Going back to my Astro Roots....

[Alan White]

I have again deviated back to my Astro Roots of recent years, 
Simple manual mount with a nice 3-4" Refractor onboard, a few eyepieces and me.
Wonderful on the good nights, frustrationg on the bad, but highly rewarding.

I started Astro so long ago with my Dad and a pair of Binoculars, started with Moon watching (still a deep seated love) and then 'discovering'
that the Moon floats in a Sea of Stars!

Then after later teenage life, A.K.A Beer, Stupidity and Girls, well settled down and purchsed a first real telescope.
Bresser, Achromat 90mm F10 or so on a wooden legged Equatorial Mount of EQ3 size, all a bit rough, but boy did I have fun.
The night I first saw Saturn and calling my Mum and Dad to tell them, how they delighted with that 1 am phone call!

Anyway wind on so many years and here I am a trail of so many Eyepieces, Mounts and Scopes that it makes me look indecisive,
which in all honesty I am towards hobby kit, I like shiney and I like to try other options in kit.
So I have landed at a 103mm ED Vixen, which is super, really love this scope,
I have a mixed bag of Vixen, TeleVue and Pentax Eyepieces and a fixed Pier on a dedicated observig area at home.
The pier was to stop me looking for the correct spot at home, there is no such spot, its been looked for for 21 years now.
Mount wise Alt Az has been my thing and perhaps always will be, its simple, but I have had a nagging this is not how the sky works in my head for months.

So I bought a very nice used Vixen GP mount, unmolested and in original manual only and dusty form,
I mounted it on the pier in a very rough manner of allignment yesterday and used it.

Well, wow, that came back a little more easiy than I thought, still have Alt Az way of thinking and a desitre for a driven Alt Az (Rowan AZ100),
but this was simple, tracked the sun in one twiddle and then Lunar and then when dark, well rude not to do a tour of Casseiopea, Cygnus, Vega and Hercules.
and did I have fun, heck yes, I am still grinning this morning.

Simple, back to basics once again, I reccomend it, well for now until the GAS kicks in.

So whats your simples story on kit, I would love to know?

Edited September 1, 2022 by Alan White
typos of course

[Alan White]

I will add that I used the Equatorial as if it were an alt az with both clutches loose to find target, then used the RA to track onece set on target.
Is this the Alz Az is more natural or is that how others use a manual equatorial?

[Alan White]

I have gone back to my roots even more.

Dobson mounted 10" newtonian OOUK 
Alt Az manual AZ75 on tripod for all else.
Various other scopes.