Is there a GOTO alt az mount & tripod capable of mounting a Celestron 14" OTA?

[Chris]

29 minutes ago, StarGazingSiouxsie said:

Thanks Ian.

Niels Haagh from TTS contacted me and said the TTS-160 was not able to handle a C14 - but that a TTS 300 Mammoth mount (for a mammoth price  ) could 

Something like this Rainbow Optics RST 300 (I'm assuming that's the same mount as the TTS 300?) would work from a payload and portability point of view

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/rainbow-astro-mounts/rainbowrobotics-rst-300-mount.html

Did you define a budget? If the above is out the question and it would be for most I should imagine, maybe re consider an EQ mount. I'm sure you could get one to cope with a C14 for around the 4K mark so that might be a solution. 

Either that or re consider a second hand Meade LX200 14", but obviously then repairs are more of a worry without any warranty. 

Does it have to be a C14? They do have a lot of mirror flop. 

Just trying to think out the box

Edited May 4, 2021 by Chris

[dweller25]

This may be worth considering…..

http://apm-telescopes-englisch.shopgate.com/item/333634303937

But it would not fit with your naming pattern 😄

Edited May 4, 2021 by dweller25

[Deadlake]

Also Crux harmonic drives might work as well, this one has a 40 kg capacity.

https://astrograph.net/epages/www_astrograph_net.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/www_astrograph_net/Products/AGCRUX200HD2

[Space Oddities]

20 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

Also Crux harmonic drives might work as well, this one has a 40 kg capacity.

https://astrograph.net/epages/www_astrograph_net.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/www_astrograph_net/Products/AGCRUX200HD2

I just had a look at these mounts, they're very impressive... I'm sure the T4000 could also carry the Hubble telescope!  

I'm afraid to look at the price...

Edited May 5, 2021 by Space Oddities

[Deadlake]

11 minutes ago, Space Oddities said:

I just had a look at these mounts, they're very impressive... I'm sure the T4000 could also carry the Hubble telescope!  

I'm afraid to look at the price...

If I was going for a C14 then the price for a goto mount is around there due to its weight. My current mount an SXP2 can carry a C11 or GSO 10" RC (17 kg) within the limit of 22 kg for visual. It's Japanese who are conservative with the load. 
Being an SCT wouldn't you have more tolerance as what the mount carries is really a measure of torque it can produce and thats proportional to the length of the scope.

A goto premium DOB (Lockwood, SV) would cost around the same as a C14 with a goto mount however the eye price would be at the right end of the scope.

[Stu]

20 hours ago, Chris said:

(I'm assuming that's the same mount as the TTS 300?)

No, very different beast...

https://trackthestars.com/product/tts-300-mammoth-mount-head/

[Deadlake]

1 minute ago, Stu said:

No, very different beast...

https://trackthestars.com/product/tts-300-mammoth-mount-head/

Has @GavStargot that one or the TTS 160?

[Stu]

Just now, Deadlake said:

Has @GavStargot that one or the TTS 160?

160 I believe

[cfrommen]

Just noticed the thread...maybe you are still interested and haven't found the optimal or most economic way yet?

In addition to the already mentioned solutions, you could consider the following If you are only interested in  Alt-Az mounts and if you can mount the C14 permanently inside a small shed/observatory or on a tri/quad-pod with wheel dolly if you plan on using it in your backyard 🙃:

 

10Micron: AZ2000 HPS; payload 50 kg. Price about €13.000 excl. VAT for export to UK. Expect to pay extra for counterweights and all accessories. The smaller AZ100 HPS (€9.200) is rated at 25 kg which might be sufficient for purely visual use.

Planewave: L-350 Direct Drive mount; payload: 45 kg/100 lbs). Price at FLO (GBP 11.400). Overkill if you are using purely for visual and short-exposure photography.

GeminiTelescopeDesign (GTD):  MOFOD Mk III Fork Friction Mount 🤑; payload: 80 kg. Price about €12.400.

BTW the price of these options is in the same order as that of a TTS Mammoth 300 observatory class mount (€11.500) mentioned above.

 

 

The most economic solution might still be to buy a used Celestron Compustar GoTo fork mount for the C14 (if you can find one). Note that you will have to use an EQ wedge to polar align the mount once for the GoTo to work properly. This gives you at least the option to also do some photography with longer exposure time. Or find some used DSC solutions (e.g. Lumicon Sky Vector).

 

Thinking a bit "outside the box" you could also acquire a DOB base, put the C14 inside, attach it to your pier/tripod and use e.g. a Skywatcher GoTo Dobsonian Upgrade kit.  😄

 

CS!

Christoph