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Avalon Linear Fast Reverse


HydrogenAlpha

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Hi everyone,

This happens to be my virgin post on the forum :)

I have been looking out for a new mount as an upgrade to my ZEQ25GT, which gave me decent results for imaging with my 8" f/4 newt. However, I am looking to do narrowband imaging at longer focal lengths eventually, which will require a sturdier mount with better tracking capabilities. I currently own a used G11 which I recently purchased for a very low price, although I haven't been able to get it to work well. I have read about the many tweaks one has to make on the mount in order to work, which can be a daunting task for someone who isn't as mechanically inclined as I am. There is also a known variability in the quality control (particularly in PE), despite Losmandy being a well established brand name. As such, looking for a similarly-priced mount which would work right out of the box became one of my goals. 

Looking around online, I chanced upon the Avalon LineAR which caught my attention because of its unique design which employs a belt drive and therefore claims to have zero backlash. The few reviews that I saw online seem to show superior tracking abilities as well when guided. However, there seems to be little information online about this mount, and it appears to be a very new product as well. In fact, most of the posts on this mount came from this forum. Aside from the reviews, there are also actual images which show the incredible performance of the mount. For example,

http://www.astrobin.com/109019/

This was done by Sara Wager, incidentally one of the users of this forum. Anyway, what caught my attention was the first image, which should the bubble nebula shot at 2350mm FL (assuming no FR), with 30 minute subs and nice round stars! 

http://www.astrobin.com/113497/

The crescent nebula shot with a C14 (assuming no FR, at a whopping 3910mm of FL) with 15 minute subs and tight round stars. 

Most importantly, it is relatively affordable, coming in at about 3.3k EUR for the mount head as compared to over 5k EUR for the Mach1, for instance. Because of the relative scarcity of information online, as compared to say the Mach1 or G11, I want to be sure that I am getting a good product that I can use for many years before I invest over 4 grand (price with the tripod) in it, as I would be nearly taking a step in the dark. 

I'd like to hear your opinions on this mount before committing to a purchase. Also, are there any other mounts in this price range that I should consider? Thanks for reading. 

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I changed to the Avalon Linear Fast reverse last year. Prior to that I'd been using an HEQ5 and looked at mounts such as the Mesu, 10Micron and APMach1 as a replacement. I picked the Avalon as it used the same drivers as the HEQ5 and really was going to be THE most simple way to swap mounts. As much as I liked the idea of one of the bigger boys, the lack of EQMOD (which I love) and the pointing models etc really scared me - Again I came back to the Avalon. 

I am something of a non technical person and so it really had to be as plug and play as I could get. It worked out of the box with minimal fuss.

It works well with my short focal length refractor - But that's not really much of a test for 30 minute subs. The C9.25 was the ultimate test as far as I was concerned, getting good data at 2350mm was going to be a leap of faith. How do I feel about the Avalon now after 1 year of use? It's been excellent. I can honestly say that I've not lost a single sub due to mount issues (any lost have been as I've tried new kit and tried to work out settings).

I routinely do 30 minute subs in narrowband and have done longer as well - The stars have stayed round and tight. I do wish that it had a little more weight capacity, I think a dual mount will be pushing it but that's my plan. 

Is there anything I don't like about it? In a word no. It has taken everything I have thrown at it from 2350mm to 330mm. It works like a dream night after night and for me the biggest thing is the confidence I have in this mount to deliver. If I need 7 x 30 minute subs, then that's what I do, knowing that not a single one will be lost.

I would recommend this mount time and time again if it suits your budget and requirements.

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I have one as well. It has a number of positives, some of which remain to be proven but I think they will be.

1) It tracks very well. There is good reason to believe that its real tracking performance is even better than its guide graph because it returns very quickly to the right place once given a command, I think. My results are excellent.

2) It uses readily available and inexpensive electrical and electronic bits from Skywatcher (though they are moving on to their own electronics as an option.)

3) It is very, very well made and has none of the awful Chinese bodgery on the inside.

4) Both the construction and the technology itself suggest a long working life without maintenance or creeping backlash, the bane of some mounts.

It has one negative. The drive system is elastic. Now some will deny this but on mine there are no two ways about it, it just is. Movement near the mount shows in the guide trace. You can't touch it to focus without seeing it jitter. You can move the OTA easily by hand when locked. But.. I'm using a long OTA (TEC140) with high mass at both ends and, at the end of the night, I get great results. So does it matter?

It is not as good as our Mesu 200 Stellarcat/ArgoNavis, which gives an even better guide trace and is so stiff that you can focus one scope by hand (it carries two) without disturbing the guide trace at all on the other scope which can be imaging at the time.

But there is a big difference in price and the EQ Mod compatibility is a huge positive for the Avalon. I like it and am very glad that I bought it.

Olly

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Thanks for all your responses guys.

Pete, I stand corrected. I must have been distracted while looking at that.

Anyway, as I live in the tropics in a country surrounded by large bodies of water, the seeing typically limits imaging to about 2000mm of focal length. I also doubt I will need to do anything more than 20 minute subs. Sara's image therefore gives me the confidence that the mount will easily deliver the tracking performance I need without paying the price of a Mach or Mesu.

Olly, point 4 particularly interests me because I would very much like the mount to keep me company under the stars for many years. I have seen on the product pages regarding this point as well, as imperfections on the drive are averaged over the contact distance, potentially giving it smooth consistent tracking for years without needing frequent maintenance. This is the reason that using a G11 puts me off, despite being around for more than a decade. Whether this works out in practice remains to be seen, given that it is a new product.

At this point I guess I am pretty much decided, then. The evidence seems strong enough to bet my money on it, and I will most likely go ahead with the purchase once my finances allow. Thanks everyone for the input!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'll add my voice to the positive comments here. I'm using the Avalon with my Tak FSQ85. As Sara says, this isn't much of a test but I've been very encouraged by her results with the C9.25.

Best thing about it; I don't have to worry about it's performance session to session. Once set up it just works.

I agree with Olly's comments about elasticity. When I first got mine I had issues with elongated stars that was eventually traced to a previously un-noticed fan vibration which was driving into the RA axis causing a high frequency oscillation. Since swapping the camera fan I've had no issues whatsoever.

Andrew

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