Weights and Measures

[Stu1smartcookie]

Hi ... so , i have an eq5 mount ... but i have purchased an adapter to enable me to use the eq5 tripod with an alt az head ... i was looking at the AZ5 mount head , which seems to get great reviews ... but (there is always a but ! ) i would like to use my skywatcher 200p  on this mount . Now i know the payload is meant to be 5kgs , but that , i believe , is when the mount is on a rather flimsy tripod .. i did read that someone said i could push the weight to 9kgs ???, which would be right on the cusp of weight limit for my scope ( I am using the scope for visual ) . What are peoples thoughts on this ? Are there any other AZ Mounts that are more suited ? 

The reason for the alt az mount is because i'm totally fed up not being able to use the scope at all recently because of the weather . At least with an Alt Az i can set up very quickly . 

[laudropb]

I have an AZ5 mount and I really like it. I also have the heavier duty tripod but in my opinion there is no way the mount would cope with a 200p Newtonian.

[Stu1smartcookie]

3 minutes ago, laudropb said:

I have an AZ5 mount and I really like it. I also have the heavier duty tripod but in my opinion there is no way the mount would cope with a 200p Newtonian.

Hmmm yes i suspected ... it was just a glimmer of hope lol . That means buying another scope ...sigh !  The wife will go nuts ! lol 

[johninderby]

A Skytee II would cope with a 200p with no problems. 

[Stu1smartcookie]

Hi John , Yes ... great suggestion ...   , Many thanks . 

[johninderby]

Skytee with a 10” newt. Coped surprisingly well. 👍🏻

[Stu1smartcookie]

Wow ! What about balance , John ?.. Have to say , after reading the reviews of the SkyTee it seems a great mount .

[johninderby]

Really liked the Skytee but now upgraded to the AZ100. 👍🏻

It balanced perfectly. Right pain to lift into postion though and only tried it to see if it would work. Now back on it’s dob base.

Edited January 19, 2021 by johninderby

[Stu1smartcookie]

The AZ100 is way out of my price range , John ... At this crazy time , that would be divorce material   . But the SkyTee is certainly an option 

[johninderby]

The Skytee may be agricultural in build quality but works so well you can forgive that. Great buy. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[KP82]

Altair Sabre or TS Optics Giro Ercole would also be good choices if you don't require slow motion control.

[JOC]

2 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

because i'm totally fed up not being able to use the scope at all recently because of the weather . At least with an Alt Az i can set up very quickly . 

I might be barking up the wrong tree here, but if you have a 200P wouldn't a quick to use mount be to get hold of or make a Dobsonian rocker box style mount?

[Pixies]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

The Skytee may be agricultural in build quality but works so well you can forgive that. Great buy. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

John. Would you say that it's quicker to set up the 200p as a dob, or on the AltAz? I would have thought that setting up the dob base would be much easier?

[banjaxed]

I have the AZ5 mounted on the 3/8” stainless steel tripod which theoretically takes up to 9kg but in my opinion your OTA would be a challenge. Far easier to make or source a Dob base.

[johninderby]

Setting up a 200p on the Skytee would take  less than a minute once the mount is carried outside so not much longer than setting up a dob. Putting a carry handle on the OTA would help as you could then hold the OTA in postion with one hand while tightening the saddle clamp. 

Bit more fiddly than setting up a simple dob but would give you slow motion controls. 

[Louis D]

24 minutes ago, Pixies said:

John. Would you say that it's quicker to set up the 200p as a dob, or on the AltAz? I would have thought that setting up the dob base would be much easier?

I have carrying handles on the sides of my Dob base, so I just carry the whole thing out in one go by hugging it close to my body.  On an alt-az mount, it would be far too top heavy and awkward with the legs sticking out to safely get out the backdoor in one go.  The tripod legs are always getting caught on the door frame.  I can just manage it in one go with my 90mm APO and 127 Mak mounted on my DSV-2B, but I would not want to try it with an 8" Newt.

[johninderby]

Why would you want to carry it outside in one go? 🤔

So easy to carry both parts in two trips.

[John]

My 12 inch dob is at least as quick to set up as my refractors are on their alt azimuth mounts.  I can only move the whole thing a short distance in once piece but as the tube and altitude bearings just lift off the mount base, it is very quick and easy to move it in 2 sections.

The large altitude bearings also make great carry handles !

 

[Stu1smartcookie]

43 minutes ago, JOC said:

I might be barking up the wrong tree here, but if you have a 200P wouldn't a quick to use mount be to get hold of or make a Dobsonian rocker box style mount?

If you knew me you would know that i am probably the worst person to attempt DIY lol  ... the concept of me attempting to make even a simple dob mount horrifies me. I actually did think about buying one , but , where can i get one from?

[johninderby]

£££££ but a great base.

https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/MOUNTS/dobsonianmount.html

[JOC]

2 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

but , where can i get one from?

It might be worth a posting in the SGL wanted section.  200P Dobsonians with the rocker mount are really popular and it's not unheard of for folks to go the other way and taken them off their rocker mounts and put them on tripods.

[Stu1smartcookie]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

£££££ but a great base.

https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/MOUNTS/dobsonianmount.html

Yes , i remember this site now ... as you say , quite expensive , but well made mounts .. i did actually think about contacting Bresser direct too , as i really like their mounts .

 

[Stu1smartcookie]

1 minute ago, JOC said:

It might be worth a posting in the SGL wanted section.  200P Dobsonians with the rocker mount are really popular and it's not unheard of for folks to go the other way and taken them off their rocker mounts and put them on tripods.

Very good point JOC 

[Stu1smartcookie]

The point , for me ,to get an az-alt mount is that i can use it for other scopes ( that i will certainly buy in the future ) . I may even just use my 200p on the eq5 and then buy an az5 mount head to attach to me eq5 tripod just to use a small refractor. My local scope supplier has just taken delivery of ST102's .... omg somebody hide my credit card !!!!!!

 

i do like the dob mount route though 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Stu1smartcookie

[Louis D]

On 19/01/2021 at 09:28, johninderby said:

Why would you want to carry it outside in one go? 🤔

So easy to carry both parts in two trips.

Because I'd have to disconnect the DSC cables and then realign the altitude DSC arm with its peg on the base which isn't as simply as you'd think while dropping the tube assembly on the base.  The whole thing is under 50 pounds, so no worse than carrying softener salt bags.