I have a short tube refractor (4-4.5 lbs), and I had been told by the manufacturer that I could use a photo tripod as a mount.  That worked OK for terrestrial applications, but when it came to star gazing, it wasn’t even close to adequate.  Way too unstable.  Basically unusable for astronomy on a photo tripod.

I looked at many mounts, both Alt-Az and equatorial.  I knew I didn’t want to spend a lot of money for a mount, but wanted it to be steady and have the ability to easily move the field with the stars.  I also recognized that I would not be doing astrophotography and was using a “low magnification / wide field” short tube refractor.  I purchased the EQ-1 recognizing that it is not the most sophisticated equatorial mount on the market (no motors, GPS, alignment scope or other “bells & whistles”).  I know my way around the sky (for the most part), and really just wanted a stable mount for a “grab & go” scope.

It arrived intact, and was easy to put together within 30 minutes.  The fit and finish is typical of Orion (including the grease).  The mount itself is relatively sturdy, as is the counterweight.  The legs are lightweight aluminum, and I was worried that they would not be stable enough.  However this was not the case.  For my small short tube refractor, I am very pleased.  The mount is very stable.  Touching the scope to focus results in some movement, but this is gone within 1-2 seconds at most.  Tracking objects is easy with the manual controls.  I was originally planning to upgrade to wooden (ash) legs, but based on it’s performance so far, this is not the priority I was expecting.

In summary it’s a good value and a stable mount.  Recognize from the start that the EQ-1 is not the “top of the line” equatorial mount available.  But it’s a real good value for the money, and it’s just what I needed for my “grab & go” scope.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:54 PM