127Mak or 150P

[Steve Clay]

Ok here goes.

Research done, club night attended and a couple of scopes looked through.

Im' 5'11 nearly 60 and really suffer from lower back issues. I love the idea of SW 200 skyliner Dob (bang for buck) but I think that the viewing positions even on a chair would be too uncomfortable. Looked through one at club night and even at zenith i'm crouched.

So other options:

127 MAX on the AZGTI WiFi mount with pier extension should give me as about upright as I can get. Could also get a small frac on the mount for wide angle views to overcome some of the MAK limitations of long FL

Or

150 P on AZ4 with pier extension.

Both would need the tripod legs partial extended.

 

MAK Option: I would really appreciate comments from AZGTI user  on the stability of the supplied FLO kit and how they find using the AZGTI. Is it realistic to extend the tripod legs or is it not that good? what is a realistic eye height

150P on AZ4: is there anybody who uses this with the pier extension between the tripod and AZ4 and what eye heigh can be achieved and is it stable with the 150p

I did send an e-mail to FLO to see if I could go to the warehouse to look for myself but they said it was not possible as they are just a warehouse. There are no retailers(shops) anywhere near where I live. I could go between Falmouth and Bridgwater to look if anybody knows on any retailers.

I am leaning towards the MAK but welcome your comments.

Thank you

 

[Ronclarke]

Either would suit you, it depends on what you want to view? MAK for Lunar, Solar and the Planets (also bright DSO's) or the 150p for DSO's and the rest!!

Cheers

Ron

[cloudsweeper]

A 200 Dob is a great multi-purpose 'scope.  You could do what I did with my 10" Dob, that is make a sturdy base/platform to stand it on.  You  can tailor it to exactly the height you need for comfort.

Doug.

[Trikeflyer]

1 minute ago, cloudsweeper said:

A 200 Dob is a great multi-purpose'scope.  You could do what I did with my 10" Dob, that is make a sturdy base/platform to stand it on.  You  can tailor it to exactly the height you need for comfort.

Doug.

I'm 6ft 3 ins and I also have an 8inch dob on a custom made platform to raise the height. Works a treat.

I prefer the Dob to the Mak (mines an etx 125) probably not as good as sw 127 as mine is old but have found the narrow field of view a bit limiting for deep sky.  Great for Lunar and planets as has been said but the Dob can also work nicely for these and it's good on deep sky.

Just my opinions, others will, I am sure have just as valid alternative views.

Steve 

 

[rhw1967]

I have the 127 Mak on a Az GTi and am delighted with it.. no issues at all with the mount, quite the opposite in fact, it's amazing.... Have to say though I am new to Astronomy, so am certain there are plenty of people that can give much better advice.

I actually have the 200P Dob as well, and put it on a table so have no issues with my back.

 

Here's a great video showing how easy it is the set up the AZ GTi mount, features, etc, etc....

 

[Charic]

1 hour ago, Steve Clay said:

Im' 5'11 nearly 60 and really suffer from lower back issues. I love the idea of SW 200 skyliner Dob (bang for buck) but I think that the viewing positions even on a chair would be too uncomfortable. Looked through one at club night and even at zenith i'm crouched.

What was the view like? 
Some folk find that raising their Dob on a water butt  support stand helps, or even find a more suitable seat.

[Red Dwarfer]

An adjustable seat sounds like a possible solution - I recently got one of these from eBay and they work very well with my 200P and other Alt-Az tripods 

[Steve Clay]

23 minutes ago, rhw1967 said:

I have the 127 Mak on a Az GTi and am delighted with it.. no issues at all with the mount, quite the opposite in fact, it's amazing.... Have to say though I am new to Astronomy, so am certain there are plenty of people that can give much better advice.

I actually have the 200P Dob as well, and put it on a table so have no issues with my back.

 

Here's a great video showing how easy it is the set up the AZ GTi mount, features, etc, etc....

 

How do you find the height of the 127 setup and stability of the kit tripod if raised up. How do you find looking at DSO's with the Mak?

 

[Steve Clay]

20 minutes ago, Charic said:

What was the view like? 
Some folk find that raising their Dob on a water butt  support stand helps, or even find a more suitable seat.

I enjoyed what I could see through it. At an angle of about 45 deg it was really quite uncomfortable though and back ached when I stood up.  Doctors and Osteopaths not able to fix it. 40 years of sitting in helicopter seats and vibration. Was fun though.

[Alien 13]

I have back pain and for me a Dob is pretty much guaranteed to put the eyepiece in the most uncomfortable position regardless of how high you make it, now if you could rotate the tube then that would be perfect.

Alan

[rhw1967]

Bright DSOs are not too bad, but of course the strength of the Makk doesn't lie here. Also I am still finding my way around the sky, which the AZ GTi is invaluable for.

No stability issues with the tripod extended, the Mak 127 is well within the weight of the mount/tripod limit. As for height it's great for me, no stooping down badly and straining my neck/back.

[Steve Clay]

1 minute ago, rhw1967 said:

Bright DSOs are not too bad, but of course the strength of the Makk doesn't lie here. Also I am still finding my way around the sky, which the AZ GTi is invaluable for.

No stability issues with the tripod extended, the Mak 127 is well within the weight of the mount/tripod limit. As for height it's great for me, no stooping down badly and straining my neck/back.

Thats reassuring. How tall are you? if you don't mind me asking.

 

[Steve Clay]

4 minutes ago, Steve Clay said:

Thats reassuring. How tall are you? if you don't mind me asking.

 

 

 

[rhw1967]

I'm 5 feet 11 inches tall.. just under.

Sorry long way from you, am in North Wales.

[Steve Clay]

6 minutes ago, rhw1967 said:

I'm 5 feet 11 inches tall.. just under.

Sorry long way from you, am in North Wales.

Thanks, same height as me. I was inadvertently looking at my own profile location.....(what a muppet) 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I'll just mention that with catadrioptic telescopes (Maksutov or SCT) the eyepiece position varies little regardless of where the scope is pointed, in contrast with other designs where the eyepiece movement arc can be measured in feet.  Bad back sufferers may note that for their  aperture, SCTs are probably the lightest of all designs (but not light on the wallet ?).    In practice, I find my Mak and SCT much more convenient to use than my Newtonian or my vintage long-focus brass refractor.

[TSRobot]

The heritage 130 is ace. I've owned so many telescopes now. Still have a few. The heritage 130 can be put on a table, a chair, the ground or even as I do, on an azgti. It's so light that my back never complains and so cheap my missus never complains. Uber portable too. I live in light polluted Coventry, but saw m31, m13 and others last night. The moon was fab. Easy to take to a dark site.