Grab and Go Confliction

[Sunshine]

Does anyone else feel as though they need a smaller grab and go scope but find you just can’t as you’re spoiled with the larger scope you use? I certainly feel this way. My 4” refractor on my alt/az mount is my goto scope for those short sessions but, just because a 4” refractor sounds like it is light and airy I can attest they are not all so small and light. This combined with my high capacity alt az mount makes for a hefty duo but I cannot imagine using anything smaller as it will leave me yearning for my 4” and the views it provides. It would be nice to have something I could carry out in one piece and plunk down on the ground ready to look through but at the same time all I would be thinking about is what an object would look like in the larger scope. Am I getting this all wrong? maybe i should get a decent 80mm and see what happens. 

Edited November 2, 2022 by Sunshine

[IB20]

Get a 3” Tak and never look back. 😅 Seriously, the 76DCU is heaven, I wouldn’t be without mine. 1.9kg of bliss and stunning views; it shows plenty. It’s a cracking scope and excels at planetary, lunar, doubles and WL solar in my bortle 6/7 skies.

 

[Franklin]

I have a 4" refractor as a main scope which is great but the 3" on a simple alt-az gets more use.

[paulastro]

Yes, I'm in the 80mm club for truly grab and go rather than portable.  My main scope is an 8inch Dob, my grab and go is an Altair 80 ED-R which has excellent optics.  I used to have a 102mm f7 ED, and whilst portable it was too heavy and bulky for a grab and go.  The 80mm can operate on a much lighter altaz mount of course, in my case a Scopetech Zero.

Edited November 2, 2022 by paulastro

[RobertI]

Yes I know what you mean. My 102ED rides on an AZ4 which is an awful lot lighter than my Skytee, but still no lightweight, so need to lug out scope and mount separately. Plus I need a chair when observing, so takes a little while to get sorted. My 66mm frac on a mini-giro plus photo tripod is ‘one hand’ portable, but again needs a chair and doesn’t really cut it on DSOs for me unless it is very dark, so sometimes limited. My best G&G setup is my Heritage 130P on the mini-giro. Plenty of light gathering, pick up with one hand and you can observe standing up, so no chair required! Stored in garage, no cooling needed. It’s not got the build quality of my fracs, but sometimes I get a good feeling from seeing challenging DSOs with such a budget setup. 🙂

[josefk]

Rather than scopes competing with each other @Sunshine maybe another perspective is having complimentary kit and then deploying the kit for different purposes in different sessions.

For me this means a big set-up for studying stuff (within the limits of my capability) and/or going after fainter stuff while my Grab 'n' Go set-up is for for wider field and/or "just" finding stuff where the pleasure in the GnG session is the star-hopping to find stuff while i may not dwell very long on the object itself. This has drawbacks - i wish i had more resolution for frequent looks at Jupiter in my GnG - but it does mean other than on planets i don't often negatively compare one set of kit with another because i am doing different things with them.

Cheers

[josefk]

...and i'm with you  @RobertI it is quite good fun to find a dim DSO in small kit (or have a damn good look for it even if its a failed observation) as long as you have the comfort that it isn't the only view you will ever have of it...

[JeremyS]

I thought the same as you @Sunshine

Until I got a Tak FOA 60Q….

[Sunshine]

19 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

I thought the same as you @Sunshine

Until I got a Tak FOA 60Q….

That just sounds irresistible, the way you put that.

[JeremyS]

11 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

That just sounds irresistible, the way you put that.

There’s a bit of a discussion on the delights of small scopes in the show us your Tak thread

 

[paulastro]

I wondered how long it would be before this became a Tak thread 😂.

[josefk]

...it could be a mount thread - it may be counter intuitive but i wonder @Sunshine if you could make the TSA-102 you already have GnG by looking at a second lighter mount only? Maybe sacrifice high mag steadiness of a heavy mount for GnG possibility (one handed carry)? I've never handled a TS-102 - is it one of the lighter Tak scopes?

[jjohnson3803]

I have an ST50, ST80, ST120, and a 102ED.  The 102 is a thing of beauty, but gets little use b/c of its bulk.  The 120 is somewhat less bulky, but the 80 is what gets used almost every time I'm out - at home or away.

I'm truly torn about selling the 102 and 120.  On the one hand, I really dislike the thought of getting rid of good scopes, but what good are they if they just sit in the cabinet?  I'm thinking a 70ED or 80ED would be enough for my casual lunar observing and the ST80 can handle the rest.  I live in way too much light pollution to be a galaxy hunter anyway.  ☹️

 

[HollyHound]

8 hours ago, IB20 said:

Get a 3” Tak and never look back. 😅 Seriously, the 76DCU is heaven, I wouldn’t be without mine. 1.9kg of bliss and stunning views; it shows plenty. It’s a cracking scope and excels at planetary, lunar, doubles and WL solar in my bortle 6/7 skies.

 

Exactly... this (for me), has been the optimum grab and go scope setup 😀

[cajen2]

A good compromise is a Heritage 150p:

More aperture and light gathering than a 4",

So grab and go that I can carry mine around in one hand.

