Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Fri, 06/04/2021 - 18:57
I am considering the acquisition of an LHIRES III spectrograph and would like opinions as to whether my scope can handle the weight. I understand the LHIRES II was designed for 8 in F/10 scopes, but I've heard that small scopes can't handle the weight (3 lbs plus cameras) of the LHIRES III.
My scope is a 12 in Mead SCT on a fork mounted on a pier in my observatory. I would appreciate comments from those who have used the LHIRES III on 12 in and smaller scopes.
You should have no…
Scott,
You should have no problem with the LhiresIII on the 12" Meade.
The only issue is the lack of clearance behind the cell due to the forks. This limits sky coverage.
I eventually sold my 12" Meade and went for a C11 mounted on a NEQ6Pro mount. I found it much easier to use.
Thanks Ken. Good to know.
I ran a LHIRES III on an 8 inch vixen VC200L and a GPDX mount successfully for several years
http://www.threehillsobservatory.co.uk/astro/observatory/observatory_20aug08.jpg
before moving to a C11 and EQ6
http://www.threehillsobservatory.co.uk/astro/observatory/observatory_C11_LHIRES_feb_2010.jpg
That was a lot of load to put on the VC200L focuser though which did suffer some wear. The SCT does not have this issue.
Cheers
Robin