Telescope transportation
- Marcelo F.
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Telescope transportation
The subject is more critical in reflector-type telescopes, due to the dimensions of course. This theme can also be applied to refractors and catadioptric types, but these are usually transported in the same way as photographic equipment in HPRC cases or similar.
Many of the users of this forum don't have pickup trucks or trailers. And the issue is not so much in the weight of the equipment but more the volume it occupies in the trunk or on the roof of the small city car.
That's why I'd like to see your preferred method of transporting your 8, 10, 12 and more inch telescopes discussed here. Do you still use the original boxes? Do you use hard cases from other equipment like theodolite set or golf equipment? Wrapped in blankets? boxes/bags made by you? And what are the critical points where you put foams, rubbers and blockers during the trip to ensure that there is not much loss of collimation.
Since we are on THE INTERNET, in this binary CYBERSPACE, photos are always more appealing. But a detailed description with links is not far behind and is also welcome of course.
Eps: 4mm Ramsden, 6mm Huygenian, 12.5mm Huygenian, 20mm Huygenian, 4mm Plossl, 10mm Plossl, 20mm Plossl, Barlow 2x, Barlow 3x, Barlow 5x, Solomark LP Filter, Dark Green Moon Filter.
Binoculars: Bresser National Geographic 7x50, Omegon Nightstar 20x80
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- notFritzArgelander
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Re: Telescope transportation
- helicon Online
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Re: Telescope transportation
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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- JayTee
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Re: Telescope transportation
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6R, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100 ∞ AP Gear: ZWO EAF and mini EFW and the Optolong L-eXteme filter
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°
Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."
- turboscrew
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Re: Telescope transportation
hints to "by yourself"-option.Many of the users of this forum don't have pickup trucks or trailers. And the issue is not so much in the weight of the equipment but more the volume it occupies in the trunk or on the roof of the small city car.
I use the back seat of my car. With a seat belt if I see necessary.
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
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- OzEclipse Online
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Re: Telescope transportation
I transported a large equatorial mount(EM200) and 8" Vixen Cassegrain from my home in the city, 70km to my friends dark sky property. The last km was over a very rough track to the area near his observatory. The car I used for most of that time was a Ford Focus hatchback. I did a lot of photography so there was other gear like batteries, camera bags etc.
I can't send pictures, the car was destroyed in a storm and I now own a pickup truck but I can describe it.
I fitted a large roof boot. Tripod, and camp table and chairs went up there. All lightweight bulky items.
Heavy items: 12V car battery, 17kg
My eyepieces are not transported in a fungal breeding enclosure (aka Pelican case) Pelican cases are very inefficient on space and the foam holds moisture and breeds fungus. eyepieces are quite robust and only need a thin padded bag. I have attached pictures at the end of the protection used by a friend of mine. He has it all in his observatory, he doesn't carry it around much but has a landcruiser for when he does and he fills it. He brings his Takahashi CN212 Newt
My premium eyepieces 2" and 1.25" consist of 31/17/12/7mm Naglers and 10/5mm Pentax XL were and still are transported in a simple camera case padded liner on the floor of the back seat (USD16 on ebay). Nowadays I observe from my back yard after I moved to a dark sky home. The orange toolbox you can see in the background holds all my 1.25" eyepieces in unpadded but separate plastic compartments. I have a 6" newt that only takes 1.25" eyepieces. They'll rattle around a bit but won't get damaged. When I'm going to use the Newt, I remove the 1.25' premium eyepieces from the soft back and put them in the orange tool box. The void in the bottom of the toolbox holds cables, handbox etc.
If I was going rough riding in a 4wd, I would change these to a padded bag like the burnt orange one.
Finally the telescope tube.
8"
Another scrunched up woollen blanket on the floor behind the passenger seat. The tube just sat on top held in place by the back to the front seat and the front of the rear seat. A large padded warm suit is tucked around this to hold it down and in place.
cheers
Joe
Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site : http://joe-cali.com/
Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80.
Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's.
Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12
Cameras : Pentax K1, K5, K01, K10D / VIDEO CAMS : TacosBD, Lihmsec.
Cam/guider/controllers: Lacerta MGEN 3, SW Synguider, Simulation Curriculum SkyFi 3+Sky safari
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- pakarinen
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Re: Telescope transportation
Man... That's some icky-tasting stuff!
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- Lady Fraktor
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Re: Telescope transportation
I would not worry to much about collimation as you will likely have to do it once set up anyway.
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- SkyHiker
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Re: Telescope transportation
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