stargazin
member
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 46
Loc: Aledo, TX
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OK... I want to get a wedge. I have a Celestron CPC1100. Mitty, APT, Milburn?
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Celestron CPC1100
Moonlite Crayford focuser
APT Equatorial wedge
SBIG 2000XM
DMK21AU
Baader LRGB,Ha filters
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Digital Don
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 883
Loc: Manteno
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You don't say why you want a wedge.
No matter which you choose, the scope will never be as stable as when it's mounted in the alt-az configuration.
However, if you need a wedge to do astrophotography, buy the most substantial one you can afford.
Don
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stargazin
member
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 46
Loc: Aledo, TX
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Sorry that I didn't clarify my intentions. I'm looking to get a wedge for astrophotography. I have a CPC1100 and I'm going to jump from planetary imaging to DSO's. I'm getting a SBIG ST-2000XM next week. At first I plan on imaging in mono just to get a feel of the software and DSO imaging. But it won't take long before I want to perfect. I'm a perfectionist and I'm trying to pre-plan (engineer go figure). Let's say money is no object (although not true) I just need to know what's the best so that I can plan.
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Celestron CPC1100
Moonlite Crayford focuser
APT Equatorial wedge
SBIG 2000XM
DMK21AU
Baader LRGB,Ha filters
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6777
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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APT Astro Wedge (and the biggest tripod or pier you can get for it).
http://www.aptastro.com/products/wedge.php
It is much better than the Celestron wedge and is definitely worth the price! Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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FarrOut
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/24/05
Posts: 784
Loc: Tampa
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Quote:
You don't say why you want a wedge.
OK, you have me here. Why else would you want a wedge other than imaging? 
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Criterion RV6
NEXSTAR 11-GPS
NEXSTAR SLT102
Starshoot CCD
Sky Scout
A wonderful wife that let's me do this stuff
Telescopes are for after you learn astronomy.
http://www.farrout.org
http://www.marsastro.org
Astronomy is looking up!
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Midnight Dan
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 607
Loc: Brockport, NY
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If you're a perfectionist, de-fork the CPC-1100 and put it on a big GEM. I don't have any experience here, but everything I've read says if you're serious about imaging, a fork on a wedge won't be as stable as a GEM - even a big substantial wedge.
Hopefully some people WITH experience can chime in here?
-dan
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Scopes: Celestron NexStar 8, Orion EON 72mm ED/APO on Astroview mount (EQ3)
Eyepieces: Celestron 40mm, 25mm, Baader Hyperion 13mm, 8mm, 5mm
Other: Telrad, 2x Barlow, 0.63x Focal Reducer, Dew-not strips, DewBuster controller
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Bob Griffiths
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 4174
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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Quote:
If you're a perfectionist, de-fork the CPC-1100 and put it on a big GEM. I don't have any experience here, but everything I've read says if you're serious about imaging, a fork on a wedge won't be as stable as a GEM - even a big substantial wedge.
Hopefully some people WITH experience can chime in here?
-dan
I absolutely have to agree with Dan on this point.. you would be better off putting the cost of a good wedge towards a stable GEM mount IF YOU ARE serious about imaging...
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
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Digital Don
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 883
Loc: Manteno
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"OK, you have me here. Why else would you want a wedge other than imaging? "
Not every wedge mounted telescope is used for imaging - some people just prefer equatorial to alt-az.
Don
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Rusty
Postmaster
Reged: 08/06/03
Posts: 16396
Loc: Brooker, FL
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Quote:
If you're a perfectionist, de-fork the CPC-1100 and put it on a big GEM. I don't have any experience here, but everything I've read says if you're serious about imaging, a fork on a wedge won't be as stable as a GEM - even a big substantial wedge.
Hopefully some people WITH experience can chime in here?
-dan
I also agree. I have the APT, and despite its robust construction, it can suffer from an inadequate tripod. I've kept mine only because I have a pier and plan to mount it into an observatory eventually. I've quit using it in the field on the stock Nexstar 11 GPS tripod - too shakey.
