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ditar
member
Reged: 08/22/09
Posts: 29
Loc: 58°23′N 116°02'W
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I recently picked up an Orion EON 80mm apo for use as a grab-and-go and travel scope. My camera tripod is pretty decent but really only works when viewing objects lower than 40 degrees above the horizon. Anything higher and it has serious balance issues. I like using 2" eyepieces so it's kind of rear heavy.
What are some suggestions for a portable but stable mount? I prefer an alt-azimuth one for simplicity. So far the leading contender is the Vixen Porta II. The only downside is that mounting the scope sideways places the finder in an awkward spot on the bottom of the tube so I have to use some sort of L bracket (such as the one Orion offers). Does anyone have some experience with a setup like this? Does it work well or is there something better I haven't come across? Thanks.
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AD
CPC 925
Orion 80mm EON on Vixen Porta II
35Pan, 24Pan, 17T4, 12T4, 7T6
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TONGKW
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/16/07
Posts: 614
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I often use a Manfrotto 410 gear head to mount my WO ZS 80 FD refractor. The Manfrotto 410 gear head has slow motion control as well as quick positioning on 3 axes.
http://www.adorama.com/BG3275.html
K W TONG
Telescopes: C8+CG-5GT, 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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RodgerHouTex
super member
Reged: 06/02/09
Posts: 126
Loc: Houston, Texas, USA
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I have my EON 80 mounted on an Orion VersaGo altazimuth mount. The VersaGo is small enough to fit in checked luggage and I carried my EON 80 on the plane in it's case.
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Rodger
EON 80
EON 120
Meade AR6
Tak FS-152 (thanks Charlie)
Celestron Nexstar 8SE
Celestron 9.25" SCT
Meade 10" LX50
Celestron 14" SCT
20" f/5 Obsession Classic
3.5 mm. Pentax XW
3.5, 7, and 13 mm. Nagler Type 6s
19, 24, 27, and 35 mm. Panoptics
Paracorr
Complete set of Baader Genuine Orthos
Set of Meade series 4000 plossls
etc., etc.
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ditar
member
Reged: 08/22/09
Posts: 29
Loc: 58°23′N 116°02'W
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Many thanks to Manny Myles for letting me know about his custom bracket for the Porta mount. I now have a stable and very portable setup that I can haul outside for quick peeks and pack for travel too! Here's some pics:
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AD
CPC 925
Orion 80mm EON on Vixen Porta II
35Pan, 24Pan, 17T4, 12T4, 7T6
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Kfrank
sage
Reged: 12/20/08
Posts: 220
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I have an SV80ED. Pretty much the same size as your EON. I normally use it with a heavy EP (Hyperion Zoom). It is mounted on a Universal Astronomics MicroStar mount which handles it very nicely. the mount is on a 35 year old wooden tripod that once held a Tasco eq mount and a 60mm scope. The combo works well. I'd like it a bit better on a heavier tripod but except for magnifications in the range of 140+ where vibration an become a problem, it works well. But that's not the mounts fault, the Microstar works nicely.
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Ken
ST80
SV80ED
ETX90 (Deforked)
Orion XT8
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John Noble
sage
Reged: 05/07/08
Posts: 205
Loc: Sandy Eggo, California
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Everyone's definition of "portable" is a little different, but my Onyx 80EDF rides on a Stellarvue M1 head attached to a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 tripod. Total weight with the scope and accessories isn't much over 20 pounds, and the rig packs small.
Stability is decent but not outstanding, but I'm willing to pay the price to get such a light & compact rig. I don't have too much trouble focusing or tracking even at the scope's limit (c. 170X) as long as I don't extend the center post very far, but things can get jiggly at high power.
Speaking of the center post, it's a great thing to have on a mount like this because you can observe in comfort from a fixed height seat. I use a Camp Time folding stool (sold by Orion, among others): it weighs maybe a pound and a half and would fit in airline luggage with no problems.
Regarding finder position, the M1 head doesn't care which side you mount the scope on. My finder shoe is at about the two o'clock position with the scope mounted to the right. I've never used an optical finder with this scope--I'm hooked on my Celestron Laser Finder--so I don't know if it's a very ergonomic position. It might be a little high, and it would probably cause balance issues once you get past 45 degrees altitude or so. This is something to consider with any sidesaddle mount if you're using a short, light scope.
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"We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened."
--Huckleberry Finn
Edited by John Noble (10/26/09 02:55 PM)
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Manny Myles
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/29/05
Posts: 3786
Loc: Flatlandia
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Looks like a great set up there AD.
I really like my Porta's.
m2
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Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak
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