The weight factor was one reason I had to sell my Meade 10" SCT. The fork mount and OTA are just too heavy for one person to set up or haul up and down stairs to the car. I wound up getting a CG-11 (now the CM-11). Overall the weight is comparable, but the mount breaks down into more easily manageable pieces. -----Original Message----- From: Joe Bauman [mailto:bau@desnews.com] Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 11:19 AM To: Astronomy in Utah Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] URGENT request for advice Thanks, Barney. The fact is, I would not use it in the SLC region except once in a while to show the family what's visibile from the backyard. What I want to do is tote it off to a dark-sky site like the Wedge (one of my favorites) and set it up there. But I almost always go alone and I am worried that it might be too unweildy and heavy for one guy to set up. The heaviest piece is 75 pounds, which I think I can handle OK just now -- but I'm 57 and not sure if I have another 10 years of being able to lift 75 pound onto a tripod if it's really ackward. I doubt I'll build an observatory. I just like to put my gear in the back of a vehicle and head out to the desert. Best wishes, Joe Joe Bauman science & military reporter Deseret News bau@desnews.com (801) 237-2169 _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy