Ian Robinson
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/29/09
Posts: 1165
Loc: Gateshead.NSW Nth Coast,Austra...
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I've had this collecting dust for a while , was told it came with a Celestron refractor originally , it's a Vixen I know that , but not sure what model.
Anyone know ?
It's built like a tank and has no freeplay in it , and the slowmos are supersmooth , if a tad stiff .
Been thinking for a while of adding RA and dec stepper motors to it but not sure if Vixens MT1s will fit it and give the right tracking speed.
(Maybe buying a EQ5 dual axis set and fitting the drives somehow to it as an alternative if its got the standard 144:1 gearing.
Any info will help.
Edited by Ian Robinson (09/21/09 01:16 AM)
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Ian Robinson
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/29/09
Posts: 1165
Loc: Gateshead.NSW Nth Coast,Austra...
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End view
Edited by Ian Robinson (09/21/09 01:16 AM)
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Steve_M_M
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 06/09/04
Posts: 976
Loc: Moorpark, CA
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It's a Vixen Polaris Mount...Smaller than the Super Polaris or Great Polaris, but a great portable mount.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the mount can be found here Vixen Polaris
Steve
--------------------
1956 Goto Optical 6" f15 Observatory Refractor
From the Titan Observatory as featured in S&T 1957-1959
&
1961 Nishimura 6" Reflector
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TimD
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/16/05
Posts: 907
Loc: CA USA
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Yep Vixen Polaris. Just like my Tasco 8v has.
--------------------
Takahashi TSC 225
WO Megrez 102
Meade ETX 90, ETX 125
Meade LX90
Classic Orange tube C14, C90, C5+
Etc,Etc,Etc!!
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Ian Robinson
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/29/09
Posts: 1165
Loc: Gateshead.NSW Nth Coast,Austra...
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The tripod looks very familiar .... I've got that in a box in the garage up in the rafters.
Yep mine came with the threadbar counterweight bar and threaded 5kg counterweight Which I like a lot.
I've taken the bar and counterweight off and put it on my CG5 , happens to screw in just fine. Is OK for 60mm guidescope and my camera even with the 300mm f2.8 Tamron.
Might just be worth looking at turning it into another camera platform with dual axis drives and autoguider .... The gearing appears from the footnote to be 144:1 (ie 10min per rotation of the worm(S?).
Edited by Ian Robinson (09/21/09 05:30 AM)
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AaronM
super member
Reged: 02/02/06
Posts: 341
Loc: NRW, Germany
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Here in europe it was also called "Tasco 7701" mount !
Kind regards, Michael
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Nippon
member
Reged: 10/22/09
Posts: 54
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I have a Vixen Polaris myself and wonder what the max payload capacity is. Does anyone have experience with this mount with OTAs such as a C8?
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albert1
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/01/07
Posts: 1371
Loc: Northern New Jersey
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This mount, with the included additional counter weight, also came with the Celestron C-6 Newt. The C-6 OTA weighs about 15 lbs and the mount handles it just fine for visual - never tried AP.
Tough & smooth little mount - I should have never sold it. 
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Albert
1 Great 'ole Newt
6 Good 'ole Newts
3 Great 'ole Cats
1 Lousy 'ole Newt
One of these days I'll try a Refractor better than my 90mm finderscope
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albert1
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/01/07
Posts: 1371
Loc: Northern New Jersey
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Quote:
It's a Vixen Polaris Mount...Smaller than the Super Polaris or Great Polaris, but a great portable mount.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the mount can be found here Vixen Polaris
Steve
Thanks for that link Steve. Ed Moreno does such a great detailed job on his reviews.
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Albert
1 Great 'ole Newt
6 Good 'ole Newts
3 Great 'ole Cats
1 Lousy 'ole Newt
One of these days I'll try a Refractor better than my 90mm finderscope
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Darenwh
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/11/06
Posts: 1224
Loc: Covington, GA
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From what I read some place, not sure where, the successor to this mount, the Great Polaris Mount, was released to provide a dovetail and provisions for dual drives. The origional Polaris mount was made to only use a motor for tracking and uses rings attached directly to the mount head rather than using a dovetail. The capacity of the two mounts was supposed to be the same. So, find the capacity of the Great Polaris mount and you will have the capacity of the Polaris mount.
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Daren
Covington, GA
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 25203
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
From what I read some place, not sure where, the successor to this mount, the Great Polaris Mount, was released to provide a dovetail and provisions for dual drives. The origional Polaris mount was made to only use a motor for tracking and uses rings attached directly to the mount head rather than using a dovetail.
You've missed the Super Polaris, which came between. It, like the Polaris, used no saddle but like the later Great Polaris it was larger and could be rigged for dual drives. Early SP's required a DEC motor bracket but later units had that cast into the DEC axis. The GP is an upgraded SP with better internals and a saddle. There was an SP/DX (rarely seen) with upgraded internals also.
For comparison:
The EQ-2/CG3 was a Polaris lookalike; the EQ-3/CG4 was a Super Polaris lookalike, and the EQ-4/CG5 was a GP lookalike.
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John C
Urban Observatory
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Meade ETX-125AT
C14
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
CI-700, NJP, GPDX/SS2KPC, CG5-GT
ST-10XME, DSI Pro
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Nippon
member
Reged: 10/22/09
Posts: 54
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I have seen photos of the C6 newtonian on the Polaris. I did not think the OTA was that heavy. But I remember that the OTA had blocks for guide scope rings. So rigged for astro photography it would get rather heavy. I disassembled my Polaris to tighten everything up a few years ago and to my surprise the hollow RA axis, which allows a polar scope, is made out of steel, not aluminum.
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mikesemmler
member
Reged: 06/01/09
Posts: 29
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Hello Ian!
In Europe, these mount under the name Vixen NP (New Polaris) was distributed. Since about 5 years, this mount is only used to buy.
Michael
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