BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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How much work are you willing to do?
Old beefy EQ mounts are out there. It can be a ton of work to get even DSC's working let alone full goto on them.
I scored a one ton payload mount with 3.5" shafts noth axis, 18" Byers gear on the RA and 11" Byers on the DEC for $2K....
So they are out there. 
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Jared
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/11/05
Posts: 1871
Loc: Piedmont, California, U.S.
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Quote:
well, thing is...I am doing AP. It snuck up on me.
One other mount you might take a look at is the Meade LXD750. You'd have goto built in, and it's a more solid mount than the CGE, for example. Counterweight shaft is a bit wimpy, though (if memory serves). Check to see whether tracking on these mounts is accurate enough for astrophotography. I never tried it with my (smaller) 650 mount.
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- Jared Willson
- Fluorostar FLT-110 w/ TEC optics
- Vixen VC200L
- Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO
- Stellarvue SV80S
- Takahashi Teegul SP Mount
- STL-11000
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MtnGoat
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/18/07
Posts: 932
Loc: Columbia Gorge, WA
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Quote:
How much work are you willing to do?
Old beefy EQ mounts are out there. It can be a ton of work to get even DSC's working let alone full goto on them.
I scored a one ton payload mount with 3.5" shafts noth axis, 18" Byers gear on the RA and 11" Byers on the DEC for $2K....
So they are out there.
I'm willing to do a lot of work if the seed equipment is worth it. Since good machine work never really goes out of style, it seems to me that putting effort into a high class classic mount wouldn't be wasted.
Lets see some pictures of your big *ss mount! I'm jealous.
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"Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it's the sickening grammar they use." Mark Twain
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Tom and Beth
sage
Reged: 01/08/07
Posts: 434
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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I've got one of those old Astrola mounts that I used with a 7 inch F10 (about the same moment arm as your scope) and had a 4 inch refractor piggybacked. It WILL do what you're looking for as long as you stay visual, and don't expect it to be portable.
Now, FWIW, this mount is in the garage right now being turned into Heinz Frankenmount. I swapped the RA drive for an 8 inch Byers gear, the Dec is getting a 7 inch Mathis. It's POSSIBLE I'll add a servo motor drive, but...who knows. The Eq head sits on a CGE1700 tripod, which I mounted on a scopebuggy. A Robin Casady tilt in Saddle finishes the mount. I hope this will hold my 60MM 
For a reflector like you're talking about, I'd use a tripod or pier about 24 to 30 inches tall. Rotating rings will help ALOT, and somewhere on the net are plans to make them at home.
edit- this pic was taken when I was just making sure it would work. The scope is a TV-102
Edited by Tom and Beth (07/25/08 12:56 PM)
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MtnGoat
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/18/07
Posts: 932
Loc: Columbia Gorge, WA
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Oh yes, pier is a must. I'm pouring this weekend for the borrowed Cave 1.5" shaft unit I'm currently using. I found a massive pipe flange at the scrapyard a couple weeks ago (10" bolt circle) and already have the 3/4" J bolts for it ready to go. If this isn't big enough for what I finally wind up with, I'll pour another one. Concrete is cheap!
I love your scope buggy. I'll bet that mount holds that lil refractor really steady.
The rotating rings idea would be very handy. Don't currently have them and am getting tired of undoing my pipe strap hold downs to rotate the tube.
As for pier height, I'm going way short. I can always add more height with steel and more concrete if I want. I've been extremely frustated with the current porta piers insane height (36" or so) which is necessary for the original Cave 12.5" F7 OTA, but way too far off the ground for a stubby Z12 F5.
The EQ head is already above waist high, and the cradle is chest height at the lowest. By the time the Z12 is on it, you are on a stepladder no matter where you point it, period. Even moreso with the Cave OTA, of course.
I measured things up and I think since I intend to use it with the Z12 exclusively for quite a while, I can do a 10" stump of a pier with a 10" steel pipe riser. This will bring the end of the counterweight shaft to about 8" off the dirt at worst, and the eyepiece near eye height with tube clearance at zenith also about 8".
