help choosing a light alt-az mount

Hi All,

Just a quick question on a new mount.

I recently traded my 5" Mak for a Televue Ranger so I could have a GrabnGo scope when it's not on my soon to arrive SCT. The CG5, however, is not exactly a lightweight mount, so I need to get another

I can't decide whether to upgrade my photo tripod (Velbon Ultra Luxi SF www.velbon-tripod.com/ultra_maxi.htm ) to a beefier one with a pan and tilt or whether to simply get a separate Alt-Az. The velbon is great for photography but simply terrible for a scope :wink: . Would prefer to be able to use a mount both for daytime camera and double up as a mount for the ranger however, but I haven't seen a comact tripod that would be decent for scopes also.

One route I've been thinking of is selling the velbon and getting something like the Giro Mini XT from Telescope-Service ( www.telescope-service.com/mounts/start/m...sstart.html#GiroMini ) with an extra pan/tilt head for photography. Anyone have any opinions as to whether it would be worth it?

Many thanks,

Trev

Hi Trevor,
I recently bought a Unistar deluxe mount from Universal Astronomics, it works superbly with my 4" APO, yet weighs a fraction of the weight of my EQ-5. They also do a small alt/az head called microstar,(S&T hot product 2005) which is very compact and stable, it can carry up to a C8. The basic version is around $150. There are many options for it, inc' adapters for any tripod with 3/8 or 1/4" bolt. If you want to use the tripod for both astro' and photography, then I would suggest a budget Manfrotto model, it's worth it in the long run. Hope that helps,

David.

Thanks David. Sound like just the ticket. I'll check it out.

Cheers,

Trev