825 replies to this topic

[midwestastronomer]

This is a thread for the owners of the Astro-Tech EDT medium to large refractors. 

I don't have a picture of mine yet, but when I do I'll post. 

Edited by midwestastronomer, 12 March 2022 - 04:37 PM.

[alphatripleplus]

I am a happy user of an Astro-Tech 130EDT, mostly for EAA and some planetary observing.

[BRCoz]

I am happy with my AT152EDT.  I need to take it out to a dark site soon.

[Phil Cowell]

Your missing the classic AT111EDT.  Have the AT111EDT, 115, 130 both versions and 152 no regrets with any of them. 

[rkaufmann87]

Also a proud owner of an AT 130EDT, current generation with the black focuser.

[awong101]

Your missing the classic AT111EDT.  Have the AT111EDT, 115, 130 both versions and 152 no regrets with any of them. 

 

I'm ok with excluding the 111, since it's not readily available.

 

Anyways, owner of a 115 here.

[nemo129]

I love my AT130EDT, purchased in January 2016. I did swap out the stock focuser with a NiteCrawler.

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[JamesTX]

I posted a first light/initial thoughts video on YouTube of my recently acquired at115edt last month:  https://youtu.be/ahbPisP2CQw

 

If I'm honest, I'm not a fan of the focuser so far.  definitely some sag that causing tilt issues.  I snugged up a loose screw on the focuser which has helped but its still there.

 

I've only finished one shot with it so far, M42... but I have a couple more that are just waiting on post processing.

[JamesTX]

Latest capture with my at115edt:

 

 

[Xeroid]

My biceps size have increased 10% after a few years of mounting my beauty: 

 

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[mikerepp]

Love my 115!   Great scope, pinpoint stars it is just an outstanding performer!

 

[Woody218]

I sure like my AT130EDT!!!

[mikemarotta]

I bought my AT 115 ED last May. I used it several times over the course of a week in September.

 

I had to acquire a heavier mount. It will work on the Explore Scientific Twilight which is rated for 18lbs (8 kg) but the AT 115 ED at 13 lbs (6 kg) is a bit heavy. With finder, Barlow, and a 32mm ocular, the system vibrates at the slightest touch, though it does dampen out after a few seconds. So, I bought a heavier mount, a Celestron AVX computerized ("go-to") equatorial mount and tripod.

 

With the AT 115 on the AVX, one night I also set up my ES 102 on the Twilight mount and used the two together. I let the computer find the target in the AT 115 and then tried to find it for myself with the other telescope. I found Messier 13 in Hercules that way. 

 

Being larger and of more refined glass and being an apochromatic triplet, the AT 115 ED does give a better view. It is not five times better. (The price-performance curve is steep. You have to pay a lot more to get just a little more.) 

 

Also, I had to exchange some emails with Astronomics in order to figure out how to mount a finder scope. The AT 115 ED is not compatible with much. I was told that it was like this "for decades" and that is just the way it is. I finally attached a red-dot (optical finder) with one screw holding it in an inconvenient location.

 

The telescope has been in its very nice padded travel case ever since. The Celestron AVX mount also has not been out of its shipping cartons since last Septermber. I am thnking of selling them both at a flea market. My preferred instrument is the ES-102 on the Twilight I Altitude-Azimuth mount. My interests in astronomy are for history and theory and the history of theory, how we came to understand what we think we know. For us backyard stargazers, this is just a hobby. Many amateurs are engaged in serious science, but I am not one of them, as much as I enjoy recording my views with scale drawings. It is edifying, a transcendent experience. I also found that with a 70mm refractor, binoculars, and just lying out on a chaise and looking up.

 

Best Regards (and Clear Skies),

Mike M.

Edited by mikemarotta, 17 March 2022 - 09:00 AM.

[bob midiri]

I have the original AT 130 F6 Triplet w FPl53 glass, a most excellent triplet. Moon picture using cell phone held up to eyepiece, nothing fancy

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Edited by bob midiri, 17 March 2022 - 11:07 AM.

[Heywood]

Anyone using an AT125 or AT130 on an AVX mount? If so, how "solid" is it?

Thank you.

[RyanAstroMan]

I got an AT130EDT back in January and soo far been loving it, its a very nice scope! I have just been using it for visual use with the plan of someday getting it set up for AP. 

[Mark Lovik]

I have an AT115EDT as my midsize scope.   Currently love this scope, but still using it at half capacity. 

 

So far this is mostly a visual scope for me.  In the future (still waiting to buy a camera optimized for this scope) this is targeted to be my general purpose EAA scope. It will be about 2x faster, have a larger field of view, and have better resolution than my existing 72mm EAA rig. 

 

I have used this scope with 2 mounts

 

A.  Voyager 2 for grab and go.

Normally I use this mount with an AT72EDii for grab and go purposes, but the 72mm is still my general purpose EAA rig.  I tuned the mount - 72mm scope combination to provide rock solid grab and go images from low power 5 degree views up to about 120x for planetary views. 

 

With not much more effort the 115 provides great low power views on this mount.  It's fast to setup and works great --- mostly.  If the object is too high in the sky, the eyepiece side tends to be lower to the ground.  Low power wide field (almost 3 degree) views are great for scanning the sky.  

