My new toys

Hello everyone. I've been interested in astronomy since I watched the Apollo 11 landing on TV when the rest of my family was sleeping. I've done lots of reading over the years and looked at the sky whenever possible with binoculars, a few refractors and a 125 ETX. Now I've gone and bought a TOA 130 and an FS-78. I can figure out most of what I need to do to look through the scopes when they arrive, but figure I should probably find someone in the area who could walk me through the finer points of polar alignment and mounting the scopes properly.

I've tried to contact the local astronomy club but have heard no replies. I'd like to hear from anyone with experience in the above processes for some guidance.

I'm in Edmonton, Alberta.

Thanks, Kevin

Kevin,

I see no real issues with mounting your Taks either singly or together. You don't mention what mount you intend to use. I have my TOA130 mounted on a Losmandy G-11 using a Robin Casady dovetail saddle and a Losmandy dovetail. The TOA is attached to the DT with 155mm Socal rings. I also attach a Tak FS60C with losmandy 110mm rings atop the TOA -- see photo. I also occassionally use smaller Socal rings on a Losmandy dovetail attached to the TOA Socal rings. I use this adaptation for a FS78 guidescope. Altogether, weight is approximately 35lbs. The G-11 handles this well for both visual and astrophotography using a SBIG ST2000XM camera.

I've recently acquired a TAK TGM-2 mount and a TOA clam/cradle. I'm experimenting with this affair as an alternative to the FS78 setup previously mentioned.

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