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N11GPS Fastar
TOA-130S
MK66 Std
Vintage C5
Megrez II 80mm ED Triplet APO
SolarMax 40
NJP Temma II
Sirius EQ-G
ST8XE/CFW-8(LRGBHa)/AO-7/DF-2/STV Dlx/ST237a/350D (Unmodded)/Mallincam Color Hyper Plus/DSI III Color/DSI II Pro
Two not-spoiled Golden Retrievers - Maggie and Casey
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke
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btieman
super member
Reged: 07/24/08
Posts: 103
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I'm also interested in this topic--but there has got to be more opinions out there...
What about the ulti-wedge found at http://home.san.rr.com/hobbyland/Ulti-Wedge/Index.htm--anyone have one of these?
I'm interested in a wedge for astrophotography with my CPC 1100. I'm thinking about a pier for astrophotography, but I want to leave the scope on the forks for the convenience of setting up for visual use.
Brian
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CPC 1100
Meade DSI Pro
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stargazin
member
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 46
Loc: Aledo, TX
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Thanks for your comments. I've always known that a GEM was best but that's not an option at this point. By the way, are these Celestron CPCs "deforkable"? I've always wondered that and wondered it it was "deforked" would there be big holes in the side. Anyway, I plan on building a pier for it someday (I may make that my winter project but then again last years winter project was never completed). In the meantime, I think I'm going to go with the APT wedge for now. I'll use it to learn DSO imaging and when I get frustrated because it is too shaky then that might motivate me to get the pier project going. Thanks again!
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Celestron CPC1100
Moonlite Crayford focuser
APT Equatorial wedge
SBIG 2000XM
DMK21AU
Baader LRGB,Ha filters
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Bob D
super member
Reged: 05/24/08
Posts: 118
Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA
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Yes -- the CPC OTAs can be taken off the forks and remounted equatorially. I doubt that the resulting holes are any issue -- probably just from screws.
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Bob
CPC 925 XLT
JMI EV-1c + Smart Focus
TV Everbrite 2" diagonal
TV 3x Barlow and a few eyepieces
Orion SSSSI-II
Canon 450D/XSi, D60, and many lenses
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Jon Canfield
member
Reged: 03/26/08
Posts: 91
Loc: Moses Lake, WA
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If you're interested, I have a brand new Milburn Deluxe wedge available. I've never placed it on the tripod, and would have canceled the order if I could have.
I had planned on putting a pier in, but reality has reared its ugly head.
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tjparker
journeyman
Reged: 09/02/08
Posts: 5
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I also shoot with an ST2000XM. I've got an orange C-8 and a Nexstar 925gps. Here's an interesting observation for you:
I got the AO-7 with the SBIG and a CFW-10 filter wheel. I deforked the C-8 and run it on either a Tak EM-10 or NJP mount nowadays. But just for hoots, I tried the camera out on the original spur gear fork mount (had to really lock it down as I didn't have any tube weights) and the AO-7 corrected the erratic error in the drive just fine, so long as it was reasonably polar aligned.
problem with the AO-7, though, is I can't reach focus with a focal reducer in place. But I wonder if the new AO-8 can.
I've done a fair amount of imaging with my 9.25 GPS, too. Though the PE isn't as coarse as the error in the old spur gear drive, I was shocked that the amplitude was about the same - about 20 arc seconds for both.
PEC training helps the newer scope a lot, and autoguiding does fine if there's not much wind.
I beefed up my wedge a couple of times, such that it's now pretty solid, but the shakes are still there in the forks. Probably considerably worse than stock with the losmandy dovetail plates, megrez 80, and counerweight mounted on the OTA.
I'm going to take all that off and guide with the guider chip in the ST2000 to see how that works. I'll bet it will work well.
To sum up, I think that the wedge is less important than keeping vibrations away from the fork mount, and/or keeping the mass of your rig minimal. Of course, having a solid wedge doesn't hurt!
-Tim.
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