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"Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it's the sickening grammar they use." Mark Twain
Edited by MtnGoat (07/25/08 01:16 PM)
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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Quote:
Quote:
How much work are you willing to do?
Old beefy EQ mounts are out there. It can be a ton of work to get even DSC's working let alone full goto on them.
I scored a one ton payload mount with 3.5" shafts noth axis, 18" Byers gear on the RA and 11" Byers on the DEC for $2K....
So they are out there.
I'm willing to do a lot of work if the seed equipment is worth it. Since good machine work never really goes out of style, it seems to me that putting effort into a high class classic mount wouldn't be wasted.
Lets see some pictures of your big *ss mount! I'm jealous.
This is the only one I could find of it assembled. Note the look of exhaustion / terror on my face. It took everything two beefy guys had in them to get this assembled. It's heavy as heavy can be. It can't be moved period in one piece. PS: For scale I am 6'2, about 235lbs in that pic. The mount also came with 450lbs of counterweights. The gears are actually 14" and 18" respectively as well.
Edited by BluewaterObserva (07/25/08 03:42 PM)
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MtnGoat
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/18/07
Posts: 932
Loc: Columbia Gorge, WA
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OMG that is suweet! I want one of those!OK, tell us the story. if it's at the link, that exploded on me. not a member and really don't need any more passwords and accounts!
Edited by MtnGoat (07/25/08 02:43 PM)
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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Ok, the link had no bearing other than I was attempting to upload it from that site. I deleted it.
I did find the story on that site though. Here is a cut and paste of part of the thread.
"We" as in my female observatory partner and I, went to the DC area to pick up our giant EQ mount from the Harford University in MD north of Baltimore, to slew the 30" newt around when permenantly installed at the observtory.
The mount / two byers gears are very impressive., two very nice looking motors, the shafts are like 3.5". Seems it will easily slew the monster around.
I put 3600 miles on the car in 74 hours, Joanne got to see her entire family (4 generations) as I got to rest in the Cincy area for 12 hours before proceeding to DC. Got into the Baltimore / D.C. area kind of early and Joanne had never seen our nations capitol so I gave her a drive through tour of all the most important sights. We left Denver at 8pm Mt on Thursday night and got back around 10pm on Sunday night. I am now convinced that 500 miles accross Kansas was designed as cruel joke on east/west U.S. motorists.
All in all a good road trip, we got punded by 60 mph winds from directly south to north from middle of Missouri to the other side of KS. Actually one gust was strong enough to blow one of my head lamp assembles right out of it's socket, I just snapped it back in and all was well again, but it surprised the heck out of me for sure.
In a day or two, I will start posting pics of the refurbish.
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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The mount really seems in tip top shape overall. Buttery smooth. If you take the dec shaft with no counterweights on of course and turn it upside down, then let it go, it will spin for a good 5 to 10 min, seems buttery smooth in other words.
It has to slew a 30" newt around you know. hopefully I am mounting that up permantently here in a couple a three months or so. I am hopefull by Nov. of this year anyways.
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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Quote:
OMG that is suweet! I want one of those!OK, tell us the story. if it's at the link, that exploded on me. not a member and really don't need any more passwords and accounts!
You know I have been working on this thing so long most have forgotten exactly what I have going on down there. A pic of the observatory structure with the 6 meter dome, pretty much done.
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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Another.... Pics of the build near the end.
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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I have some nice pics of the 6'x6'x6' pier hole with all the rebar work too if ya want. I ended up having to pay through the nose for it, but I finally think I am getting the pour done next Friday. But that hole, my 8 yards of concrete, my observatory, and my whine'n about it, are best left for another thread.
We need to find you a mount!!!
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Heine DK
journeyman
Reged: 03/30/08
Posts: 5
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Hi,
Speaking of the EQ6Pro maximum load.
There is a guy here in Copenhagen who is using his EQ6 with different scopes for AP. Among one of the scopes is a 14" Orion SPX. Check out his pictures. They show it is possible on a pier.
http://www.astrofoto.dk/Udstyr.html
http://www.astrofoto.dk/Teleskop.html
Br
Heine
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