'Travel' rig suggestions

[GibsonUK]

Hello all,

I don't really have anywhere at home that I can put a scope permanently, and if I setup down the bottom of my garden for an evening then I'd likely have issues as there are bright street lamps nearby and cars coming up and down the road casting light over my garden.

There's a national forest area nearby, about 2 miles drive, that has virtually no light pollution locally so I was thinking of scouting out a good open spot with stable ground to setup for an evening or night every weekend or every other weekend so I can try and get some images and spend some time with the old man as well as I know he'd love it.

I am looking at getting the SkyWatcher Explorer 200PDS with an EQ5 mount (It comes as a kit, but I don't mind buying the scope and a different mount). I feel like this will definitely help me dip my toe and get a feel for the hobby as well as serving me well until I maybe decide to upgrade.

The scope seems quite larger, though. I don't mind the effort of transporting it as I'll be doing it infrequently and making an evening/night of it, but I am curious about the practicality of it from others that perhaps have or still do what I'm doing with the same or similar scope. Do I need to worry about damaging the scope? Are they sensitive? Is there a risk of misalignment or anything like that?

I already have a DSLR (Canon 750D/T6i) that I believe I can attach for images.

Any advice appreciated!

[SmokeyJoe]

I started with this combo and found that the scope is great, but just at the limit of what the eq5 can handle, especially if you strap a Dslr to the eyepiece. If you just want to observe I'd say go for it but if you want to do some astrophotography then you are probably better off with the HEQ5 (mount) or the 130pds or 150pds  (scope). Also bear in mind that eq mounts are heavy.  If you can't park near you observing site and you have to carry it then a small refractor and a less bulky mount will probably suit you better. Also if you want to take pictures you are going to need a motorised mount so that it tracks what you are imaging and a power source to power the mount. 

There are plenty of bags available for most scopes and mounts (don't throw the packaging away for the mount as most bags make use of this). 

Reflector telescopes do lose alignment over time but this is quite easily fixed with a special eyepiece.  Do a search for collimation (the process of aligning the mirrors) there are plenty of tutorials on this website. 

If you have and astronomy club near you pop along one evening, you can have a look at different bits of kit and see whar suits you.  We're a friendly bunch and always happy to help. 

Good luck and have fun. 

[Elp]

Have you tried imaging in your garden? I was apprehensive myself as I have an led lamppost directly next to the east side of my plot, I have to be careful if anything is near the led lamp (and you'll know anyway as stray light will hit the objective/mirror). I've imaged a lot however even though the rest of the environment is surrounded by industrial lights at night. Shooting narrowband also helps when a target allows it as LP has minimal effect.

Regarding travel setup I've put together everything so it's all carriable on my back, a Newtonian is generally at the very limit due to the number of other things you'll need to carry with you (minimum three, scope, mount and tripod). If you're right next to your car no issue. What I consider travel friendly is my 60mm refractor setup which all fits into a 50L bag (mount, tripod, batteries, counterweight, cameras, filters everything) or my dslr/lens setup which fits into a 40L bag. I did manage to fit a 130pds into a 50L bag but the three carry setup remained and couldn't compete with my single solutions which I used more.

[ONIKKINEN]

Great travel setup, except for the mount. With an 8" newtonian you will want to have an EQ6 ir at minimum an HEQ5 to run it satisfactorily.

My mobile setup is an 8" newtonian, AZ-EQ6 and all the related accessories and kit. I used to have a lighter mount, an EQM35 and it was just as much trouble to haul as the twice as heavy AZ-EQ6. If you want a true backpacker setup you are looking at a tiny startracker and a lens/camera combo which is obviously limited to certain targets only because of the size. If you want bigger than that because you want to make the most of your infrequent use of the kit you might as well haul the biggest scope out. Doesnt matter what it weighs if you carry it to your car and then use it within 10m of your car when you get there.

Edit: Also, yes you do need to check collimation every time the scope is transported. Its easy to bump it to things and if your roads are bumpy then its not even up to you to do the shaking. But this is not rocket science and a step you need to learn anyway with a newtonian, collimate your scope perfectly once indoors with the secondary mirror correctly centered under the focuser and from here on out its just a 1 minute process with a laser to adjust the little things that have shaken out of alignment during transportation. For carrying the kit, look at Oklop branded bags, i have one for the scope and it makes carrying the thing much easier.

Edited December 7, 2022 by ONIKKINEN
forgot travel things

[ollypenrice]

Samyang 135 lens at F2? Tolerant of guiding errors, fast, portable and robust.

Olly

[happy-kat]

If the trip out is as much about the company then I'd think about how easy or not different options are to setup and get imaging with. 

 

[Louis D]

I setup my grown daughter with a 127mm Mak on an alt-az mount attached to a heavy duty camera tripod for camping usage.  It's compact enough to not take up too much space in the back of her SUV.  She and her husband already have a dog and all their camping gear in there, so space is at a bit of a premium.

[RT65CB-SWL]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

I setup my grown daughter with a 127mm Mak on an alt-az mount attached to a heavy duty camera tripod for camping usage.  It's compact enough to not take up too much space in the back of her SUV.  She and her husband already have a dog and all their camping gear in there, so space is at a bit of a premium.

Also a bonus of flying overseas with the Maksutov is that it can be stored in a backpack/rucksack and [maybe] considered ‘carry-on’ baggage*. Tripod and mount can be packed in your suitcase. Below is an image of my ‘carry-on’…

It is my ETX105, DwarfStar [alt-az] mount and a Manfrotto PROB tripod.
 

* at the discretion of the airline and/or handling agent.

[jjohnson3803]

IMO, the best choice for a travel rig is a small (70-90mm) fast refractor on a manual alt-az mount with a reasonably sized / weight photo tripod.  My current preferred set-up is a 72ED or ST80 on a Scopetech Zero or AZ5 mount on a carbon fiber photo tripod.

These give widefield views at lower magnifications although I can push my 72mm ED a bit beyond the "recommended max", at least when the seeing cooperates.  If you intend to observe under darker skies, the smaller light gathering of the objective is less of a handicap - even my 50mm gives very nice views when I'm in the wilds of Michigan with minimal light pollution.

If you prefer a slower / longer focal length scope, I'd go with a small Maksutov.  I had a 90mm and it was uber portable. Maks also allegedly hold their collimation quite well.  The trade-off is you'll have a smaller field of view which can be problematic for some people.

Or maybe get one of each?  😉  Anyway, just my opinion and good luck!

[Clarkey]

I think you need to decide on your priority - imaging or visual. For visual large aperture such as the 200P fits the bill quite well. I would add that a newtonian on a equatorial mount is not ideal as the eyepiece tends to get into some odd positions. Personally for visual I would look at an AZ mount and possible a slightly smaller scope - as you say the 200P is quite large to be considered portable.

Any sort of imaging is a different proposition. Aperture is less important and a 200PDS on an HEQ5 is pushing it. A smaller newtonian or refractor would be better choice in my opinion.

If you want a 'do-it-all' set up, it will be a compromise. Maybe a 130 or 150PDS or an 80mm doublet refractor? As for the mount, the general rule is get the best you can afford - it will pay dividends in the long run. 

[Guest]

It all comes down to what you have to transport it in.  I can easily transport my 16 inch dob and reassemble it in about 15 minutes.  The OTA of my 10 inch lays across the backseat of my truck and the base fits in the bed.  So whatever you have room for, that is what i would get