75 replies to this topic

[johnponder]

I am thinking of purchasing a Meade 12" f/8 ACF OTA.
It weights 41 lbs and is 22" long.
I would likely put it on a Celestron CGX mount.  Total weight of tripod + mount is 63 lbs.
I do not have a dedicated space (observatory).
I would be likely carrying it about 75 feet one way to set up in my backyard.  
There is a chance I might have to store it in my basement.  
Obviously I could carry it in two or three trips.  Is this really practical?  What's your experience?
Obviously each person is different - I really want to own a bigger aperture, but I'm not sure in the long run I will like it.
I am 69 now and extremely fit.  The weight is no problem at all.  I deadlift a lot more than that at the gym routinely, but aging is a reality.
My most frequently used current rig is about 36 lbs.  Easy-peasy.  No deterrent whatsoever.
I currently have an Edge HD8.  Is it worth it?

[rollomonk]

Two or three trips? Wouldn’t the mount alone require three or more trips, the OTA another, and accessories a couple more? Then double this to include the return trip. Only you can answer if this would be fine or too much. For me, it would get old quickly. I go about 75 feet but use wheeley bars for one setup and a hand truck for a 12” dob. These are very manageable.

Edited by rollomonk, 21 March 2025 - 11:00 AM.

[tcifani]

I say go for it. You only live once. The aperture increase from 8" to 12" is a good jump, especially if you have access to darker skies.

[TOMDEY]

Hauling stuff back and forth each and every observing session gets very old very fast. If you reconsider the observatory option --- all that effort and inconvenience becomes a wan memory. As a bonus, you can then use as big a telescope as you like. Heck... mine's 36 inches and ready to observe at a moment's notice.    Tom

[Couder]

I used to be younger. Back then I could put my 6" F15 brass tube Clark on the mount by myself. And in case you haven't done that, the mount sits fairly high and the tube is not light. Now I do good to get my 4" F15 Byrne up on the mount by myself. Things change.

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[auroraTDunn]

The limit is what you can do mentally as much as physically. If it is a major hassle to setup after the honeymoon period then you would tend to not use it was much,

Happily there are some ways to make it easier, there are specialized dollies to help haul things around, heck even wagons are great for hauling. Start setup early, leave the mount out if you can and just cover it or if possible ( and it does not get to hot, wet, windy, cold, ect then leave the whole scope out there if you know you want to observe the next night or two. Just go get a really nice tarp to cover the whole thing and tie it down. Some people have found great tricks to quickly put their 20 ton scopes onto the mounts easier and safer. What we need is someone to come up with a OTA hoist system kinda like an engine hoist to help us out with rigs heavier then we can easily do (bodies break down over the years and so sad to confess).

So in the end there are ways to make life with larger scopes manageable so it indeed comes down to the mental aspect. If its a so-so yet potentially productive night would you want still setup? If its cold(er) would you still want, if you are more tired then usual of had a bad day would you still want to setup? I pray the answer is always yes! Happily the jump from an 8 to 12 is not that big. But trust me there may come a day when even a 130mm refactor is more then your body can easily manage and then you mourn all spring long because you can;t observe and/or image your beloved galaxies, But there's always tomorrow and who knows maybe will show us how to built a telescope hoist that's no more a pain then just lifting and seating the OTA itself (hint hint to someone - anyone please!)

[Bill Barlow]

A jump from 8” to 12” is huge so if you are in good shape, go for it.  You might regret it five years from now.  I am 70 but not in as good physical shape as I was 5-10 years ago.  My limit is about a 30 pound scope.  About 10-12 years ago I owned a C14 that weighed 52 pounds.  I could lift and carry it fine.  The f/8 optical design would allow for a wider FOV than an f/10 model. 
 

Bill

[Freezout]

I’m 39 in perfect shape but carrying a telescope is not like lifting balanced weights at the gym. You do it hands frozen at night at the end of the session. I would get a headache just to imagine the organization to setup such instrument with travels to a basement (as said by others, you will need many travels just due to how cumbersome the equipment is, the weight is not the only factor).
I would do it only if I can setup a dolly or whatever easy organization and avoid the basement storage.

[SandyHouTex]

I have a Meade LX-50 fork mount 10 inch SCT.  The fork with the scope weighs 52 lbs..  I haven't used it for years just because of that.  If you can set up your scope on a scope buggy, cover it, and leave it outside, it would probably work.  If you have to disassemble it every observing session, it will get old quick.

[Nerd1]

Many nights Ive set up a five inch refractor on a goto eq mount and a 12 inch dob, then taken it all back down. I store my scopes in my house about 150 feet from where I observe. I say go for it, the 20 trips are worth it, except when the seeing is really bad. Lol

[SoCalPaul]

Personally, that's too much weight for me, especially considering frequent setup.

 

May I suggest a C11 OTA, which only weighs about 30 lbs? That's a big difference in weight for a minor difference in aperture. (I'm also partial to Celestron.)

 

My C11 is a good performer and fully meets or exceeds my expectations for both DSOs and planetary views. An all-round, good performer!

 

Clear skies,

Paul

[Steve C.]

Some folks leave their whole setup outside under a Telegizmos 365 cover. I’d recommend doing that with the mount and just schlep the OTA outside. You can put out desiccant modules under the cover for humidity.

[12BH7]

If you can work out a more coinvent place and moving then go for it.  However, the one thing that is a potential for disaster is the stairs. If you have to carry it up and down stairs then definitely NOT,

 

As others have said, it's not like lifting a weight at the gym. It's more like carrying an old 70's tubed television with the electrical cord dangling around your legs on a flight of stairs. The bulk will eventually trip you up. Been there and bought the bloody T shirt.

[SoCalPaul]

Some folks leave their whole setup outside under a Telegizmos 365 cover. I’d recommend doing that with the mount and just schlep the OTA outside. You can put out desiccant modules under the cover for humidity.

Good advice, this is what I do. It greatly simplifies and speeds up setup/teardown.

 

The challenge is getting your partner/family to accept a semi-permanent "sculpture" in the back yard. :-)

 

Clear skies,

Paul

[bobhen]

I am thinking of purchasing a Meade 12" f/8 ACF OTA.
It weights 41 lbs and is 22" long.
I would likely put it on a Celestron CGX mount.  Total weight of tripod + mount is 63 lbs.
I do not have a dedicated space (observatory).
I would be likely carrying it about 75 feet one way to set up in my backyard.  
There is a chance I might have to store it in my basement.  
Obviously I could carry it in two or three trips.  Is this really practical?  What's your experience?
Obviously each person is different - I really want to own a bigger aperture, but I'm not sure in the long run I will like it.
I am 69 now and extremely fit.  The weight is no problem at all.  I deadlift a lot more than that at the gym routinely, but aging is a reality.
My most frequently used current rig is about 36 lbs.  Easy-peasy.  No deterrent whatsoever.
I currently have an Edge HD8.  Is it worth it?

It's too big. Maybe think Dobsonian with truss poles.

 

FYI – telescopes get heavier as we age.

 

Bob

[VMan]

I actually have a Meade 12" f/10 ACF..... was f8 a typo or did they actually make those?

I'm a relatively big guy 6'4" and swung around that scope (with fork) like I was fine with it.
But on subsequent repeats lugging that thing was annoying enough to find excuses not to do it. 
I did make an elaborate one-trip box with wheels that came apart into a table with shelves with all the auxiliary equipment.... spent way more time building it that then observing  

I did de-fork it and now things are much better. Two trips one for the mount head and one for the scope, is within my comfort zone. I leave the tripod outside.

I use it at the moment, precariously perched, on an AM5, which is just within the tolerance and works well enough.

 

I am looking at a beefier mount for the future like the CEM70

 

A few other points of warning: I live in the North East US we get maybe two or three clear nights a month, but good seeing is far more rare, and you really need good seeing with long focal length scopes like this. So in hindsight a 12" f10 was not the best choice.

 

Since you say basement. I will just throw out a general warning: optics have organic coatings that fungus feeds on, most ppl get away with pretending this is not an issue, but it's devasting because it damages the coatings, there are some practices you can do to reduce your risk, but the higher your humidity the greater the risk. (My house goes to 80% in the summer months) I lost some camera equipment and nice binoculars. Now I store all my optics in a drybox I made for less than $100, you can also buy them. 
 

[Feidb]

Too big is if you can't handle it. Too big is if the hassle to set up doesn't produce rewarding returns. Too big is if you can't afford it.

[WadeH237]

Obviously I could carry it in two or three trips.  Is this really practical?  What's your experience?

Two or three trips sounds way wrong.

 

For a long time, I was using a C14 on a CGE mount at star parties.  The weights are similar to what you are describing, and here were the trips I made at setup time:

 

1. The tripod: 40lb
2. The mount: 50lb
3. Accessories, like the counterweight shaft, the hand controller, etc. @ about 10lb
4. The first counterweight: 25lb
5. The second counterweight: 25lb (I could take one in each hand, depending on how far I take them)
6. The scope: 50lb

 

It's up to you do decide whether this is something that you would want to do for each session.  Personally, I only ever set up the C14 when I know that I will have multiple nights of observing.

 

[VMan]

Some folks leave their whole setup outside under a Telegizmos 365 cover. I’d recommend doing that with the mount and just schlep the OTA outside. You can put out desiccant modules under the cover for humidity.

Yes I plan to make an enclosure for my mount head and leave it outside near-permanently. I tested desiccant modules in a sealed drybox I built and they did next to nothing, maybe I got a bad batch, but for ppl where humidity might be an issue I would highly recommend spending the $5 on a hygrometer to be sure what you are doing is working. There's a guy near where I live who swears by a low watt light bulb in a small box he made for his equipment.  

[HenkSB]

I used to image with a 12" astrograph on the driveway, only about 10 steps for each trip.  The #trips to set up was 5 (mount, scope, counterweights, battery, chair), not too bad, but the polar alignment became tedious really quick.

 

Building an observatory can be really easy, quick and cheap; get a 6x8 metal lean-to shed and modify the roof to a slide-off roof.  If you don't have a slab, you can put your mount on some tiles and the foundation on some pressure treated 4x4s.  Should cost no more than $600.  Best decision ever, it kept me in the hobby.

[photoracer18]

I am thinking of purchasing a Meade 12" f/8 ACF OTA.
It weights 41 lbs and is 22" long.
I would likely put it on a Celestron CGX mount.  Total weight of tripod + mount is 63 lbs.
I do not have a dedicated space (observatory).
I would be likely carrying it about 75 feet one way to set up in my backyard.  
There is a chance I might have to store it in my basement.  
Obviously I could carry it in two or three trips.  Is this really practical?  What's your experience?
Obviously each person is different - I really want to own a bigger aperture, but I'm not sure in the long run I will like it.
I am 69 now and extremely fit.  The weight is no problem at all.  I deadlift a lot more than that at the gym routinely, but aging is a reality.
My most frequently used current rig is about 36 lbs.  Easy-peasy.  No deterrent whatsoever.
I currently have an Edge HD8.  Is it worth it?

A scope that is too big, too heavy, and too much of a hassle to setup when something interesting is in the sky is a system you should avoid at all costs. It will kill your interest in astronomy, trust me on this. You don't want the biggest thing you can afford, you want the biggest thing you will always go out of your way to setup when there is something of interest in the sky you want to see. Used to be when going to star parties I would class these by how many trips out of my SUV it would take me to set it up. I started with 3. Load included a CI-700 mount and a tandem rig consisting of a Meade 152ED/APO and a couple of Vixen ED refractors in the 4-4.5" range. Later I went with a truss 14.5" Dob because I found I could do that in only 2 loads if I left the entire truss together and put brass handles on it. Now for home I suggest if you don't want to go thru building an observatory you investigate using either JMI Wheeley Bars or a Scope Buggy to make the entire load mobile and I have owned and used both. There was a guy near me in the MD area who motorized the entire load by customizing a powered mobility cart as the load carrier and his load was about a Meade 12" SCT if I remember correctly.

[Jon Isaacs]

My 2 cents: 

 

Get the 12 inch if you can find one but keep the 8 inch. That way you'll use the 12 inch when you feel like it and the 8 inch when you don't.

 

I've found that getting a larger scope makes the rest of my scope seem smaller and lighter.

 

Jon

Edited by Jon Isaacs, 22 March 2025 - 12:59 AM.

[sevenofnine]

This Ed Ting video on a Celestron CPC1100 may help you decide. Good luck! 

 

https://www.youtube....0y38ivsdw&t=31s.

[Reid W]

I had a C11 for a number of years.  Planetary views with binoviewers were stunning.

 

To that end, I would suggest you *consider* a C11 instead

 

Right now, our sponsor has a C11/AVX combo at the same price as the C11 alone.  Whether the AVX is sufficient- mine was set on an Atlas.   But going that route, you save $1000, more if you sell the mount and you save a ton of weight.  You won’t give up that much in the aperture.  Perhaps someone here can talk about the M12 vs C11 on planetary/deep sky views.  Finally, as mentioned in other threads, $4k is a lot to pay, and it is not discounted/compelling enough to move forward.

 

Heck, with the savings, that can help swing a set of Denk Binotrons.

[Jay_Reynolds_Freeman]

I have used a Celestron 14 on a Losmandy G-11, set up out of my van at star parties. The OTA weighs about 55 pounds. Setting up next to the van was fine, but I would not have wanted to carry the OTA any greater distance.

 

Clear sky ...