Attach an ST80 to an AZ Mount - Newbie Help

[dd999]

Hi - a real noob question!

Can I simply attach a Star Travel 80 (or Star Travel 70) scope to a AZ GTi mount using a dovetail bar attached directly to the scope ....................... or do I need to also buy 90mm rings, and attach these to the dovetail bar, to attach to the mount?

Edited July 2, 2020 by dd999

[PeterCPC]

The scope will need rings and a dovetail bar.

Peter

[dd999]

Thanks!

[johninderby]

The Startravel 80 comes with tube rings so you will just need to buy a dovetail bar which will bolt into the tube rings.

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by johninderby

[dd999]

Not all unfortunately - there is another version that comes with a backpack and a crappy tripod.

I can get this pretty cheap atm (cheaper than the ota with rings), as I wanted a travel scope rather than trying to carry around my 130p - but wanted to see if I needed to buy the rings too (which still works out cheaper than the OTA with rings). 

[happy-kat]

Check the details

Some ST80 flavours come instead with an attached small dove bar and no tube rings

My ST80 will therefore fit straight into my tripods that take a dove bar

The backpack flavour isn't that the travel scope 70mm? 

Edited July 2, 2020 by happy-kat

[dd999]

No, the backpack option is coming with both the 70mm and the 80mm now....... https://www.celestron.com/products/travel-scope-80-portable-telescope-with-smartphone-adapter (unless this isn't the ST80 people talk about?)

Backpack 80mm option is £70 (no rings or bar) - whereas the 80mm OTA with rings is £100.

Rings alone are around £20, and then a dovetail bar another £10 or so - doesn't seem much in it.

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by dd999

[happy-kat]

It has identical 80mm 400mm f5 spec as the skywatcher badged version.

The photos on that link show it had a bar.

That reads like my terrestrial flavour ST80 as it has the fixed dovebar (this has camera tripod thread holes on it) and 45° angle erect image diagonal.

45° diagonals are not so easy for night time observing it's ok but a 90° is more comfortable especially for higher altitude observing.

The thing to check is, is there the right sort of clearance on the azgti to fit that ST80 to it using the already fitted dovebar it has. The bar is very short so I wouldn't look to hang a really heavy camera off the back. Though I see it is bundled with an ST102 with it's attached small dove bar.

Edited July 2, 2020 by happy-kat

[jonathan]

On 02/07/2020 at 19:05, happy-kat said:

That reads like my terrestrial flavour ST80 as it has the fixed dovebar (this has camera tripod thread holes on it) and 45° angle erect image diagonal.

The Celestron 70mm Travel Scope I have came with an optional additional 90 degree diagonal for night time use, I don't know what options are currently available for the 70 or 80mm Travel Scopes but there certainly used to be different bundles available.

I have to say the 70mm Travel Scope refractor is an excellent little scope, super sharp and portable.  I may need to investigate a decent alt-az mount as my astronomy tripod, nice as it is, doesn't provide any kind of slow motion tracking facility (I'm not into computerised mounts).