· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Mounts Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 magic612 Post Laureate Reged: 09/30/08 Loc: S. of Chicago's light dome How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST?       #2958739 - 03/02/09 11:51 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi - I'm interested in a GOTO mount for my Orion Short Tube 80. I don't want to buy a full set up that already has a 80mm scope - just the mount is all I need. Other than the IOptron alt-az mounts, are there any other GOTO mounts on the market? If not, what should I look for in a used mount setup? Anything I should avoid? I don't figure that the Meade ETX mounts are likely to be the best option, since the fork arms look pretty short, and when using some of my eyepieces, I have to rack the focuser pretty far out, and it might cause difficulty viewing at the zenith. Thanks for any/all replies. If there's any questions, just ask. Edited by magic612 (03/02/09 11:18 PM) Post Extras:       Al Canarelli Post Laureate Reged: 12/06/07 Loc: Central New Jersey Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST [Re: magic612]       #2958774 - 03/02/09 12:03 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Have you considered the Ioptron cube? This is as inexpensive as you will get. Post Extras:       magic612 Post Laureate Reged: 09/30/08 Loc: S. of Chicago's light dome Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST [Re: Al Canarelli]       #2958780 - 03/02/09 12:09 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I guess I should point out that I have no problem adapting an existing GOTO mount to work with my ST-80, so if there's something besides the IOptron (like a Meade or Celestron GOTO mount) that someone has removed their OTA from, I'm more than willing to work with something along those lines, as a used mount will likely be a less expensive route. Post Extras:       n1toga sage Reged: 05/15/08 Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST [Re: magic612]       #2958884 - 03/02/09 12:50 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I used a floor model Nexstar 80 SLT ($190) for my C6 ota, works like a charm. Post Extras:       Dave H. sage Reged: 02/29/08 Loc: Northern Virginia Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST [Re: n1toga]       #2958907 - 03/02/09 01:06 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I also use the Nexstar SLT, it has the saddle/clamp to accept any Vixen/CG5 style dovetail, so one can use differnt OTAs and swap them out in seconds. This mount is super easy to use, a great grab and go GOTO mount, and on a 80mm OTA it is close to ideal on a stock Nexstar SLT. I'll send you a PM. Post Extras:       magic612 Post Laureate Reged: 09/30/08 Loc: S. of Chicago's light dome Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST [Re: Dave H.]       #2960645 - 03/03/09 10:36 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   No one has any thoughts on adapting the Meade DS go-to mounts? Post Extras:       Eddgie Postmaster Reged: 02/01/06 Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: magic612]       #2960651 - 03/03/09 10:39 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   LXD-55s are inexpensive and fairly good performers. There are smaller mounts out there, but many suffer from being limited in height adjustment. The nice thing about the LXD55 besides being cheap is that you can easily mount other telescopes on it, up to maybe a C8 in the event you ever want to compliment your smaller scope with a bigger one. To me, it is always better to slighly overmount a telescope than undermount it. Post Extras:       jason_milani Carpal Tunnel Reged: 09/03/04 Loc: Northeast Ohio Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: Eddgie]       #2960940 - 03/03/09 12:36 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   A Nexstar GT (basically the same as an SLT) 80mm mount would be perfect. The clamshell will fit the ST80 and it's really light. Want one? PM me if you do. Post Extras:       Zebra24601 Postmaster Reged: 10/09/05 Loc: San Gabriel Valley, CA 91770 Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: jason_milani]       #2961159 - 03/03/09 02:32 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I second the lxd55. You should be able to find one used for about $250 if you're patient. Great flexibility for a larger OTA in the future, too. Post Extras:       mischief super member Reged: 04/26/08 Loc: Northern California Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: Zebra24601]       #2961570 - 03/03/09 06:26 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Orion has a GoTo mount for $299. It is called the TeleTrack AZ-G Altazimuth GoTo mount. It should handle the ST80 with no