Re: Extra load on an LX200 (how much?)

I suppose I'm really just trying to have my SCT cake and eat it too (i.e.
also have a nice, small, wide field refractor), but there's no way my budget
will stretch as far as a second good mount.  Using the refractor as a guide
scope makes buying it slightly more feasible because it'd save me some money
on the camera & off axis guider ...

The alternative (the much more expensive alternative) would be to get a
Losmandy G11 mount & Celestron 11" OTA with the option of interchanging the
scope with a refractor purchased in the future.  It's _a lot_ more expensive
here though, and there's no celestron dealer in this country (Australia), so
for more money there's no service ...

On photography:  Maybe I'll just go for an sbig camera with its own off axis
autoguider, not doing that could be a false economy.  Shelve the refractor
plan for a few more years.

Thanks for your input, always nice to chat about scopes, Michael

> I recently started using a TV Pronto as a guidescope, good for guiding
> prime-focus film through a 4" APO, but I would use a 2x barlow for
> guiding an OTA of longer focal length. The Pronto is a nice rich-field
> scope in it's own right, and it has a great 2" focusser. It's a wee
> bit heavy but otherwise ideal. I'd thought of the Ranger as it's much
> lighter but the focusser cannot be locked in position.
>
> ChrisH