EQM 35 on photography tripod for travel

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TTMartin United States of America
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EQM 35 on photography tripod for travel

#1

Post by TTMartin »


I've been looking at getting either the Sky Watcher AZ-GTi with mods to make it an EQ mount, Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi, or the Sky Watcher EQM 35.

I travel a lot. I have a good 55 lb capacity carbon fiber photography tripod. I'm looking at a mount that will work with that tripod while travelling. I had originally been vacillating between the Sky Watcher AZ-GTi with mods to make it an EQ mount and the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi. Those both would definitely work with my photo tripod.

I'm considering getting the Sky Watcher EQM 35 for use with a larger visual telescope at home, provided I could use the head only with my photography tripod while traveling. The YouTube video I watched had the user screwing in a rod from the bottom of the tripod into the mount. Is that rod just screwing into a 3/8 16 female on the bottom of the EQM 35 or is it some completely proprietary or astronomy based configuration that would preclude using the EQM 35 head on a photography tripod?

Also, does any know the weight of the head only with or without the counter weights?

Thanks,
TT
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Lady Fraktor Slovakia
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Re: EQM 35 on photography tripod for travel

#2

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Hello TTMartin and welcome.

The thread is most likely a 3/8 but no idea on the actual thread sizing.
There are a few people here that use this mount so hopefully one or more will be by to chat with you about it :)
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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OzEclipse Australia
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Re: EQM 35 on photography tripod for travel

#3

Post by OzEclipse »


travel-rig.jpg
.

My eclipse travel rig "Frankenmount" shown in the picture above.
Assembled from combination of a Losmandy Starlapse and SW Star adventurer parts.

Tripod -
top triangular plate from a surveyors tripod,
legs cut from 25x25x1mm anodised aluminium tube
leg brace made from 25x25x1mm anodised aluminium tube and triangular steel sheet metal plate
Weight 400g
very strong but so light that I usually tape 1.5L or 2L water bottles to the bottom of each of the legs to weigh it down.
These can be purchased at destination and later consumed,

EQ wedge: Skywatcher star adventurer adjustable wedge.
Polar axis: Losmandy Starlapse (Losmandy GM8 polar axis) 4.5kg
Dec axis and counterweight: from SW Star adventurer.

Capable of holding up to 80mm f7 refractor with camera.
motor control box and battery not shown and
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Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site : http://joe-cali.com/
Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80.
Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's.
Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12
Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec.
Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari
Memberships Astronomical Association of Queensland; RASNZ Occultations Section; Single Exposure Milky Way Facebook Group (Moderator) (12k members)
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OzEclipse Australia
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Re: EQM 35 on photography tripod for travel

#4

Post by OzEclipse »


TTMartin wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:12 am I've been looking at getting either the Sky Watcher AZ-GTi with mods to make it an EQ mount, Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi, or the Sky Watcher EQM 35.

I travel a lot. I have a good 55 lb capacity carbon fiber photography tripod. I'm looking at a mount that will work with that tripod while travelling. I had originally been vacillating between the Sky Watcher AZ-GTi with mods to make it an EQ mount and the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi. Those both would definitely work with my photo tripod.

I'm considering getting the Sky Watcher EQM 35 for use with a larger visual telescope at home, provided I could use the head only with my photography tripod while traveling. The YouTube video I watched had the user screwing in a rod from the bottom of the tripod into the mount. Is that rod just screwing into a 3/8 16 female on the bottom of the EQM 35 or is it some completely proprietary or astronomy based configuration that would preclude using the EQM 35 head on a photography tripod?

Also, does any know the weight of the head only with or without the counter weights?

Thanks,
TT
The base of the Sky Watcher Altitude Adjuster has a 3/8" female thread and is designed to screw
straight onto a camera tripod. I think the SWSA weighs around 1.5kg. Don't know about the EQM 35.
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Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site : http://joe-cali.com/
Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80.
Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's.
Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12
Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec.
Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari
Memberships Astronomical Association of Queensland; RASNZ Occultations Section; Single Exposure Milky Way Facebook Group (Moderator) (12k members)
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