Alan

Top Man! any future scurries into becoming 'not single' will naturally understand this.

Re setup storage luckily I don't exactly have a problem. But if we were discussing Winter heating....whole different ball game.

[Alien 13]

30 minutes ago, RichM63 said:

Top Man! any future scurries into becoming 'not single' will naturally understand this.

Re setup storage luckily I don't exactly have a problem. But if we were discussing Winter heating....whole different ball game.

You wouldn't believe where my DSLR lives 

Alan

[iapa]

Generally speaking the CGEM DX sits outside under a greenwich at the moment with dovetail and rings attached. 200mm Newt fits into a a 77L storage box in the lounge in front of the couch. SCT in it's shipping box on a shelf in the hall - until I cage a storage box for that which will sit on top of the 200mm Newt..

The AVX will normally be fully assembled with 80mm 'frac in the lounge ready to take out the back through the patio doors. Although generally, I don't do wide field this time of year - so me tear down put in a corner in the lounge.

 

Mrs IaPa has the rest of the house

 

[TareqPhoto]

I hope to find a way to move/transport my AZ-EQ6 mount from upper floor to ground floor to use it outdoor, still it is in my room after i did setup, and waiting cables to connect to computer for updating the firmware, i use my desktop mostly, but maybe i have to use laptop and keep that mount downstairs all the time.

Also i want to find a case to store this mount, there is one bag or case that is empty but designed in same dimensions of the box that mount came within, maybe i will give it a look, but i prefer a hard case if possible.

[JOC]

Dob mounts are not small either - I store my telescope on its mount in the porch where it is ready to go.