AdeKing

I picked one of these up Last August for relatively little money from a fellow SGL member and was very impressed with the views it gave me during the Mars opposition last October.

Mine came in a big wooden box complete with mount, but I tend to use mine on my Vixen GP or GPD2.

Lovely sharp views with very little CA and just about reaches focus natively with my Maxbrite binoviewers.

Mine has had a nice brass fitting machined to allow 1.25" eyepieces to be used and gas had the relevant baffles removed so no vandalism was needed on my part.

I had been tempted to get an adaptor machined so I could fit a modern focuser, but I kind of like the fact that everything is original so never bothered in the end.

I hope that you get as much enjoyment from yours as I have from mine.

Ade

50 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Can you run your f11 100mm across to me, then you and  I can see how the mount handles it ?
Which I think will be vert well indeed.
I joke of course as its not just round the corner between us after all.

Next time you're in my neck if the woods Alan we can take the AZ75 and f/11 up onto Cranborne Chase and test it out.

Either that or I'll drop in on @Stu as now he's moved he isn't far from my in-laws.

6 hours ago, Alan White said:

I have to say Planetary or Lunar needing slow motion or tracking?  
Again we all vary, I do both with all push to mounts at high power no problems.
I see that this mount will make that more pleasurable and deliver better than some others have.

I will also answer @AdeKing about other AltAz and issues with stiction etc.
Perhaps my experience with a number of them on the quest for the right one has bestowed a 'special skill', but I think not,
The AZ75 is far easier in use after careful ballance and was a joy in use last night.
I swapped from the 30mm APM UFF to the 10mm XW without balance changes required, I think the step down insize to the Nagler Zoom or HR might have required a slight ballance change, but that's AltAZ mounts, you just get on with it.
Some folks cannot cope with that, that's fine, we all differ.

Thanks Alan, its good to hear that the motion is nice and smooth and that it was a joy to use.

I've never had an issue with balancing on the Altitude axis, its always been an issue with where to position the counterweight to minimise stiction in the AZ axis as I really can't abide stiction on the AZ axis, it never seems to be an issue in Alt..

I suspect that the AZ75 is just in a different class to the Ercole and EZTouch mounts I've had previously, problem is that reading these reports is helping me to convince myself that I need one for portability purposes darn it.

Ade

47 minutes ago, Stu said:

That is definitely the case John. The Ercole becomes a lot less smooth when unbalanced side to side, and really needs the counterweight

Thinking about it, that was exactly my reason for not getting on with it Stu.

I found the Ercole to be very finicky about exactly where I put the counterweight and found I spent too much time fiddling with the counterweight position to get maximum smoothness in the Az axis.

I'll be interested to hear how you find the AZ75 loaded with an ED120'ish weight tube and no counterweight.

If its nice and smooth in both axes without the counterweight then I can see another item making it to the wish list despite me deciding that the AZ100 was every mount I'd ever need 🤔.

Well, it is every mount I'll ever need semi-permanently mounted in the garden, but a more portable version is always welcome........wallet positively groans and positively winces.

🤣

11 hours ago, Alan White said:

for a flat base or EQ5 or EQ6 hole alignment, 
a series of holes allow those screws to be moved in or out and it really does assist sitting the mount onto the tripod.

To be honest when Derek told me of this at the factory visit, I was a bit, hmmmm, we will see.
Now I have the mount with me to test, well, wow, what a clever idea.

I'm interested the hear more about this aspect as you form opinions and this thread progresses Alan.

I really am following both threads with interest.

Whilst looking similar to the AZ100, as well as being more compact, it is clearly a different mount and aimed at a different niche than the AZ100.

This does very much look like it will very nicely fill the gap in the market that @John has been pointing out for a few years now.

What's more is it's British designed and built which has to be a good thing.

Hats off to the Rowan boys.

Just now, johninderby said:

There are those that insist on having slo-mo controls and those that aren’t bothered so now they have a choice which can’t be a bad thing. 👍🏻

Absolutely John, the Slow-Mo controls are the right choice for me but not necessarily for others.

31 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Disapointed to hear about the lack of slo-mo but still seems like a lovely mount. Think the lack of slo-mo will have an effect on customers choosing the AZ75 or AZ100.

