NP 127

Here's a question. Suppose you just spend the vas majority of your discretionary cash on a Televue NP 127. You want to use the scope for visual Deep Sly oberving and will carry the stuff in a cart most but not all the way. Portability is an issue. You want an Alt/Az mount with Sky Commander or NGC Max. Which mount would you purchse and why?

Jim Phillips

Hello Jim,

I spent the vast majority of my "hobby cash" on an NP127is this winter.

Then I totally exhausted my funds by adding a DiscMounts DM-6 with encoders. It is stable as a rock. Vibrations are so minimal that I can view even while moving the scope. Orthogonal alignment is so well done that my "push tos" are spot on every time. Finally, it handles imbalance well and will not slam that expensive scope against a tripod leg, if I pull a heavy Nagler out of the diagonal without thinking.

A great scope deserves a great mount!

Ed

Hi Jim,

I second Ed's recommendation. However, the DM-6 is quite heavy at 16.2 lbs. and therefore less portable than the smaller DM-4 at 5.2 lbs. I mount an AP130 on my DM-4 and believe it would also carry the NP127. Although not as rock solid as the DM-6, my DM-4 was stable enough to split Antares and Porrima last month at 375x.

Milt

I'd recommend the Tele Vue Gibralter 5 Alt/Azimuth head, JMI encoder kit with NGC Max computer, on Bogen/Manfrotto 117B Universal Video Tripod Legs. With a well balanced OTA (you may need one of the Tele Vue Balance Aid plates to help offset the weight of your diagonal and eyepiece(s) of choice) this mount is very smooth and stable for a portable grab-and-go setup. The Bogen/Manfrotto tripod legs are independently adjustable in height and spread making it very easy to level on uneven terrain. Once locked in place it is rock solid. Vibrations damp in a one or two second period with the center column retracted. The NGC Max is great for stand-alone use and will also double as a computer interface if you use Megastar or a similar digital star chart program from time to time.