John

Nice report Mark - the skies are not bad here tonight but could be a little better - I hope you get it another time I've been able to see a couple of mag 14.7 stars around M57 tonight with my 12" but thats more or less overhead so little atmospheric extinction. Didn't get the central star though. Must be close - probably needs a really, really good night with my scope. Bloomin clouds coming over from the W now

I'm afraid that I just moved the mount around for a few minutes at an astro show. Not really a proper test in the way that Mike and Paul have. From my brief encounter (very brief) I'd say that the mount head looks suitable for a 130mm F/5 newtonian but the stock tripod is a bit too lightweight. On another tripod the mount would fare quite well with such a scope I think.

How did it go Mark ? The moons up and bright now but it was pretty dark earlier. I had my 4" frac out though so mag 14.5 was not on the cards !

Well I had a play with an AZ-5 today. It had a 130mm F/5 newtonian on it. I asked the vendor if the silver knobs acted as clutches and he confirmed thats what they do. I then tried the altitude and azumuth motions with the clutch knobs at varying degrees of tightness. I could not get a squeak or any other noise out of the mount. The slow motion controls continued to work smoothly at the various degrees of cluch tightness and the motion of the scope remained smooth too. I was quite impressed with the action of the mount and it's fit and finish. The stock tripod we all agreed was "adequate" and no more than that. I wonder if your example has a fault of some sort Mike ?

Thats an interesting illustration of the issue. It seems to me that the tension knobs would need some form of pad or insert between the end of the screw and whatever it bears against in order for them to act as a clutch. The ones on my Skytee II have brass inserts for this purpose. The Ercole mount that I used to own used a small teflon disk. I wonder if this is missing from the azimuth axis on your AZ-5 ? I'm going to an astro fair tomorrow so if any of the dealers there have an AZ-5 I'll have a play.

So am I Mark - even more so !

Are you having a go at this one tonight Mark ? A the moment I have a refractor out on double stars but I might put the 12" dob out as Andromeda rises higher. The Moon is also on the way up though, which is not ideal ....

Thats very interesting - thanks for posting the information Currently the most distant object I've managed to observe was the recent blazar CTA 102 which I believe was around 8 billion LY's. This would top that, if I can see it that is ! It would be close to the limit of my 12" dobsonian from home but being high in the sky will help.

Very interesting Dave I've always liked Vixen stuff and enjoyed my Porta I when I had it. The Vixen ED102S looks be pretty similar in terms of weight and lenght to my Tak FC-100DL. I'm now wondering if the Porta II head on my Oberwerk hardwood tripod would be a good setup for that scope

Yes, I'd love a T-Rex if one ever becomes availble - it would suit my 130 F/9 tripet extremely well Very interesting stuff on the AZ-5 though and very helpful in establishing where it sits in the order of things. The design is elegant and the slow motion controls a nice touch. The price is pretty reasonable too. If I had an F/7.4 Tak FC 100 then I'd almost certainly go for one

Thanks John, I have a UNI 28 - the difference is just the height when full extended I think, which I need for my refractors. I must get round to getting that spreader - it looks very neat and effective.

I missed your original posting of this setup John - it really does look cracking in every respect Which Berlebach UNI tripod is that, the 18 or the 28 ?

Mine was on the Vixen aluminum tripod too. You had no choice with the Porta I as I recall. The Porta II could be moved to another tripod but other than that I think it's probably the same mount as the Porta I. Anyway, this thead is on the AZ5 so I don't want to derail it. Thanks for your thoughts so far on the AZ5

Thanks Mike. I'll put that idea to one side then ! I had a Porta I which worked well with my Vixen ED102SS so I wondered if the Porta II was a step up, which I think the FC-100DL needs because of it's length.

Thanks for that additional feedback Mike Have you ever used a Vixen Porta II by the way ? - I wonder how the AZ5 (as a mount head) would compare with that ?

It will be interesting to see if the HD version gets to the UK market. I guess there were 2 tripod options offered with the AZ-4 so there is no reason why they won't ultimately follow the same approach with the AZ-5.

Is there going to be a HD version then

One thing that I've noticed in comparing the competion is that the AZ5 has 96 teeth gear wheels wheras the Vixen Porta II (for example) has 120. I wonder how that will affect the actual use of the mount ?

The only slight snag might be that the EQ5 / HEQ5 tripods generally use M10 bolts wheras the Skywatcher AZ5, and presumably it's extension, is 3/8th's of an inch A 1330mm long refractor is going to put a lot of strain on the mount head / tripod top regardless of the scopes weight. I'll be interested to see how the AZ5 handles Pauls F/9 Tak.

I think there is some confusion over what is, and is not, an AZ5 mount. 365 Astronony list a mount which they call the AZ5 and they also list a matching tripod which is a 1.5 inch steel tubed tripod: http://www.365astronomy.com/365Astronomy-AZ5-Versatile-Vari-angle-Micro-Motion-Alt-Azimuth-Telescope-Mount-with-Stainless-Steel-Tripod.html http://www.365astronomy.com/365astronomy-az5-tripod-only-compatible-with-eq3-eq5-and-skytee-mounts.html This, as far as I can see, is not the same mount as the Skywatcher AZ5 but it does have some similarities. As far as I know, as standard, the Skywatcher AZ5 mount, if bought with a tripod, comes with an aluminium tripod:

A million of them, apparently Choice is a good thing !

Both of what - the GSO's / Vixens or the GSO / Tele Vues or the GSO / Tele Vue's ? Maybe all 3 ? It's an exacting hobby when you start to push the limits - in due course you want the best kit you can afford IMHO. It is a hobby though so "afford" is an important word of course. "fractional" could be the difference between being able to split Sirius or not, being able to see the Horsehead Nebula or not, being able to spot the finest lunar details or not, being able to see faint galaxies or not, being able to see the moons of Uranus and Neptune or not. Personally, I want that stuff You don't need to spend a fortune to achieve these targets but you do need excellent optical quality IMHO.

Having used a Skywatcher 6" F/5 newt on an AZ-4 I found it a good combination with the steel tripod option. Not so steady with the aluminum tripod though. My guess is that the AZ5 is at least as solid as the AZ-4 but the stock tripod will be the "weak link". If and when I go for an AZ5 for my F/9 Takahashi refractor, it will be the mount head only and I'll put it on my Oberwerk hardwood tripod which is as tall and stable as the 2" steel tubed tripods (eg: CG5 / EQ6) but somewhat lighter.

Yes they are as far as I know. I was going to put "GSO / Revelation" in my post but I figured that in the UK Revelation is the brand name that is more commonly encountered and the ones with GSO actually printed on them can be a bit more costly ! I don't think they are quite as good as the Vixen NPL's or indeed the Tele Vue plossls by the way but the latter cost about 3x as much as the GSO / Revelation and I figured that they are probably not a good value recommendation for the "very new beginner" Experienced observers are rather partial to the TV plossls though

The Revelation plossls are good quality and really not very expensive - arond £25 each new. The Vixen NPL ones are a little more expensive but also good performers without having to push the boat out too far financially.