Chuck Taylor wrote:

"Chuck Simmons" wrote in message
...
Ratboy99 wrote:

Nine months ago, I became handicapped in such a way that I can't carry
much and can't walk without a cane.

What the hell happened, Chuck?

Spinal chord injury from a tumor. It left me with lack of proprioception
which is why I have trouble standing. In order to stand, I have to
either see the ground or hang onto something.

Yikes! You sound like you are handling it better than I probably would. Have
you considered an SCT or MCT scope? Even a 5" is pretty portable, and with
wedge, the eyepiece doesn't move around a whole lot.

Hang in there on the camping. You're bound to hit some better weather.

I developed a prejudice against SCTs (which really aren't) when I was
involved in trying to make a Celestron 14 capable of use as a remote
automated telescope. The project was a failure and the Celestron 14 has
not been used in nearly 10 years. The mount for it was redesigned to
carry usable optics on it and the mount has been running automated
southern sky surveys unattended for the past 7 or 8 years. Stable
mechanically good optical support is key to automation. I really have a
bad taste in my mouth from the Celestron though its failure made
possible a real scientific program which is ongoing.

I didn't even look at SCTs in making my selection.

Chuck
--
... The times have been,
That, when the brains were out,
the man would die. ... Macbeth
Chuck Simmons