Astrotrac

Hey guys,

Haven't posted in a while since I've been mountless for ages & ages due to storm damage and fell out of it for a while, but after much humming and hawing I've just picked up an Astrotrac TT320X, the basic geared head and the polar scope so will finally be able to image again.

I know the tracking is supposed to be incredible but am just wondering if anyone has worked out how much can be loaded on it. Generally I'd be using a 30D + 70-200 f4 or 17-55 f2.8 but may try a small scope at some stage. I was warned away from even attaching my megrez 90 by the guys in widescreen centre but they thought the 66sd would be suitable. Just wondering if it would really hold a 66sd + flattener + 30d + the mount itself? It sounds like alot for the junior geared head to hold. I do have an old large manfrotto ball head but guess it would be very hard to align with that? The tripod used will be a manfrotto 28 - had a 55 but found them very unstable with the 90mm.

Can't wait to receive this thing.

All the best,

Trev

Trevor,
The Manfrotto 410 head is capable of 11lbs of load.
I'd be interested to know if the Astrotrac is capable of handling a 300mm f/2.8 lens weighing in at 6lbs plus a Canan 30D weighing 3lbs?

Darragh

I spoke to Richard from Astrotrac before about it
and he told me that (unofficially) it can take
up to 22lbs.
He tested this at the Texas Star Party a couple of years ago
by mounting a 10'' dob on it!
Don't try this at home though!
:laugh:

The trippod and geared heads are your only concerns
with this unit.
Weakest link would be the ball head if you are just using
a camera
otherwise...
you'll just have to get creative with how to mount your
particular scope.
I've used the ETX-125 OTA on it with no probs.
A handy size refractor would be perfect for it.

Best of luck with the new bit of kit,
looking forward to seeing the shots!

Great. Thanks for the info guys. Should be well within the limits then. The sd66 is way lighter than an etx125 - I think it's about 4lbs. Flattener + Camera another 4lbs or so.

Guess I'll test it out when it comes and report back.

Cheers

Trevor

Hi Trevor / Frank / Darragh, I'm looking forward to the feedback Funny this topic has come up again, I was very close to buying one last Saturday, the only thing which is a talking point is the expense, basically it's €1000, a lot for me.

I don't doubt the quality of the system when it's working, many people seem very happy. The reason I'm looking into this is that my long trusty 8" SCT on which I done a lot of piggyback photography, unguided, has seen better days (nights) with regard to it's motor. I'm afraid it's become unrelibale, but I guess It owes me nothing

Don't get me wrong I'd get this in the morning only for the expense

www.astrotrac.com/Product.aspx?category=...Holiday+Special+Deal

Is it really worth €1000?

Keith.

Well,
yes it is expensive but,
it's all relative isn't it?
There are huge plus points going fot it.

1. The Astrotrac is absolutly brilliant for the traveller.
If you want a reliable, accurate mount that is simple to use &
transport then it's worth it as otherwise you'd need to
carry heavy gear.

2. The new version has lunar / solar tracing rate,
perfect for eclipses etc.

3. It can be used as a regular tracking platform
at home when not travelling.

Also,
if you are into the wide field shots then it's
almost a must.
It's easily the best investment I've made yet with gear
and I'll never let it go.
Like the OTA of my ETX125 and other bits and pieces...
you'll never know when a combination of a few things will
come in handy.

I would stress though that for visual work it is
tricky in that, I use a manfrotto geared head on the
astrotrac to mount then astrotrac to scope...
you'll need a VERY sturdy ball head
(I'm thinking of getting a video head with handle)
to then mount your scope onto.
Simple fact is that if you just use the Manfrotto you
limit yourself because the knobs only turn so far before
they hit each other...
Could be a concern for eclipses if they were low down / high up /
not due South...

It's a pity you are not near by...
I'd be happy to let you try mine out
to see what you think.