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Hello everybody,
I'm interested in getting a used Meade ETX-125 EC for packing in the camper when I go on a trip. It can be set up as a EQ but can it be guided with a guide scope and PHD2. I plan on doing the alignment etc. and swap the finder scope for the guide scope. I believe if I can get a long enough exposure I can take a photo of it with my Sony a6000.
Belay my last, I've decided to go with Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 PMC-Eight Equatorial GoTo Mount System. It appears to be much better and a lot less.
The last thing you want to do is add more weight to this mount. Don't use both counterweights. You are going for as light a payload as you can get away with!
Cheers,
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac ∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO ∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5 ∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros. ∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6R, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000 ∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3 ∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100 ∞ AP Gear: ZWO EAF and mini EFW and the Optolong L-eXteme filter ∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°
Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."
what focal length scope are you using ?, there are smaller lighter mount packages out there for small scope/dslr camera photography ,only down side is the ones i checked out only auto guide in ra, not a big deal with a good polar align and reasonable focal length .The mount you're interested in looks more suitable for a longer fl 200mm-400mm + range ,the pros is that it can find your targets with go to, and mosaic imaging/framing.the tri pod looks pretty flimsy, probably would only extend the legs to tier 1 and keep it low to the ground. if you do get this mount, i'd like to hear your opinion on it, i do travel and do a little wide shot astro work when i can.
if wide shot imaging of the milky way is your go then i'd probs recommend something smaller like the Star Adventurer or similar. i took a 1 min exposure of the milky way with a 50 mm lense, i didn't even polar align, i just pointed the mount with a compass ..
scopes :gso/bintel f4 12"truss tube, bresser messier ar127s /skywatcher 10'' dob,meade 12'' f10 lx200 sct
cameras : asi 1600mm-c/asi1600mm-c,asi120mc,prostar lp guidecam, nikkon d60, sony a7,asi 290 mm
mounts : eq6 pro/eq8/mesu 200 v2
filters : 2'' astronomik lp/badder lrgb h-a,sII,oIII,h-b,Baader Solar Continuum, chroma 3nm ha,sii,oiii,nii,rgb,lowglow,uv/ir,Thousand Oaks Solar Filter,1.25'' #47 violet,pro planet 742 ir,pro planet 807 ir,pro planet 642 bp ir.
extras : skywatcher f4 aplanatic cc, Baader MPCC MKIII Coma Corrector,Orion Field Flattener,zwo 1.25''adc.starlight maxi 2" 9x filter wheel,tele vue 2x barlow .
If you can't balance the camera with only one counterweight at the top of the bar, then you need a smaller counterweight.
For lightweight loads, I picked up a pair of hand weights and improvised a mount with a pair of pipe clamps. Or you can probably order lighter weights that are made for your mount.
DSO AP:Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP:Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O)Astrobin
I’ll be using the 70-210 kit lens and maybe my 400mm mirror lens for start. I have a 60 mm FL 715mm guide lens I’ll attach to the mount and piggy back the camera ...I hope,
Dano
I think you'll do fine without the need for a guide scope with a 70-210 kit, those users at cn are doing narrowband with 5 min subs.
with a a600 and a 210 mm lense it brings the resolution to 3.81''/pixel plenty of room for tracking error ,i don't know what the performance is like with the mount but there probably isn't really a need to do star guiding even for 5 mins,the setup from a users at cn is using a 135mm lense with an asi1600mm-c with a resolution of 5.93''/pixel and the guide graph is 1.60''/pixel , more than enough for a 200mm lense and under.
don't mind my blabbering,i'm just intrigue on the performance of the mount from the images of the gear and guide graph , i reckon it could do alot more than a 200mm lense. i'll have to see if these mounts are sold here in aus
edit: here is an image from a user at cn, used a 80mm refractor at 600mm fl 3 min exposure with guiding.