I have a 10" Dob that is a lot of fun, but is too long to easily move in my car. I can pick up the entire thing while it is on its base (58 lbs), but not much more than that. What I want is the most aperature I can possibly lift and transport (by car), on a tripod/mount that can hang with a planet at 300-400X long enough for other people to get a look. With the Dob I have to put the object out of the field of view, let one person look as it moves through, reacquire the planet, and repeat. I read somewhere that Celestron SCT's weigh less than Meade's - but are there other options (Mak-Cass, other brands of SCT, other types of scopes)? Goto is not necessary, but the mount would have to be strong enough to take a 6lb piggyback - a 4" short-tube achromat. Budget is not so much a concern as value - I would rather pay $3,000 for a wonderful used OTA/mount that will hold its resale value than $2,000 for a tricked-up brand new GPS mount that will be worth half once the next line of electronics rolls out.
Thanks -
Ryan O
Thanks -
Ryan O