mrki233
member
Reged: 03/14/07
Loc: Carlsbad, CA
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AT Voyager owners...
#4395700 - 02/18/11 07:41 PM
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Hello all,
What is the overall height of the tripod portion of the Voyager mount when the legs are not extended?
What is the overall height with the mount arm attached?
What is the approximate weight of the whole assembly?
I'm considering this mount, but I would like to take 'ease of travel' into consideration, too. Would this fit in a suitcase or should I consider a separate carry bag?
Thanks!
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DaveE
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/08/10
Loc: Long Island, NY USA
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: mrki233]
#4395704 - 02/18/11 07:45 PM
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If this is the same as the Vixen porta mount II then I can measure it for you since I have one?
Dave
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mrki233
member
Reged: 03/14/07
Loc: Carlsbad, CA
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: DaveE]
#4395716 - 02/18/11 07:50 PM
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Dave, I think they are different products but of a very similar design. If it is not too much trouble, some measurements from your Vixen would be appreciated. 
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DaveE
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/08/10
Loc: Long Island, NY USA
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: mrki233]
#4395730 - 02/18/11 07:55 PM
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The Vixen porta is 30" to the top of the mount, 38" to the top of the head in total. It's light as anything, one-handed easily. I could throw it far if needed!
Dave
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mlanglois
member
Reged: 12/04/09
Loc: Newton, MA
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: DaveE]
#4395761 - 02/18/11 08:08 PM
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I've got a Voyager and the measurements you've asked for are:
height: 28"
tripod plus arm: 39"
weight: about 13-14 lbs.
Michael
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Manny Myles
Postmaster
Reged: 11/29/05
Loc: Far South of the flyover city ...
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: mrki233]
#4395914 - 02/18/11 09:23 PM
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Quote:
Dave, I think they are different products but of a very similar design. If it is not too much trouble, some measurements from your Vixen would be appreciated.
One of the nice things about the Porta II is the fact the head readily comes off with the use of its intregal knob underneath the tripod hub, making this a compact set up if traveling and really need to make it smaller.
m2
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mrki233
member
Reged: 03/14/07
Loc: Carlsbad, CA
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: Manny Myles]
#4397577 - 02/19/11 05:50 PM
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Thanks, all. I appreciate the information. Cloudy Nights people are the best!
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Lane
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/19/07
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: mrki233]
#4397637 - 02/19/11 06:20 PM
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The head comes off the Voyager as well.
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Manny Myles
Postmaster
Reged: 11/29/05
Loc: Far South of the flyover city ...
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: Lane]
#4397682 - 02/19/11 06:38 PM Attachment (35 downloads)
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Not as readily without the use of a tool as the PortaII does.
Once the head has been removed from the PortaII, the attachment knob stays captive to the tripod so there are no parts to lose.
m2
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desertlens
sage
Reged: 12/06/10
Loc: 36°N 105°W
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: mrki233]
#4397842 - 02/19/11 07:40 PM
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I'd say that both of these excellent mounts would be a stretch for a suitcase (even dismantled) so some sort of bag would be needed. I'm using both actively. The C6 listed in my sig now lives on a Porta II.
Some observations:
Both are rated for 20# loads but the Voyager seems more capable here. It might be wise to limit yourself to 15# of scope and eyepiece with either mount. Also, keep as much weight as possible near the AZ centerline.
The Voyager is definitely stiffer and damps vibration more readily although anti-vibration pads are very effective with both. I'd love to see a steel tube leg set for either of these mounts but that would be contrary to your travel plans.
The position of the slo-mo controls is a bit better with the Porta. They are angled so that cable extensions are conveniently placed. The AZ control on the Voyager is placed so that any extension will crash into the scope near the zenith. The short knobs work best but they are a bit of a reach (especially AZ) from the rear of a refractor.
IMHO, the build quality of the Voyager is better and the flexibility of the mount arm position is an asset depending on the scope. You may have different requirements with refractors, SCTs or Newts, left handed or right handed. I think this is the real strength of the AT design.
