Don W
Postmaster
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 13244
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
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This forum will be a place to discuss choosing and using refractor telescopes. Have fun and be nice to each other.
Don Wyman
Moderator
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Don Wyman
Obsession 18" f/4.5 #1166
W/Argo Navis DSC and Torus Primary
William Optics Megrez 90
Coronado PST
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Steve Landry
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 609
Loc: Graham, Washington
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Don,
Great Idea! I think this will become one of the most popular forums here!
Cheers,
Steve
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Orion ED80
Orion ED100
Celestron C4R
Orion 120/F5
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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What he said. Thanks.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Don,
You know refractor owners cant play nice, this forum is dead now! Id retract and say," who has the best here"? Thats more a refractor statement. We dont go by aperature, we go by quality..........hehehe. That outta rattle a few cages.
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 39767
Loc: Phx, AZ
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What could be better than a Pronto? A TV76 perhaps? Or a TV85? For the money then, what could be better than a Pronto?
A sub-topic: the best mount for said refractor?
Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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Steve Landry
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 609
Loc: Graham, Washington
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Ah, mounts. Now there's a subject that's got my interest lately.
Alt-Az, or Eq?
Manual or motorized?
What's the best mount for a small refractor, say under 10lbs?
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Orion ED80
Orion ED100
Celestron C4R
Orion 120/F5
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22479
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
What's the best mount for a small refractor, say under 10lbs?
Either a Nexstar GPS or an LX200GPS... 
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Steve Landry
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 609
Loc: Graham, Washington
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You know John, that actually went through my mind. But that means I gotta lug that stuff outside too.
I'm thinking more of an accurate Stand-alone-non-piggy-backed-on-a-behemoth-sct type setup!
Cheers!
Steve
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Orion ED80
Orion ED100
Celestron C4R
Orion 120/F5
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22479
Loc: NE Ohio
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Hi, Steve.
I used to use an LXD55 mount with my TV Genesis. Worked great - but probably a little heavier than needed for a 10 pound OTA. The other hot combo would be a GP with a Sky Sensor 2000 on it - that's a really amazing controller.
Meade used to sell (in department stores) a 114mm reflector on an EQ mount with an early version of Autostar. I have a couple of those mounts I figure I'll use someday for light refractors.
I picked up a Nexstar 80GT recently - that's cute as heck but I don't think they are capable of tracking at the kind of magnifications you refractor guys like to use; it's designed for an F5 telescope. I see folks using 'em with Prontos, though.
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Steve Landry
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 609
Loc: Graham, Washington
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GP with skysensor....Hmmmm that could be a possibiility.
Thanks for the Idea! I'm still waiting for reviews of the new cg-5 with computer control. For 700 bucks that could be a nice setup if the gears are good enough.
Steve
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Orion ED80
Orion ED100
Celestron C4R
Orion 120/F5
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 39767
Loc: Phx, AZ
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I mounted my Pronto to my NS11 GPS and found it to be a very good mount. Even gives me the time of day if I forget my watch. The large tube under the Pronto does get in the way some times but where else do you mount the counter weight rail?
For those quick views its' the bogen 3036 and telepod head.
A motorised GEM is inching its' way up and on to my wish list.
Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22479
Loc: NE Ohio
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...or you could get the AR-5 LXD55 for about that, sell the OTA (or keep it to add to your refractor collection), and update the tripod... 
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22479
Loc: NE Ohio
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Hey, Ron.
Let me know if you want one of these Meade Autostar GEMs for not very much...
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Steve Landry
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 609
Loc: Graham, Washington
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John,
What do have mounted on the Lxd55?. Is it the Vixe, or the Genesis?
I've heard a whole bunch about that mount. I'm not really a tinkerer at heart. I really want to be able to do a good polar alignment and track well enough for 5 min exposures. All for under a grand.
Not asking too much am I ? 
Cheers!
Steve
Ce
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Orion ED80
Orion ED100
Celestron C4R
Orion 120/F5
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22479
Loc: NE Ohio
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Hi, Steve.
