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Subject: LX200 8" vs 12"; portability
From: Cliff Peterson
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Mon Aug 14 00:56:55 1995

Recently Robert Preston wrote --

> As far as lx200 portability goes, I recently discovered that at least the
> 8" can be carried on its tripod MUCH easier if it's lifted with one hand

> I suspect (but have no experience) that the 10" may be almost equally portable,
> even on its tripod, if attention is given to lifting it properly. To do so

When I owned the 8" Meade I could transport it from the inside to the outside (or the reverse) with the scope mounted on the tripod. I now find that with the 10" Lx200 and and super wedge the best I can do is to shift the tripod if I'm off on the northern alignment. I certainly wouldn't try to transport it ANYWHERE. I'm only 5'6" and 130 lbs so I really don't need to break anything internal to me or external to the scope. The weight did prove useful recently however, when a micro burst wind hit a star party outing. Before people could reach their scopes 2 had blown over on there tripods doing sever damage but my heavier 10" LX200 stood solid. The 18 and 20 inch Dobs became wind vanes and showed the wind direction as if we needed to know.

Cliff Peterson