Eddgie
Postmaster
Reged: 02/01/06
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: Pat at home]
#5730752 - 03/13/13 05:34 PM
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Very... Cool
I have though many times about makeing a "Truss" style pier for my refractor mount. The tripod legs on my LXD must weigh 60 lbs. Even retracted the leg are almost 4 feet long to the top of the tripod mounting plate.
I thought it might be possible to make an open truss, light weight pier.
I don't use the 6" APO that much though so it is a very low priority thing for me to try to change.
But I love your tripod. It shows cool ingenuity.
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herrointment
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/12/11
Loc: North of Hwy. 64
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: Eddgie]
#5731409 - 03/13/13 11:54 PM Attachment (36 downloads)
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I built "Parker style" tripod and put a wood tubed extension on it. The extension is braced by 6 5/16" threaded rods that are hiding in the copper tubes....the center bar of the mount extends down to the base of the extension.
The tripod design is dead solid and the extension actually worked. I know a Sky View Pro mount shouldn't work very well
with my shortened C150.....but it does!
I thought I'd add another homemade option to your mix and show off a bit too!
Had it out tonight.....
Edited by herrointment (03/13/13 11:57 PM)
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hottr6
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/28/09
Loc: 7,500', Magdalena Mtns, NM
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: herrointment]
#5731783 - 03/14/13 08:45 AM
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The car tracks on either side of your rig remind me of the classic cartoon image of a pair of ski tracks going around opposite sides of a tree! 
Shane in gray-zone NM
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Startraffic
sage
Reged: 02/12/06
Loc: Lat. 39.143345, Long. -77.1748...
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: GHarris]
#5731793 - 03/14/13 08:53 AM
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GHarris,
I had a Celestron C6R (6"f8) on my G11 for a couple of years & loved it. A great combo. When I got an 8ft Dome I had a problem with clearance in some places with only 1-2" between the EP & the wall. I haven't used a CGEM or Atlas so I can't comment on them but the G11 with the digital drive system is a good fit that will allow for growth later on in capacity & control. I've hung a 10"f4SNT, the C6R & a 90mm GS on mine for visual solar outreach. Total load was ~#45. The only thing different I did was slow the slew speed down.
Clear Dark Skies
Startraffic
39.138274 -77.168898
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northernontario
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/01/09
Loc: Porcupine, Ontario Canada
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: Startraffic]
#5731811 - 03/14/13 09:02 AM
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I use an older HEQ5 (non go-to) with a meade heavy duty tripod for my Canadian Telescopes 152 mm refractor. The scope is about 25 pounds.
Works very well, stable, solid, quiets down quickly.
jake
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Eddgie
Postmaster
Reged: 02/01/06
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: herrointment]
#5731837 - 03/14/13 09:22 AM
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I love it..
Kind of a "Steam Punk" look. I totally love it.
As I mentioned, I have considered making a wood tripod or pier for my LXD 750 from time to time and I find your work to be quite inspiring. I am going to have to dust off my drawing equipment.
Thanks for sharing. It is a beautiful design.
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mlanglois
member
Reged: 12/04/09
Loc: Newton, MA
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: herrointment]
#5732277 - 03/14/13 01:38 PM
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Herrointment,
That is one of the most esthetically pleasing tripods I've ever seen... truly fine furniture quality. Great Job
Michael
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Kunama
super member
Reged: 10/22/12
Loc: Australia
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: mlanglois]
#5732550 - 03/14/13 04:47 PM
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Quote:
Herrointment,
That is one of the most esthetically pleasing tripods I've ever seen... truly fine furniture quality. Great Job
Michael
Beautiful skills on show right there Jim !!! One of very few astronomy DIY items that made me stop and study it. You can rightly 'show off' a bit.
As for the original question re mounts:
I am going to use my 5" Tak purely as a visual scope for a while and for visual nothing beats an Alt-Azi mount for convenience. I am going with the T-Rex with Wildcard Innovations Argo Navis.
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HCR32
sage
Reged: 08/27/10
Loc: Australia
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: Kunama]
#5732598 - 03/14/13 05:21 PM
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I wasn't happy with my 5" on an eq6. The problem is the length of the refractor. At 1200 you'll have settle down time issues. G11 would be a minimum for me.
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urbanMark
sage
Reged: 07/08/06
Loc: San Jose, CA
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: HCR32]
#5737015 - 03/16/13 07:40 PM Attachment (6 downloads)
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I've been quite happy with my 152ED mounted on a G-11 w/ Losmandy tripod and pier extension. For visual use it is great, and it is a magnet during outreach. A long scope on a tall mount is like a beacon at any public event.
BTW - the G-11 is a great imaging mount too, but my 6" F/9 would be a bit much for reliable imaging on this mount.
(photo shows 6" F/9 on G-11 w extension. 80mm F/7 on alt-az is in front, kinda obscuring the mount. The crowd to the right is a line to look through the 6")
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urbanMark
sage
Reged: 07/08/06
Loc: San Jose, CA
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: urbanMark]
#5737082 - 03/16/13 08:05 PM Attachment (8 downloads)
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Here is a better pic. Never ceases to amaze me how awestruck the general public is by this mount/scope combo. Can't tell you how often I've seen people walk right past AP's or big dobs to look through this rig. I can only guess that the tall pier and long-ish F/9 refractor are what draw people.
If outreach with a 6" class refractor is your goal, then the G-ll with pier extension is a great choice.
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Richard Low
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/27/05
Loc: Singapore
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Re: 6 inch refractor (visual) - which mount?
[Re: urbanMark]
#5737751 - 03/17/13 12:14 AM
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I use my APM 6" f/8 triplet on EQ6 mount (no goto) for visual use and it is just alright. Yes there is some 2sec. vibration if tapped, but otherwise I have no problem viewing planets at 350x. I recently upgrade to Losmandy HD tripod and it is better. My DIY ota plus tube rings weight 12.2kg, while the APM 6" f/8 ED doublet, which I have tested, weighs about 10kg, so I would say the EQ6 mount is certainly useable. The G11 is definitely better, as I had mounted my APM 6" f/8 in tandem with AP 6" f/9 EDT and the G11 still performs well.
Incidentally, I also use the 6"/8 on Astroslew Inox, similar to DM4, with 12" pier on my Losmandy HD tripod, and it is a solid setup. I have use this setup for public outreach, and I have shown the public views of planets at 324x using Ethos SX 3.7mm.
Edited by Richard Low (03/17/13 12:23 AM)
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