Counterweight for 200P on a vixen GP

[oceanheadted]

All,

Anybody have a SW 200P? can you tell me how many/much counterweights you are using. It can't get my scope to balance at the moment and am wondering what I need to buy to get it to balance,

thanks

Alan

[alfi]

hi

i have one, but on a heq5pro, i use 2X 5,1kg that came with my setup.

alfi

[daz]

I used to have one and it only took two.

What else are you putting on the mount?

[oceanheadted]

Thanks, I only have 5kg at the moment. obviously need another 5kg

[Rusty Strings]

I've got a 200p and only need the two that came with it. Balance usually occurs with the first weight at the end of the shaft and the second about two inches further up.

John

[oceanheadted]

Just looked at the vixen website and realized my weight is probably 3.1kg, not 5kg, so I'm well out! Why are the weights so bl**dy expensive? They are hardly sophisticated pieces of engineering!

[Bizibilder]

They're expensive because the suppliers know that you cannot do without them - and are unlikely to be able to make them - therefore they rip you off!!

[alfi]

hi

it should not be so hard to have a metal workshop make what you need, for a lot less money.

its not hard to make at all, i used to be a metalworker when i was young.

alfi

[Astro_Baby]

Might be worth a call to Astronomia in Dorking if your local - they have some big Vixen weights they were ( a few weeks ago) looking to get rid of. Think the ones they had were something like 7 and 10kg weights but without a GP mount they are useless as the locking screws wont grip onto an HEQ5/EQ6 mount.

If you have to have it posted its going to hurt on postage I'd guess.

By the way I have a 200P on an HEQ5 and I have three 5.1kg weights as the Moonlite focuser, Baader red dot and my heavy EPs push the scope off balance with less than three - I used to use a weight extension bar but found it made the HEQ5 unweildy for transporting.

[mattifor]

If you are not too fussy dumb bell weights from Argus can be used together with jubilee clips to achieve the right balance at 1/4 of the price of telescope weights.

[Keithp]

That's exactly what I've done, got the dumbell weights from Argos. I use the two that came with the mount(eq6) and one from the pack.

I put the one dumbell weight on last so one of the two that came with the mount is used to lock the dumbell up against a large 2" washer I use on the end of the bar. The second weight I can then slide up and down to balance whatever I've got on the mount.

10" newt, 102 wide view celestron, guiding camera and imaging camera.

Hope that helps.

Postage is the killer though if you want to get one from anyone selling. If you weren't so far away I'd say drive over and I'd let you have one of my spares, just noticed your a few hundred miles away though.

Regards

Keithp

[oceanheadted]

Thanks Keith, maybe a visit to Argos is on the cards!

[oceanheadted]

Or build a dob base...

[oceanheadted]

As a follow up to this thread. I had a 3kg weight, bought a 5kg weight for a LDX75 mount (almost new for £18 on astro buy sell.) The telescope now balances with both weights more or less at the bottom of the counterweight bar.