Looking for a good 10” reflector that tracks

Hi all,
I have been observing for a few years now and I am a little stuck as to what to do next. Short history:
I have owned a 3.5” Mak, an LX-50 7” Mak, an LX-200 7” Mak; a Meade 102 ED “Apo” with an LXD500, a Tak FS102 and a GM8. In each case, I would start with something I could afford and keep upgrading. For example, I started with the ETX 90 and worked my way up to the LX200 7” Mak. On the refractor side, I started with the Meade 4” Apo (semi?) and then had a look through an FS102…

Last year the 7” LX200 and Tak went away when I purchased a fun car.

Santa brought me a nice 5” Mak so I could keep observing.

The 5” Mak has been good. While it does not show deep sky objects like my old 7-inch scopes, it does pretty well and is sharp on the planets and the moon. I like it and plan on keeping it. I was going to get another 7-inch Mak this fall, but then something happened: I had a good look through a 10” and a 13.5” Dob. Yikes! The sky was clear and steady, and we were away from most of the city lights. Objects such as M13, M92, M8, M57, M31, and the Double Cluster took on a completely new dimension. For those of you out there with big reflectors, I would guess this is nothing new.

Here is the challenge. There is very little of my yard that is flat. I usually have to adjust at least one tripod leg to get a mount level. The front yard (and darkest part of the sky) has a steep grade. I like having a driven mount so I can study objects; I am not a big fan of nudging a scope. I also like having setting circles to help me locate objects. I prefer GOTO because I think it is great fun and because I do not often have a great deal of time to observe. I would like to be able to take something with me to a darker site from time to time. I am not at all interested in astrophotography. I just love to observe.

What are some 10” reflectors that could work for me?

I have looked at the Orion 10” \ EQ-6 package and I am intrigued. The reviews I have read on the Dob version of this scope seem good, is there anything I am missing with the combination? Are the optics OK? For visual use, would the EQ-6 be OK? I think I would only add GOTO if I could not find things with the SCs and the finder.

I loved the GM-8 but I am guessing this mount would be too light for a 10” OTA. If I am not going to take pictures, could this combination work?

Clear skies!
Paul G.

Paul,

I have a FS102 on a GM8 and I was in a similar position. I looked for more aperture but I also like the goto and portability of the GM8. Here are some suggestions for more aperture (with my GM8):

1) C9.25, good optics for the money, downside is the time to cool down a SCT
2) Orion Optics (UK) 10" Newtonian weighing 20 lbs., good optics, so-so OTA mechanics, faster cooldown than a SCT, may be too big for a GM8 to handle properly, though
3) Takahashi CN212, fast cooldown, some reviews have said that Newtonian mode may be problematical, pricey

Nothing is perfect, it depends on what you want to look at. I settled for keeping the FS102 and bought a used Collins I3 eyepiece to increase my effective aperture for deep sky.

Hope this helps.

I have a Vixen NA 140 refractor on a GM8. I wanted the C9.25 but couldn't afford it at this time so I purchased the Orion 8" EQ Reflector. I just got it Friday and it's been cloudy and rainy. I got out for a few minutes last night before it clouded back up and took about five photos. I'm still learning my Nikon Coolpix 880 and aperature was left open a little too long but views of the moon were very good and picture turned out decent considering I hand held camera to 40mm 2" ep @ 25x. I really liked the Orion 10" but just too big for GM8.

BTW, I've always wanted the Tak Mewlon 210 w/ EM10 mount. Also keep in mind Vixen is coming out with the Titan mount in the fall or winter. It's a goto mount and it is supposed to have a weight capacity greater than the GPDX. You could even try the PDHQ 10" dob by Discovery and add the observers package for $800. Observers package includes digital setting circles.

Isn't it fun to shop for scopes!

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For about the price of one of those hefty EQ mounts, you could also consider a Dob Driver from Tech2000. I have one and like it for what it does.

Charlie