problems. Weight limit is about 10 lbs. You should be able to find info on their web site; I get the catalog which is where I saw it. Dorothy Post Extras:       Jeff Lee professor emeritus Reged: 09/17/06 Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: mischief]       #2961733 - 03/03/09 07:45 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hmmm, SLT craig's list = $85 works like a champ....my C5 loves it... Post Extras:       MtnGoat Carpal Tunnel Reged: 02/18/07 Loc: Columbia Gorge, WA Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: Jeff Lee]       #2961820 - 03/03/09 08:35 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   DS scopes are cheap and the cradle would fit your ST80. Post Extras:       pennyandchris scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 01/30/07 Loc: Horsham, England Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: MtnGoat]       #2962479 - 03/04/09 03:11 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If it's visual only, I'd use the Nexstar SLT, or even a Vixen Skypod. If you may ever want to do AP, then an LXD55/75 or CG5 GT would be good. There's also the NEQ3 Synscan, slightly smaller, which may suit. Post Extras:       magic612 Post Laureate Reged: 09/30/08 Loc: S. of Chicago's light dome Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: pennyandchris]       #2962782 - 03/04/09 09:24 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'm definitely looking for visual only, so I'm thinking the Nexstar SLT (possibly the Meade DS) sounds like a good direction to go. The LXD55 seems a bit big and bulky for a scope that only weighs 3.8 pounds. I already have one solid (and HEAVY) mount for my C8+ SCT; I'm not looking for another one. Quick and easy, one-handed "out the door," 2-3 star align-and-go type of thing. Thanks for everyone's suggestions - they really have helped! Post Extras:       MtnGoat Carpal Tunnel Reged: 02/18/07 Loc: Columbia Gorge, WA Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: magic612]       #2963343 - 03/04/09 01:54 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'm seeing a ton of DS scopes for $50-100 on Clist in area lately. Post Extras:       jgraham Postmaster Reged: 12/02/04 Loc: Dayton, Ohio Re: How to do low-cost GOTO for 80mm ST? [Re: MtnGoat]       #2963368 - 03/04/09 02:05 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The Meade DS-2000 series of mounts work great for this. The DSX-series is particularly nice as they have a generic mounting plate. I bought a DSX-90 (an ETX-90 OTA on a DS-2000 mount) and I use the mount for my PST. Plan-B would be to buy any of the DS-2000 scopes (fairly common on the used market) and adapt the cradle. A DS-2090 (the 90mm refractor version) would be nearly ideal. Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 18 registered and 37 anonymous users are browsing this forum. Moderator:  Bowmoreman, bilgebay, iceblaze  Print Thread Forum Permissions       You cannot start new topics       You cannot reply to topics       HTML is disabled       UBBCode is enabled Thread views: 458 Jump to *Announcements and News* -----   Cloudy Nights Announcements   Discussion of CN Articles, Reviews, and Reports   Celestial Events*General Astronomy* -----   Beginners Forum   General Observing and Astronomy   Outreach   Light Pollution*Equipment Discussions* -----   ATM, Optics and DIY Forum   Binoculars   Binoviewers   Cats & Casses   Classic Telescopes   Equipment   Eyepieces   Mounts   Observatories   Reflectors   Refractors    Video and Electronically Assisted Astronomy*Astrophotography and Sketching* -----   Beginning and Intermediate Imaging   Film Astrophotography   DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing   CCD Imaging & Processing   Solar System Imaging & Processing   Sketching   Astro Imaging/Sketching Contest *Observing* -----   NEO   Planetary and Solar System Observing   Lunar Observing   Deep Sky Observing   Double Star Observing   Solar   Variable Star Observing and Radio Astronomy*Telescope Specific Forums* -----   Celestron NexStar    NexStar GPS / CPC Telescopes   Questar Forum   Meade ACF/RCX / LX / GPS    Meade ETX*Speciality Forums* -----   Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo   NEAF (Northeast Astronomy Forum) and NEAIC (Northeast Astro Imaging Conference)   AstroArt   Astronomy Clubs and Star Parties   Astronomy Software & Computers   AstroWebsites   Science! Astronomy & Space Exploration, and Others   Space Rocks   Stellar Media*Swap and Shop* -----   Shop and Swap Audio Components*CN Feedback and Vendor Announcements* -----   Vendor and Group Announcements*International Year of Astronomy 2009 - Forums are now closed.* -----   IYA Archive Info CN Forums Home

Cloudy Nights LLC Cloudy Nights Sponsor: Astronomics