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I'm looking for mount advice for an incoming TEC 160FL. I need a mount, but I'm a little short on cash for something like a Mach 2 or 10 Micron mount. My use will be probably 50% visual and 50% imaging, and my current life situation means I need fast setup and breakdown. I'm wondering if I can get away with something like an RST-300 (likely used) or maybe even a Ioptron strain wave mount, or do I really need something heavier duty to be able to produce reasonable images. I'm trying to avoid a traditional gem, just to save on setup time. I'm only 3 years into imaging, and my acquisition sites and processing skills leave a lot to be desired. That said, my goal really isn't to produce an image of the day, just solid images to share mostly with friends and family. But, I'm still cognizant of the fact that I don't want to be fighting the mount constantly… My main imaging rig is currently a 550mm focal length refractor on an AM5, and it works pretty well. It typically guides around .5 arcsec and using a 2600mc duo, which seems to be fine. Can a larger strain wave manage this or ideally a little better guiding with a larger scope, or is it something like a used premium mount or bust? Budget is around $6-7k. Oh, and for now I just use an ASI Air.
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Hi Chuck, I have been using the RST-300 with my Tec140 and now using it with my Tak Mewlon 250 CRS. The RST plays with these scopes without counterweight. Honestly I have never experienced such rigid setups. One have to experience it. My EQ8 mount is not that sturdy and the play in the worm gears will show the typical wobble when touch the scope/ focuser. The RST has an extremely well designed Hand Controller with a lot of useful features for visual observing. Using the RST is just pure pleasure. If you make a multi star alignment, DEC will be corrected as well so the planet stays perfectly centered on the planetary Camera Chip at 5000mm FL even without being polar aligned. The usage of the hand controller is not very intuitive at the first use though. But once used a couple of times it will be no problem. For DS Photography no Handbox is needed. If it comes to Photography I use it with 2500mm focal length, but the EQ8 tracks better with these long FL. But results are still ok if guided fast (as with all Strainwave Mounts). Buying an used RST-300 will be difficult, I´m not letting go of mine. Maybe you want to wait for the ZWO AM7, it will be a lot cheaper than the Rainbow Astro. Cheers, Stephan |
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+1 on the visual comfort with RST mounts. Don't rely on the mounts lightweight only though, a good heavy tripod is necessary in my opinion for dampening. You want some mass close to the ground. |
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I have a good friend using an iOptron HAE69EC and a TOA-130 (similar weight) and consistently guides in the mid 0.3s RMS with 3 second exposures. Don’t skimp on the encoder, he has one without and it’s doesn’t perform quite as good (good but not as good with long focal lengths) |
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Thanks for the replies. So maybe I need to consider the HAE69EC. I'm going to do some reading on that mount. If it gets the job done and saves a little cash that would be great. Otherwise, it sounds like the RST-300 would work.
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