Can help to recommend which 8 inch SCT for airline portable?

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maguro77
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Post by maguro77 »

I am not getting the whole set - just the OTA. But after weixing say about corrector plate being thin, am getting a bit of cold feet, leh. have to do a bit more homework now and figure how to cushion the OTA. :roll:
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Meng Lee
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Post by Meng Lee »

Get the Orion C8 padded case:

http://www.telescope.com/control/produc ... t_id=A0006

would be an immediate solution, then put the padded case into a hard luggage if you want. The padded case is made to fit C8 tightly, so its a pretty small bag.
maguro77
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Post by maguro77 »

good idea - thnks for the suggestion.
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Tachyon
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Post by Tachyon »

Dear Joyce,

I assume you are a female? Unless you are Jojo Sinclair caliber, I would not suggest you bring an 8" SCT for air travels.

Have you tried carrying an 8" SCT? I have a C8i and even carrying the tube alone is hard work for me (ok, I'm not exactly athletic but I went through NS. :P) once the distance is more than 200m. However, if you have a roller case than it may make your life easier, and you can ask the unsuspecting flight steward to lift it up for you to the overhead cabin.

And that is without the mount.

Cheers!
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
maguro77
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Post by maguro77 »

Thanks Tachyon, am definitely puny and skinny. So i have being putting a 6 kg weight in my backpack and walking around to see whether i can really hand carry a C8 back. And yes the unsuspecting flight steward is always a good idea. :D
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rlow
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Post by rlow »

A stripped-down C8 ota weighs 5.3kg, with a dovetail bar at the base, and without finderscope or finder bracket. You could handcarry in a small backpack or trolley case, just make sure you double-check the dimensions allowed by the airline. Fork/EQ Mount and tripod will usually need to be in the checked-in luggage. Last week I just hand-carried a 19" LCD TV weighing 6.9 kg total (meeting airline dimensions) without problem onboard two airline planes.
rlow
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MooEy
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Post by MooEy »

heh, y not carry ur megrez 90 for those airline trips. a 90mm refractor may not show that much over here, but if u bring it to some dark spots, it's definately gonan to show u stuff that u have never seen.

~MooEy~
maguro77
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Post by maguro77 »

MooEy, the plan is to buy a C8 OTA and handcarry back. I have taken fellow singastronians' advice and am checking on airline restrictions cos two of the flights are domestic, ehh, smaller plane means smaller overhead bins...

Thanks everyone for sharing their experience. if am successful, will keep u all posted. if not, stick with my megrez 90 for now.
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VinSnr
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Post by VinSnr »

maguro77 wrote:MooEy, the plan is to buy a C8 OTA and handcarry back. I have taken fellow singastronians' advice and am checking on airline restrictions cos two of the flights are domestic, ehh, smaller plane means smaller overhead bins...

Thanks everyone for sharing their experience. if am successful, will keep u all posted. if not, stick with my megrez 90 for now.
if you just want a C8, you can find it from singastro. I am sure someone here may sell you one.
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kingkong
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Post by kingkong »

i have one c8 to let go. it doesn't get used much since i mostly use my sn8 ...
see here for more:
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php?p=46245#46245
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