Go-to for Questar 82mm

[DrMike]

Hello all,

I have a question that someone could maybe answer…

I have a standard 82mm Questar in very good  condition, but I would like to put the OTA on a simple go-to mount. 
has anyone ever done this, and if so, how did you do it?

any advice or help warmly welcomed.

cheerio

mike

Edited September 25, 2022 by DrMike
spelling

[Peter Drew]

If your version has a tripod attachment facility you could screw on a dovetail rail and then fit it to a SLT goto mount or similar.      🙂 

[DrMike]

Sadly, it has the old large circular base. 
 

I may take off the OTA from its arms….mmmm?

[Silent Running]

Hi Dr Mike,

I have done this! Initially, I used the hole on the bottom of my Questar to screw it to a Primalucelab Losmandy-style plate and then attached it to my TTS Panther 160 mount. I did it with a Vixen-style plate too but didn't feel it was as secure. I guess you could attach it in the same way to any mount...

[Silent Running]

Hi Dr Mike,

I then asked TTS if they could make me a dedicated adapter plate to attach Q to the Panther mount which in due course they did! I did all this while I was working in Saudi Arabia, but then got worried about all the dust in the air and took my Q back to Scotland several years ago. I completely forgot about the adapter until I saw your post! I like the challenge of trying to use the Q for some deep sky astrophotography. Of course, with a Duplex, you can easily take the OTA off the fork and attach it to a vixen plate or piggyback it to another scope. While I was over there, I also acquired the Questar dec drive and Wildcard Innovations Argo Navis digital setting circle and encoders for the Questar 3.5. In theory, if you use the digital setting circles to get fairly close to a target, you should be able to use a Powerguide-3 tomake final adjustments! I have yet to try this though. 

What I want to do is set up my standard portable rig, small refractor controlled by asiair pro, then spend time trying to do astrophotography with the Questar! Now that Ive returned home to Scotland its on my agenda... I just miss the clear nights of Scotland!!

[Silent Running]

Oops, I didn't notice you asked this back in 2022... maybe no longer relevant!