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could I put my Orion XT10 classic on a Meade LX75 or equivelant mount?

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could I put my Orion XT10 classic on a Meade LX75 or equivelant mount?

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Celestron still sells their C10N-GT which sits on the CG5 mount which is pretty much the same as the LXD75. So they must think it's okay. I've used that configuration before and found it to be somewhat marginal.

The main difficulty in putting so much weight on the mount comes when trying to focus the scope. The slightest touch can cause vibrations which take a few seconds to dampen out. Touching your face against the eyepiece can do the same thing.

The other thing is that a 10" Newt on an EQ mount can be just plain difficult to use. The contortions required to get to the eyepiece can sometimes be painful, depending on where the scope is pointed.

Patrick

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Patrick:

The fact that Celestron will sell you a 10 inch Newtonian on the CG-5 mount doesn't mean it is a good choice, it just means they are willing to sell it... This is what it looks like to me:

A few years ago, I bought a pair of rings so I could mount my 10 inch F/5 GSO Dob on my CG-5 ASGT. I was (and am) using the mount with a 8 inch F/5 Newtonian and it works quite well. I set it in my telescope work area, mounted the 10 inch F/5 onto the CG-5, it took 33lbs of counter weights to balance it, and that was without eyepieces. I could tell then and there that from a stability standpoint, the mount was overloaded, it wobbled and vibrated at very touch. NO WAY JOSE...

As far as the Newtonians from 30 years ago, I have a couple, an RV-6 and a 12.5 inch F/6 RG. Certainly the pier mount is the right design for scopes like this. Those old mounts were robust but crude and everything is heavy, the OTA is about 100lbs, it takes 85lbs of counterweights, total weight is about 300lbs. The rotating rings, they are nice, it gives nice views.

My suggestion to anyone considering building or buying a larger Newtonian on a GEM, if you haven't used one, find a way to spend a few hours with one. Patrick and others point to the difficulty in using these scopes. Viewing positions can be awkward....

There is a reason they call it the "Dob revolution." Dobsonians are simplier, more stable, much more comfortable to use. If you are looking over the fence and seeing the greenery of tracking that the GEM provides, it's kind of soggy over there. Take a careful look before you commit.

Jon

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Patrick:

The fact that Celestron will sell you a 10 inch Newtonian on the CG-5 mount doesn't mean it is a good choice, it just means they are willing to sell it...

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