Askar V on GTi

I don’t own the Askar V. But can tell you from my experience that pushing the gti to the limit will result in not satisfying results. I get elongated stars using the gti at the limit (with guiding). Would recommend to upgrade the mount before getting a new scope. Or get a lightweight refractor below 2kg.

Hi Bill,

I took a look on the Askar V and it seems to be a very interesting scope. I do not own it, but I own the SA GTI and an TS 70/350 which is only 150g heavier than the Askar V. I agree with both of the repliers and would not recommend using this scope on the mount. But I am not only seeing black or white here. Even if the results may not be optimal, it might work to a certain degree. You have to make sure that you reduce the weight of your equipment on the mount as much as possible. The ZWO 60mm guide scope is overkill for your setup. The suggested SVBony 30mm scope is much lighter and should work up to a focal length of 500mm (or even more) just fine. Personally, I would also place the ASI air off the scope to reduce the weight on the mount. If there is no wind. This setup might work. If the weather is worse, it surely is problematic. The 60mm lens of the Askar V should work quite well. The 80mm lens with its 500mm focal length might be much more challanging. But the field of view with the ASI2600 should be wide enough to get pleasing images if viewed as people usually do with photographs or similar. But you might not zoom in and pixel peep in this case.

But keep in mind, that with all the additional accessories, the weight might be on the border of what the mount can handle at best. As already suggested, I would go for a bigger mount first. The EQ5-class can handle 10kg and carries the Askar with ease. But it still feels a bit flimsy to me. If you can afford it, go even 1 step higher to the EQ6 class and you are future proof for bigger scopes as well.

I know, this is a tough one. But the Askar isn't a cheap solution and spending 2 grands on a scope and later realize you can't handle it, is frustrating. But if you know about it, then buying the Askar and try it on the GTI is a good solution. If it does not work, you are prepared to buy a bigger mount as well. It's up to you now…

CS

Christian

Thanks for all the feedback!   Super helpful.   I think i have decided I am going to build and send a scope to Starfront, we get so few clear nights here!  Then I am going to convert my GTi to be a milkway rig for my dSLR!