There's no law that says G&G has to be a frac on a mount/tripod.

 

[Sunshine]

3 hours ago, josefk said:

...it could be a mount thread - it may be counter intuitive but i wonder @Sunshine if you could make the TSA-102 you already have GnG by looking at a second lighter mount only? Maybe sacrifice high mag steadiness of a heavy mount for GnG possibility (one handed carry)? I've never handled a TS-102 - is it one of the lighter Tak scopes?

Unfortunately the TSA102 is pretty heavy for a 4” refractor, I have handled 115mm refractors which seem lighter if that makes any sense. As for sacrificing steadiness for a lighter mount, most of what I do with the TSA is exactly high power like tough doubles and lunar/planetary so a steady mount is necessary. It seems a smaller scope on a smaller mount is the road to happiness.

[Ags]

I think I have found the happy compromise with a Long Perng 90 - 90mm f5.5 is a lot smaller than 100mm f7!

[josefk]

1 minute ago, Sunshine said:

It seems a smaller scope on a smaller mount is the road to happiness.

...its a hard life 🤣

[Sunshine]

2 minutes ago, josefk said:

...its a hard life 🤣

Yes but some of you just had to mention smaller Tak’s, I was hoping to get away with inexpensive but it seems I will end up dodging flying dinner plates again when the credit card bill comes in. 😂

Edited November 2, 2022 by Sunshine

[Paz]

When I got a long term travel scope I went for a 72mm so it was small and good for travel but also so it didn't compete with my 102mm for grab and go, and this has worked out well.

[MalcolmM]

On 02/11/2022 at 15:40, Sunshine said:

Yes but some of you just had to mention smaller Tak’s

Sorry, I can't resist another small Tak plug!

I have an FS60CB permanently setup on a photo tripod with fluid video head in the house. It's perfect for stealing a 5 minute session here and there.

I can carry it out fully setup, one handed, through narrow doors and be observing in 15 seconds!

I sometimes also use this to test the seeing, see if it's worth getting out one of it's siblings or it's mum or dad 🙂 Didn't you know Taks breed?

Malcolm

[Stu]

I have my ScopeTech Zero and Gitzo GT5542LS tripod permanently in our garden room, normally with either FC76Q or FC100DC on it. Either case is a single handed lift out into the garden, even with a CoolWedge and Binoviewers fitted to the 4” so it can be set up in about 30 seconds.

Strangely the FS60C gets less use!

That’s one of the reasons I love the FC100DC so much. Fantastic performance in a really lightweight package.

[paulastro]

27 minutes ago, Stu said:

I have my ScopeTech Zero and Gitzo GT5542LS tripod permanently in our garden room, normally with either FC76Q or FC100DC on it. Either case is a single handed lift out into the garden, even with a CoolWedge and Binoviewers fitted to the 4” so it can be set up in about 30 seconds.

Strangely the FS60C gets less use!

That’s one of the reasons I love the FC100DC so much. Fantastic performance in a really lightweight package.

I'm with you on the Scope Tech Zero mount Stu - I use my Altair 80 ED-R with it.

[Cjg]

On 02/11/2022 at 04:02, Sunshine said:

Does anyone else feel as though they need a smaller grab and go scope but find you just can’t as you’re spoiled with the larger scope you use? I certainly feel this way. My 4” refractor on my alt/az mount is my goto scope for those short sessions but, just because a 4” refractor sounds like it is light and airy I can attest they are not all so small and light. This combined with my high capacity alt az mount makes for a hefty duo but I cannot imagine using anything smaller as it will leave me yearning for my 4” and the views it provides. It would be nice to have something I could carry out in one piece and plunk down on the ground ready to look through but at the same time all I would be thinking about is what an object would look like in the larger scope. Am I getting this all wrong? maybe i should get a decent 80mm and see what happens. 

Almost, I have an Altair 125 EDF that sits on a Sabre Mount: super views, but all the kit needs more carrying from the car to the observing pads, so doesn't get as much use as it could. I am however, really fortunate to own a rather nice 92mm scope that is special, but just a little less bright at the eyepiece.

Another post recommends a Tak 76, if you can get one, that too is a great compromise and very lightweight. I sold mine only because the very nice people at Astro-Physics got in touch to let me know my number was up for a Stowaway.

When the forecast is for settled skies, I never have regretted the extra hassles in getting the Altair 125 out and setup though.

[JeremyS]

2 hours ago, MalcolmM said:

Sorry, I can't resist another small Tak plug!

I have an FS60CB permanently setup on a photo tripod with fluid video head in the house. It's perfect for stealing a 5 minute session here and there.

I can carry it out fully setup, one handed, through narrow doors and be observing in 15 seconds!

I sometimes also use this to test the seeing, see if it's worth getting out one of it's siblings or it's mum or dad 🙂 Didn't you know Taks breed?

Malcolm

Having a small scope like you and @Stu have pictured set up and ready to go at a moment’s notice can really help to keep the astro interest going in poor weather periods where there are only a few gaps.

Maybe I need a garden room, like Stu - tho I noticed he’s modestly referring to it as such, rather than an orangery 😊