Any experience with the AP Aluminum Tripod by Davis...

Yes the figures came from the AP site and they are accurate cause I used
to own the Davis and Sanford tripod, I sold the tripod after I sold my AP 400
mount last year


Your interests are primarily visual were my interests lie with my Pentax
6x7 Medium Format camera. Most everyone I know who use the Tak FS-102 use it
for Astro-Photography. The Same goes for the TMB 105mm the F6.2 version and the
F8 see

#

This the reason why you buy a refractor the good optics for observing are
incidental. THe MI-250 mount is also a premium mount for Astro-Photography.

If you are not intersted in taking pictures a Mak would be an obvoius
choice for the price and the amount of focal length for the size of the tube.
The mounts are relatively light weight and more economical

Clear Skies
Dwight L Bogan

Thanks very much for your response. I presume that the
figures you gave are the ones from AP's site. I was hoping
for some independent confirmation of all of these figures
since all (AP, ITE, etc.) they seem to be very contradictory
to each other for the same item (actually I confused the ITE
and AP figures in my last post; they should be switched
around).

This seems to be a quite common problem for some reason
regarding weights and sizes of tripods and nobody seems to
be able to get these simple measruements right. For example
I asked Meade about their Fixed Height tripod and they said
it was 18lbs, and a fellow who had one said it weighed
10lbs.

I have similar conflicting information about virtually every
other tripod, including Losmandy's even from Losmandy
themseleves, (who then very graciously admitted their error
-- which is fine with me as we all make mistakes, as long as
I can get correct figures in the end -- to me once I pointed
out their figures were impossible simply from the geometry
of what they said).

:) Your unfamiliarity with these mounts shows!

Take a look at the reviews on # for the
Giro-2 (4.5lbs $195) and Giro-2 Deluxe (5lbs $295). I think
you'll agree after reading the reviews, that at these prices
and weights these mounts are in a class by themselves.

Also take a closer look at the pictures on the APM site.

#

From the text on APM's site you'll see that on the Giro-2
Deluxe mounting an 8" Mak (22lbs) and a 6" f8 APO (45lbs)
was not a problem and these kinds of high magnifications you
get scopes don't seem to be a problem at all on the Giro-2
mounts, based on what the Dave says in his reviews.

Yes I think you're right, but I'd still like to only buy one
tripod for both the GM-8 and Giro-2, so I'll see if I can
get a closer look at one of these D&S tripods.

Actually I was looking very closely at, and almost decided
on, either the TAK FS102 or the TMB 4" f8 (probably the
latter since it was only about $200 more than the TAK once
you got mounting rings, a case and a 2" adapter for the
Tak), but concluded that these scopes just do not make any
sense at their prices and is why I decided to go for the
M603. The M603 will show me *everything* that the 4" APOs
will and more, with the same portability. The only thing
that the 4" APOs gives is a wider field of view upto 4
degrees vs the 2 (1.9+) degrees I'll get with the M603. That
so for 2.6 times the price, and giving up all the extra
advantages of the 6" Maks (80% more light gathering,
resolution, etc.) that is a very expensive 2 degrees.

Now before you respond on this issue of 6" Mak vs 4" APO (if
you're thinking about responding to my comments above), I
just went through a rather lengthy debate on this a couple
of weeks back, so please for a very full debate on my
thoughts on this matter please take a look at:

http://x51.deja.com/viewthread.xp?AN=651...$%3e%231/1&group=sci.astro.amateur&frpage=viewthread.xp&bac­k=clarinet

first, and then I'd be happy to discuss the matter further
with you. Perhaps you may still convince me if there is
something I overlooked.

(if you the link doesn't work, search for "purist" on
deja's s.a.a. database and go through the thread (about 70
posts) titled "Orion Argonaut 150mm EQ
Maksutov-Cassegrain").

BTW I have a Brandon 80mm APO (semi-APO?) and plan to put
that on the other side ofthe Giro-2 Deluxe.

The figures I have for the AP Davis & Sanford tripod are 29" to 51 "
the total weight was 11lbs and the Max diameter was 6.5 inches the Minimum
length for transport collapsed down and folded to go in a phototripod bag was
40 inches.

I'm not familiar with the GR-2 alt Az mounts It sounds as though that
these mounts are more suited to short tube refractors for bird watching, nature
study.

The Intes Micro M603 isnt that a 6 inch F10 Mak, that would be 60 inches
of focal length which would give you 60x with a 1 inch focal length eyepiece. I
would think that would be a little bit much for an Alt az mount.

I think I would just go for the GM-8 alone and get the Losmandy tripod
option for the GM-8 .

Maybe what you might consider is an 80 to 100mm short tube refractor.
I just sold my 80mm Megrez and plan on selling my Brandon when I recieve my TMB
4 inch F 6.2

The 80mm Megrez are very compact and I've seen the new 4 inch Megrez
which is just about as small. Either of these two scopes would work out very
well with the Alt Az mounts that you describe.

Clear Skies
Dwight L Bogan

Thanks very much for your reply. My comments follow yours.

I thought the price differences might be due to some
different tops, but the ITE and Scopetronix price
differences are very signficant too!

Actually I was looking at the GM-8, to be used for visual
work with an Intes Micro M603 (13lb OTA) but would like to
get a tripod that could be used for more than just the GM-8,
(in particular I was looking at getting the APM Giro-2 Altaz
mount as well, see:

#

), was lightweight so I could take while travelling abroad,
and of course sturdy. I would like to have subsecond
dampening times at 150x.

Actually what I was intending to do is just get the Losmandy
Meade Field Tripod adapator which allows a GM-8 or G-11 to
be mounted on any tripod that takes the Meade Wedge (such as
the D&S).

I'd like to get the wood tripod, but just can't afford it.
APM has a similar tripod for the Giro-2 that is far less
expensive. But the problem with these wooden ones is that I
don't think they collapse down short enough to be fit into a
suitcase. Do you remember how long the AP D&S tripod was
when collapsed and its weight? The dimensions and weights
reported seem quite different by the vendors: ITE reporting
11lbs and 40" and AP 6.5lbs and 31".

That sounds very good.

I used to own this tripod when I had my AP 400 QMD mount. Worked out
very well. The reason the price difference is that fact that the tripod has the
mating collar for the AP 400 mount. BTW the AP 600 will fit on this tripod as
well but it not recommended.

Yes, Questar used to sell this tripod for their scopes many years ago.
As far as comparing to a GM-8 is concerned I take it you have a GM-8. I would
suggest you use what is available for the GM-8. Not unless you happen to have a
AP400 mount you would need to make a mount collar to adapt the GM-8 that means
spend more money for custom machining.

As far as stability is concerned the Zeis wooden tripod is more stable
than the Davis tripod and then you have the AP piers which are more stable over
the wood tripod. With my AP400QMD and AP 130 F6 scope and Davis tripod I was
doing Astro-Photography with this setup so it stable enough.

If you want the ultimate in portablilty with an AP400 mount and you own
the Traveler or the AP130EDFs then this mount would work out for you if not you
need to consider alternatives ie; bigger tripod or pier.

Clear Skies
Dwight L Bogan