small Mak as guide scope?

[blinky]

I am very interested in Tony's for sale as re. the Mak scope. I just need somebody who knows a bit more than me to confirm if this would make a suitable guide scope for my 8" SCT?

I currently use a ZS66 but I would like to dedicate this to my side by side arrangement with the ED80 - then I can have SCT/Mak for small targets and ED80/ZS66 for widefield stuff.

Does that make sense?

[Merlin66]

When I first got the 12" Lx200 I also had a Meade 90ETX and thought...Hmmm why not....

I pulled the ETX OTA of the plastic forks and mounted it in a set of guide rings with a guide camera and eyepiece...certainly looked sexy!

I quickly found that the inbuilt flip mirror didn't hold position very well ( Weasners etx site has an article on "locking" this mirror)

Cut to the chase... I found the ED80 gave a better FOV and worked every time...

I've recently gone over to the ST80 and the QHY5 for piggyback guiding, but don't do much.

I use the OAG or beamsplitter for spectroscope work.

[blinky]

I have also read that Maks dont make very good guide scopes due to mirror flop. Might just need to keep an eye open for an ST80

[Dave Smith]

An ST80 only costs £89 from FLO. I am considering getting one for the same purpose.

Dave

[philj]

Been using a Mak 127 OTBApex for donkeys years as a guide scope, never had problems with mirror flop/flip. The ETX must have a very sloppy mechanism compared to Synta/OTB.

The 127 is a great guidescope, I use it with a 12V6 Mintron on 32 integration and very rarely have to tweak alignment to get guide stars. Should imagine the smaller Synta 90 Maks would be good as well.

phil

[Merlin66]

Phil,

My problem wasn't mirror flop, it was that the inbuilt flip mirror didn't have a "locked" position.

[blinky]

Ah well, the scopes gone now anyway... so I am still looking for somthing