by Matt Tarlach
Last weekend I picked up a TV Telepod head at a local swap meet. Soon as I got home I attached it to my Bogen 3221 tripod legs (black-anodized version of the 3021, and similar to the 3011). The scope used for now is an Orion Short Tube 80, though I am tempted from time to time by the Vixen 102ED...
Today after various work commitments and high clouds, I finally had a chance to put the combo to astronomical use, on the Sun. The Telepod/3221 combo is steady and very smooth. There was a little vibration at powers over 80x...I attribute that to the fairly light 3221 legs. I also have a set of Bogen 3036 legs that should be rock solid, though I'm using the 3221 for now for the compactness.
Over the past few years I've owned a Ranger, and now a ST80, and used them with good quality (Bogen) fluid heads. The improvement in motion and tracking with the Telepod head is obvious. Since the altitude axis of the Telepod head is located at the scope's center of gravity, there is no need to tighten and loosen the altitude clamp to track a subject high in the sky. It is really just like using a well made dob: finding and tracking were no problem even with the Sun high in he sky just before Noon. I can't wait to get out to a dark site and sweep the Milky Way with this combo! Unfortunately, new cost of the Telepod head alone is similar to the ST80 OTA...glad I found one used!
As for the Sun, what an awesome view! I am not an experienced solar observer, but the activity now is the most I can ever recall observing directly. Two huge sunspot groups, with lots of detal in the penumbras, and many more smaller groups and spots. Viewed at ~50x through the ST80, stopped down to 40mm, with Baader solar film, 2.4x Dakin barlow, and 18mm Edscorp ortho.