I've had the TV Genesis, two different 6" F8 achromats, the 120mm Vixen, a C8, a Meade 10" SNT, a Meade 8" SCT, and a Meade 10" SCT on the LXD55 at one time or another. The 10" SNT seemed too much and the 10" SCT was close. Everything else seemed pretty good.
I really like the little buggers for the price. I think they are around $700 with a decent 5" acromat brand new. If I were more serious about observing or imaging and less interested in the hardware I'd probably just get an APO on a high-end mount and have done with it. I enjoy setting up and using different gear, though, and the LXD55 has a lot of flexibility and good enough performance for normal visual work. I've only had one which needed an actual part replaced - and I got it from a buddy who got it at a garage sale and knew it didn't work. Took a replacement DEC motor and about half an hour. I don't know anyone who's getting 5 minutes of unguided tracking good enough for CCD work with one - but Meade just announced their new guide camera which is apparently going to be able to guide these things.
The worst thing about 'em is they are so easy to bundle with almost any optical tube when I get tired of it - so they are constantly leaving. I've had five of 'em so far and don't even have one right now, so I'm watching for a swap to get one for a quick setup for the Genesis/SolarMax40.
If you're not gonna go too heavy with the load, a Vixen GP or a used GM8 would do a very nice job for under a grand - but it'll cost another $1000 to put goto on it unless you do the roboscope thing . For heavier loads the Atlas/EQ-6 looks like a winner to me - I had one with a Sky Sensor 2000 on it and it carried the 10" SCT plus the Genesis and could have carried more if the counterweight shaft had been longer. Just remember I'm not an imager so my requirements are not the same as the 5 minute unguided guys are looking for.
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Don W
Postmaster
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 13244
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
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Quote:
Thanks for the Idea! I'm still waiting for reviews of the new cg-5 with computer control. For 700 bucks that could be a nice setup if the gears are good enough.
Steve
That's one possibility that really looks good right now. First reports say these mounts are a step up from the old CG-5 with better periodic error, etc. At present I don't do any big time imaging so my TV-76 and TV-85 both ride on either Nexstar-80GT or Nexstar-5 mounts. The TV-76 will also spend some time piggybacked on my Nexstar 11GPS.
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Don Wyman
Obsession 18" f/4.5 #1166
W/Argo Navis DSC and Torus Primary
William Optics Megrez 90
Coronado PST
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rboe
Numbfinger
Reged: 03/16/02
Posts: 39767
Loc: Phx, AZ
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John, I gotta pass. Spent too much on computers lately so my purchasing power has been dialed back. Bummer.
Ron
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Ron
NS11GPS
Pronto
16" dob
15X70 Obies
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Steve Landry
professor emeritus
Reged: 04/25/02
Posts: 609
Loc: Graham, Washington
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Well, I've got Ken Milburn who lives about 10 miles down the road making a Milburn wedge for me and the 9.25. It should be done by the end of October.
But, I'd still like a decent mount fo those nights when the SCT isn't really worth the trouble. I think I'll wait for some reviews of th improved CG-5 to come in before I settle on one.
Cheers!
Steve
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Orion ED80
Orion ED100
Celestron C4R
Orion 120/F5
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scope dog
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/26/04
Posts: 1173
Loc: USA, NJ
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Hi Don,
The SSK works great with that mount. I sell teflon o-rings for that mount. They replace the rubber ones and helps with the backlash issues. I also had some gears that I made too but I sold them. If you are interested I can email you the spec's so you can make your own. What happens with the gear change, example" SSK 36x144 ratio. With a gear change, 36x288. The toque will increase and movement will be finer.
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Jim Fusco
Astreya 152mm F/7 SAPO
Santel MK91
Astreya-SAPO
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Don W
Postmaster
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 13244
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
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Toque? Oh you mean torque? I've heard of your fixes and it sounds real good. I've sold my mount, but the guy who bought it might be interested in the O-rings.
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Don Wyman
Obsession 18" f/4.5 #1166
W/Argo Navis DSC and Torus Primary
William Optics Megrez 90
Coronado PST
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