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
Astrodave
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/28/04
Posts: 1194
Loc: Manassas Park, Va. USA
|
|
Well i am selling the lx200gps tomorrow and want to replace it with something more capable for astrophotography. I am down to either a cg-5 gt or an lxd-75 mount and an orion 80ed with st-80 guidescope combo. Which mount is better and why? Will the 80ed work with these mounts and what kind of dovetail plate do i need that will work in the mount and hold both the 80ed and the st-80? I am looking for any advice i can get on this type of setup. Thanks!
David
--------------------
Northern Virginia
|
jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22479
Loc: NE Ohio
|
|
If you want something with drive precision in the same class as the LX200GPS you'd probably want to look at mounts like the Vixen GP/DX or Sphinx or some of the lighter Taks.
For dual scope use with the mounts you mention or the Vixen mounts I'd suggest the Vixen dual mounting plate; it's compatible with all of them.
Edited by jrcrilly (02/11/05 08:39 AM)
|
Astrodave
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/28/04
Posts: 1194
Loc: Manassas Park, Va. USA
|
|
Well im on a budget and cant justify a gm-8 or sphinx at my current skill level. I need to learn to accurately polar align, do drift alignment, etc because ive been alt/az'd for a while with the lx200. Im going to spend around 1200 for the mount and the 80ed which is why the lxd-75 and cg-5 gt were mentioned, so id prefer to leave the discussion to these 2 mounts or similar quality mounts at the same price. I want 5-10 minute exposures for now until i thoroughly learn the ropes of imaging and polar alignment and then in a year or two im sure that a gm-8 will be in the cards for me. Thanks 
--------------------
Northern Virginia
|
Astrodave
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/28/04
Posts: 1194
Loc: Manassas Park, Va. USA
|
|
John, Is this the vixen plate that you were talking about?
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=2077&kw=vixen%20dovetail&st=2
How does this work on an lxd-75 or cg-5 gt mount? It doesnt look compatible to me unless there is another dovetail plate that connects to this plate and then slides into the dovetail holder on either mount? Will it be a solid setup for imaging if it were to be used in this fashion? Thanks.
--------------------
Northern Virginia
|
Rushwind
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 2133
Loc: Newark, CA
|
|
I can't complain about the CG-5GT/ED80/ST80 combo; it's been a great performer for me. I mount my OTAs over/under, and I even run with an additional piggybacked SLR sometimes (*way* up in the air). No problems balancing the mount under this load. There's plenty of mount left under these teeny refractors and fully loaded camera gear. Here is a picture of my setup.
If you're considering the LXD-75, I would look into its autoguider capabilities. It's my understanding that the LXD55 doesn't accept "standard" ST-4-style autoguider input, which means you'd be forced to use Meade autoguiders or convert whatever guider you're using to speak Meade. I'm not sure what the story is on the LXD-75 in that regard. Other than that, I've heard nothing bad about the LXD-75, but I'm far from an expert.
Hope that helps,
Jimbo
--------------------
Order of the Unblinking Eye
G-11 D70 ST4 8"f/5 AT66ED (Rig)
I used to shoot film.
|
SPACEMAN
sage
Reged: 01/30/05
Posts: 218
Loc: grömme,Belgium
|
|
a eq 6 sky scan is very stabile and its is very good for astrofotographie
--------------------
14" SPX, F4.6, F1/10 Orion Optics 1/10 Lamba
EQ6 on Stativ 40, Escap P530.004 motors
12X80 f3.7 finder by Herman Ten Haaf
6" Sky-wacther Refr. On GP with MT-1 motors
Dew Buster, Kendrick dew heaters
Controller for the 2 mounts: Dynostar x3 3.2Amp
Kendrick Astro tent
|
Astrodave
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/28/04
Posts: 1194
Loc: Manassas Park, Va. USA
|
|
Rushwind, id be very interested in all the parts that you use to attach those 2 scopes to that mount. I was looking for something that attaches both scopes side by side like that vixen dual dovetail link above. Do you have any closeup pics of the scopes on the mount together? That way i could see the rings and dovetails that you are using and how you attached them. The biggest concern i have is what dovetails, rings, etc i need to attach both scopes to the mount while maintaining optimum balance and no tube flexure. Thanks!
--------------------
Northern Virginia
|
Rushwind
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 2133
Loc: Newark, CA
|
|
It's pretty straightforward, here's the URL to my gear webpage. I mount over/under, not side by side, so I just used a normal set of rings (the ones Orion sells have holes on the bottom and top), 2 dovetails, and guidescope rings on the top. The only custom thing that I had to do was I removed the 1/4-20 mounting block from my ST80 so that the piggyback rings would fit. There's a closeup of the setup on there; if you need more pictures, let me know.
There's no tube flexure; both of these tubes are really short (400mm and 600mm focal lengths). Since everything is mounted in-line with the RA axis, balance is not a problem; that is, I have more trouble with Dec balance (something that side-by-side mounting would have no effect on) than RA balance. My solution for Dec balance (I was EP heavy) was to get a longer (13") dovetail and mount the tubes further forward (more weight over the nose). Once I got that solved, it's been smooth sailing ever since. Note that with all my gear attached, I'm still only using a single 11# counterweight, and it's not even all the way to the end of the CW shaft. It's a nice, light rig, and tracks well for hours (with autoguider, of course ).
Jimbo
--------------------
Order of the Unblinking Eye
G-11 D70 ST4 8"f/5 AT66ED (Rig)
I used to shoot film.
|
jay52
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/26/04
Posts: 2280
|
|
Hmm, I'm kinda with John on this one. Through going with the shorter focal length it a smart move, it just could recommend those mounts about the LX200. If it were a GM-8, that's a different story. I'd hold off until I could go with the GM-8 or the GP-DX. But that's just me.
--------------------
jay
www.allaboutastro.com
|
|
14 registered and 19 anonymous users are browsing this forum.
Moderator: Charlie Hein, FAB
Print Thread
|
Forum Permissions
You cannot start new topics
You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled
UBBCode is enabled
|
Thread views: 374
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
