Upgrading Star Adventurer 2i Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i - WiFi · Alien_Enthusiast · ... · 11 · 285 · 9

can you really buy a CGEM DX?

it's $2,000

if I had that money, I would not think twice to get a harmonic drive mount, like an AM5; the bigger the payload the better.

I don't recommend equatorial mounts anymore; they're too heavy and they need heavy counterweights if you're gonna use a heavy scope; not worth it; they're too heavy in every way.

if you're really into astro, a good mount will stay with you for a long time.

Eric Gagne:
At the risk of becoming the laugh of the day, if not for the idea then at least for the bad woodworking skills .   Here's an easy scope illuminator fix. It's ugly but it works well. 

I mounted a red headlamp on the declination bracket with a piece of wood.  Just a 2x2x2ish piece with an angle on the front.  I used eastern white cedar because I happened to have some and it is a very light wood, even lighter than pine.



I can tilt the headlamps forward/backward to "control" the amount of light that goes in the polar scope.


To mount it I drilled a 3/8" hole to fit over the screw on the declination bracket and 2 small holes for some #8 1" screws.


And I screwed it from the back of the declination bracket.


This was a quick prototype, I never got to make a nicer one because it works so well there is not just point on redoing it.  Maybe at some point I'll try to find someone to 3D print me a few.


Another way to improve the polar scope is to just not use it.  I ordered a used 2i which I will get next week.  I will pair it with an Asiair Mini and use its polar alignment feature.  You have to manually do the 60 degrees rotation because the 2i isn't goto but every else is just the same.  And then the Asiair can do your guiding with a  ZWO guiding camera and scope.

Alien_Enthusiast:

can you really buy a CGEM DX?

it's $2,000

if I had that money, I would not think twice to get a harmonic drive mount, like an AM5; the bigger the payload the better.

I don't recommend equatorial mounts anymore; they're too heavy and they need heavy counterweights if you're gonna use a heavy scope; not worth it; they're too heavy in every way.

if you're really into astro, a good mount will stay with you for a long time.

It was a joke bruh 

I need a mount that can fit into my backpack and still leave enough space behind for a scope 

So Star Adventurer is the only option here

IMO

It was a sensible question though

It depends on your own needs; I sometimes feel like I wanna throw away my heavy AVX mount and use a star tracker with a small scope; that's just me; I'm simply tired of transporting my cannon mounted on the AVX, strapped to a dolly in and out, in and out, over and over again, up and down that ramp that I put outside (because there is a big step going from my backyard door to the ground outside), nearly causing my scope to fall on me and knock me out, but I'm a good wrestler ***ARRARARRA!!*** (and no, I'm not a pug) and all that work plus 40 minutes of PA just to get 3 hours of bad guiding for a certain target, or that pretty cloud that comes around that is sent as a heartfelt gift from the fat mad scientist at 7:00 PM sharp.


anyway, for the most part, there is not much of a "worst and best, right and wrong" dilemma when it comes to choosing equipment; it depends on the overall situation of the bruh in need.

but still, YMMV