As I've mentioned in Alan's thread, I have only recently invested in an AZ100, but was concerned that maybe I should have had a bit more patience, but the lack of slow-mo controls has convinced me that I made the correct choice of mount for me as I have never really gelled with the Ercole or EZTouch mounts that I've owned.

11 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

I bought the AZ100 over other mounts due to slo-mo controls. Now I'e have the mount, and it's really smooth I'm wondering if I really need them.
Have said that once the clouds part and i'm tracking the planets I will need the slow mo controls.

 Like @Deadlake I got the AZ100 because of the slow-mo controls and am very happy with my choice.  It is a bit too heavy for me to take out and about with me, and so is semi-permanently mounted on a Tri-Pier in the garden instead.  

I'm still looking forward to hearing Stu's and Alan's thoughts in the AZ75 though.

Thanks for posting Alan, the AZ75 looks absolutely great and is clearly a little brother to the AZ100 and I hope that you enjoy your time testing it.

Having only just invested in an AZ100, when your thread popped up I was concerned that maybe I should have waited a little longer for  the much anticipated smaller Rowan Mount instead.

However, the lack of slow-mo controls on the AZ75 has convinced me that I made the right decision for me.

I have tried several Giro-Type mounts including a full-size Ercole, a Giro GR2 and the WO EZTouch (a clone of the AYO) but despite desperately wanting to like them, I have really never got on with them due to the lack of slow-mo controls, I'm much happier with a set of slow-mo controls hanging off of a mount.

I will however be watching this thread and Stu's thread with much interest. 

Ade

37 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

Does the Tripod-Pier attach to any EQ-6 mount?

The Tri-Pier isn't compatible with an EQ6 out of the box, it is only compatible with certain iOptron Mounts without an adaptor.

CEM60/CEM70/CEM120, CEM40, GEM45/GEM45EC (may limit low latitude application), iEQ45/iEQ45 Pro, iEQ30/iEQ30 Pro (may limit low latitude application) and AZ Mount Pro/MiniTower/MiniTower II/MiniTower Pro (needs a center post and three leveling screws #8340-PIER)

For anything other than the above you will either require an iOptron Tri-Pier adaptor to make it compatible or would need a similar pier-top adaptor to be made to fit by a local machinist.

The technical drawing for the top plate of the adaptor I have is here.

The FLO website says that the above adaptor (#8036-TK) is compatible with the following mounts:

Takahashi (EM-200), SkyWatcher (HEQ5/EQ6/NEQ6/AZEQ6), Celestron (CGEM/CGEM-DX) and Orion Atlas (EQ-G/AZEQ-G)

As I don't own an actual EQ6 myself I can only assume from the above that the adaptor is fully compatible with all EQ6 mounts.

I know that it is definitely not compatible with an EQ5/Vixen GP/GPD2 as I have a GPD2 and the adaptor doesn't have a deep central well that will accommodate the bottom of the GPD2 mount.

It is listed as compatible with an HEQ5 and I incorrectly assumed that it would also fit EQ5/Vixen GP mounts as I have always assumed that the bottom of the HEQ5 mount was the same as for the EQ5 as both mounts are supplied with the same tripod, but maybe the bottom of the HEQ5 doesn't require such a deep central well as the EQ5 does.  Maybe someone with an HEQ5 could provide me with an answer to that question.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Ade

3 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Has anyone said you’ve got nice legs Ade 🤔

🤣

Why thank you @JeremyS 🤣 they are rather lovely aren't they, even if I do say so myself 😂

3 hours ago, Stu said:

Looks fabulous @AdeKing 👍👍

Thanks @Stu, lets hope that it works as well as I hope it will and that it doesn't just look good.

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

Looking great Ade, the trip was worthwhile

Thanks @Alan White, yes the trip was definitely worthwhile, I'm very pleased with the end result and can't wait to give it a try to see how it performs. 

Now I need to get a cover for those lovely legs as they stick out from underneath the cover that I currently have and I want to keep them looking good.

Ade

As posted in the postman thread, I collected the final piece of my AZ100 setup yesterday, an iOptron Tri-Pier.

I've had the relevant Tri-Pier adaptor for a while and managed to find time to get everything assembled this afternoon.

The legs are not fully spread out in this shot as the feet on the Skywatcher pillar mount that this replaces are only 800mm apart compared to 1,000mm on the Tri-Pier when fully extended so the pads I set into the lawn need to be moved apart to fit the Tri-Pier.