 

The surprising part is the mount can handle moderate higher powers (mid 100s) without problems.  So I can use this visual combination along side EAA viewing with my other scopes.  Eventually the 115 will be the dedicated EAA scope and the 72 will revert to more grab and go use.  I would not want to mount any larger scope to the Voyager.  I first set this up to prove the whole idea was dumb -- and was surprised it really worked.

 

B. AzEq5  (Eq mode for EAA, Alt-Az for a dedicated visual night in dark skies)

 

The 115 at 13 pounds, and the mount (about 45 pounds with counterweights) makes a light and portable system for EAA and visual viewing.  Viewing near zenith is drastically improved with the (fairly pricey) mount extension.   It's not much more effort to setup than my grab and go setup, and is great for an extended session of viewing a number of objects.

 

Performance

 

Visually the views are wonderful from wide field scanning the sky to higher power planetary views.  The imaging quality is impressive using the dedicated reducer/flattener.  My current cameras are small (sensor size) and slow (pixel size) for this scope.  Just waiting for that imx571 camera(s) in my future!

 

The AT115EDT is about the largest refractor to fit my viewing habits.  Lighter than many 102ED scopes, with just a bit more reach.  Small enough (surprising) to fit my grab and go mount, and within a reasonable weight range for imaging on a mid-size equatorial mount.  It's on my upper end of portability and produces great views and images.

 

Main Irritation

 

Needing to remove the rotator to get focus with the new reducer / corrector.  The updated R/C is great - hacking my backfocus to get it to work is not.

Edited by Mark Lovik, 17 March 2022 - 10:44 PM.

[Craven]

I'm currently considering an AT130EDT, but I need a recommendation on a mount.   I don't want go-to, I'd prefer something manual.   I was looking at the Stellarvue M2C with some sort of pier and a weight rated tripod.   Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I have an AT72EDii, which I mount on a AT Voyager.   That's a nice GNG set up, but I'd like the deeper reach of the 5 inch aperture and don't want to go back to an SCT.  Love the SCT, but its just...for me, anyway...so much work to set up and take down.

[Xeroid]

Couple of possibilities you may wish to consider:

 

- CN user: senio100  sells a alt-azimuth S-B

 

-Another mount with some good reviews: FIELD TEST: THE NOH CT-20 ALT-AZ MOUNT

 

- Some really good carbon fiber  tripods are available but your gonna need a mini pier with that scope.

 

- Photo is my home built Cherry tripod + mini pier + M2C + At 130mm

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Edited by Xeroid, 18 March 2022 - 03:35 PM.

[wxcloud]

Anyone using an AT125 or AT130 on an AVX mount? If so, how "solid" is it?

Thank you.

 

I've used my 130 a couple times with the AVX. I wouldn't use it for deep sky imaging however or in the wind. It's really front heavy and one might want to point the counterweight over a leg instead of between them.

 

I'm thinking I might have goofed up with this purchase, it's a large scope that's fairly awkward and unfortunately I haven't gotten a whole lot of chances to put it through it's paces. Kind of got it for galaxy season and some lunar stuff but it's not a grab and go rig. 

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[bray.trevor]

Just received AT130 yesterday, looks fantastic can't wait to get out under clear skies.  Question the AT FF/FR on back order, I have a WO 6AIII x .8 FF/FR that is a perfect fit.  Anyone use with this scope before?  I adjusted and took only a few brief images last night.  Could not wait to get scope out so did a quick build adding ASI EAF, ASIAir Pro, and Uni Guide scope.  Will get handle next week.  Will post results of using FF/FR.  Any info. appreciated.

[dagadget]

 

 

I have had all three of these scopes, they were always excellent performers and I currently have the AT 152EDT 

[Cliff Hipsher]

Just received AT130 yesterday, looks fantastic can't wait to get out under clear skies.  Question the AT FF/FR on back order, I have a WO 6AIII x .8 FF/FR that is a perfect fit.  Anyone use with this scope before?  I adjusted and took only a few brief images last night.  Could not wait to get scope out so did a quick build adding ASI EAF, ASIAir Pro, and Uni Guide scope.  Will get handle next week.  Will post results of using FF/FR.  Any info. appreciated.

Conventional wisdom is that FF/FRs are made for specific optical tubes.

[RogeZ]

Conventional wisdom is that FF/FRs are made for specific optical tubes.

Not necessarily, some have ranges of focal length in which they work very well.

[topomountain]

ive got an m2 that rides on a super polaris mount with a pier and it holds the at102 or c8 more stable than the avx i think, i also have put the m2 on the cg4 tripod as well

I'm currently considering an AT130EDT, but I need a recommendation on a mount.   I don't want go-to, I'd prefer something manual.   I was looking at the Stellarvue M2C with some sort of pier and a weight rated tripod.   Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I have an AT72EDii, which I mount on a AT Voyager.   That's a nice GNG set up, but I'd like the deeper reach of the 5 inch aperture and don't want to go back to an SCT.  Love the SCT, but its just...for me, anyway...so much work to set up and take down.