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DaveE
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/08/10
Loc: Long Island, NY USA
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: desertlens]
#4397869 - 02/19/11 07:46 PM
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I have a porta II and will be trying to see if a TV102 will work on it next week, but even though it's only around 10-12lbs with everything I still think it's too heavy and/or long for the porta. A shame really...
Dave
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desertlens
sage
Reged: 12/06/10
Loc: 36°N 105°W
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: DaveE]
#4397965 - 02/19/11 08:19 PM
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The TV 102 might work pretty well on the Porta. You're right to consider length which will apply more leverage to the mount than a short tube, but I've been surprised at what this mount will hold. I'm a big fan of the AV pads with these light mounts. They're no gimmick.
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Manny Myles
Postmaster
Reged: 11/29/05
Loc: Far South of the flyover city ...
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: desertlens]
#4397986 - 02/19/11 08:29 PM Attachment (50 downloads)
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Quote:
The position of the slo-mo controls is a bit better with the Porta. They are angled so that cable extensions are conveniently placed. The AZ control on the Voyager is placed so that any extension will crash into the scope near the zenith. The short knobs work best but they are a bit of a reach (especially AZ) from the rear of a refractor.
WIth my mods for the Voyager the slo mo controls is a non issue.
m2
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desertlens
sage
Reged: 12/06/10
Loc: 36°N 105°W
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: Manny Myles]
#4398033 - 02/19/11 08:53 PM
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Ya gotta love CN forums. m2: a very clever solution. 
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Manny Myles
Postmaster
Reged: 11/29/05
Loc: Far South of the flyover city ...
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: desertlens]
#4398085 - 02/19/11 09:19 PM
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It does more than get the slo mo control out of the way of the scope, it angles the control towards your other hand and it also transfers weight forward and gets an almost even weight distribution on all 3 legs.
m2
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TONGKW
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/16/07
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: desertlens]
#4398136 - 02/19/11 09:46 PM Attachment (43 downloads)
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I have both the Voyager and Porta mount. I have found that for better portability I have to custom made shorter side arms for them and convert them for use with photo tripods. With SCT OTA (C8 or C6) both mounts can still reach zenith but I need to change back to the long side arms for using long refractor OTAs.
Shown here is the C8 on the modified Voyager and a Feisol carbon fiber tripod.
K W TONG
C8+CG5 GT, TSA102+HEQ5 PRO, MK67+Voyager, NexStar 6SE, C5+Mizar K, WO ZS80FD+Kenko NES, Megrez 72FD+Kenko KDS, Mini Borg 50, PST
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desertlens
sage
Reged: 12/06/10
Loc: 36°N 105°W
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: Manny Myles]
#4398157 - 02/19/11 10:01 PM
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Cleverer and cleverer... May I snag this idea (I know a welder) or is this something that you are producing for sale? If the latter, we should probably go backchannel (no clue) so that we can get out of the way for people who have anything further for the original poster. I might be stepping on the TOS here. 
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JimmyMac
super member
Reged: 12/01/10
Loc: North Carolina
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: desertlens]
#4463297 - 03/21/11 12:00 AM
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Does anyone know where I can buy another flexible slow motion knob?
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RTLR 12
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/04/08
Loc: Capistrano Beach, Ca
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: JimmyMac]
#4463449 - 03/21/11 02:59 AM
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Jimmy,
Agena has cables available in different sizes.
http://agenaastro.com/parts-accessories/mounts-tripods-accessories.html?SID=brvs3m9tfuh9cfcdbo7jcs0o31
Stan
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mclewis1
Thread Killer
Reged: 02/25/06
Loc: New Brunswick, Canada
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Re: AT Voyager owners...
[Re: RTLR 12]
#4463784 - 03/21/11 10:29 AM
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Stan,
I don't believe that those flexible cables fit the Voyager. The shafts on the Voyager are slightly larger in diameter than on the mounts mentioned in the Agena description (6mm).
I believe that you can enlarge the cable end a little bit if you carefully dill it out ... but you'll likely need to hold the cable end and drill bit very precisely (using a drill press not a hand held drill).
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