I even managed to get a quick look at the sun in WL earlier, so here everything is on solar observing guise.

I have a pair of Helios Lighting HR 8x42ED binoculars that I picked up from Lockie (@Chris) a couple of years ago and I've been very impressed by them, but only tend to use them for general daylight observing, mostly birding but Chris posted how impressed he was with them under the night sky if I remember correctly.

I also have a pair of Vortex Optics Diamondback 10x50s which I use for astro and they are very excellent but I find that they tend to suffer from reflections on the large eyepiece lenses during the day and I found I needed a Bino Bandit to solve that problem, but as I prefer the Lightings for daytime use as they're smaller, lighter and I can hold them steadier so this isn't too much of a problem.

Ade

Hmmmm, interesting, will keep my eyes peeled for more info.

Not the postman but delivered to South Mimms services and collected by me this morning.

An iOptron Tri-Pier to replace the shaky Skywatcher pillar mount.

Thankd for delivering it @vindubs and it was great to meet you.

Ade

3 hours ago, johncneal said:

Hi Stu

Thanks for quick reply (and sorry to check) but just for clarity, can you confirm we are referring to the knurled knob on the side of the changer ring? It's a threaded screw to tighten down rather than just being a spring loaded pressure fitting?

john

Hi John,

Having just checked mine, I can confirm that when you unscrew the Silver knurled thumbscrew that the wedge moves outwards to release the dovetailed part of the quick changer.

There is no spring pressure at all on mine, it's all done by tightening and loosening the knurled thumbscrew.

Hope that helps,

Ade

Hi Steven,

Welcome to SGL from just around the corner at Bearcross.

As Peter has said, there are a couple of good Astro Groups locally and the Cranborne Chase Dark Sky Reserve is only just up the road with some lovely dark skies outside of the Poole and Bournemouth light dome.

Hope we get to meet up sometime,

Ade

1 minute ago, Deadlake said:

It's a typo on my part.

I thought it probably was a typo, but then it kept getting quoted and I thought I'd missed something.

Thanks for clarifying.

10 minutes ago, Alan White said:

But does not a red tripod have an invisibility cloak when lit with a red torch? 🤣

Well, the mount is so nice to use that it kind of "disappears" when you're observing with it.  With a red light and red tripod, the tripod will disappear too 🤣

Sounds like you had a great time Alan, thanks for sharing with us.

Just think how much more you'll appreciate the mount when you get it having actually been fortunate enough to have seen under the anodising and what goes inside.

9 minutes ago, Alan White said:

As I said clash, clash

Perhaps some of John’s spray? 😉
 

In fairness the mount plate is black

 

Sorry to be controversial but I actually quite like the black and red combination Alan 🤭.

Something I'm obviously missing though is the B-Pod that keeps getting mentioned. 

Is this an autocorrect typo or is this a bigger brother to the T-Pod?

Clear skies here tonight, but early start for work in the morning so no observing for me tonight ☹️

Good Luck @Stu, it's lovely and clear here in Poole as well with The Met predicting clear skies all night whilst Clear Outside suggests cloudy from 22:00. 

I have an early start tomorrow so will just be setting up the ZS70 on the AZGTi for a quick look at Jupiter.

Hope you have a good night night.

Ade

6 hours ago, Stu said:

iOptron AZ Pro?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/ioptron-az-mount-pro.html 

I agree with @Stu, I think the iOptron AZ Pro ticks most of the boxes.

Whilst it is a GoTo and therefore a driven mount, you don't have to go through the alignment procedure and can drive it around the sky without goto.

The mounts are however manufactured in China.

Only other option is to wait for the Rowan AZ100 tracking/goto system to come out then you could have full manual with slow-mo controls or automated.

32 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Postie visited today with a recent purchase, have wanted to try one of these for ages.
He also brought a few cards as well, Birthday today as well, so a present for myself.

Very nice @Alan White if it's as good as the 18mm Ultima I have then you'll enjoy using it.

Ade

13 minutes ago, Stu said:

Anyone else put things in a ‘safe place’ only to lose them for months?

Yes Stu, only sometimes it's years before I find things by which time I then find I am in possession of a pair of said items.

Ade