ST 120 Purchased!

[Donkeiller]

The deed is now done- ST 120 ordered. Couldn't get it as a bare OTA, so bundled with an AZ3 mount.

My intention is to try and transfer the legs from the AZ3, which look a fair bit sturdier than those on my Synscan AZ mount.

Anyone had any experience of such a transplant?

Oh and another thing what would you suggest as a minus- V filter for a 120mm/f/5 scope?

[John]

I did that with a Skywatcher SupaTrak mount a couple of years ago. The original tripod legs were really spindly and the AZ-3 ones, although not exactly heavy duty, were an improvement. I recall having to add spacers / lots of washers to the insides of the leg tops because the mounting points were thinner on the SupaTrak than they are on the AZ-3.

I believe the most effective filter is the Baader Semi-Apo - it seems to reduce the CA without adding much of a colour cast of it's own.

CA will only be an issue with brighter stars, planets and the moon. It won't affect deep sky objects much at all.

[alowen]

Looking forward to reading your first light report with the st120 (hint, hint) as im looking to get one too. Primarily for dso's.

Al

[Naz]

I have mine on an EQ5 and it is very stable. Yes the CA is visible on bright objects, but I find it OK on DSO's. The CA does not bother me to much on the Moon, when I wind the magnification up, I have the Baader fringe killer and you soon don't notice the yellow clour cast. Had mine for 5 years now and no plans on replacing it.