jock1958

I agree the legs are very flimsy on the Vixen Porta II but it works pretty well with my Tak FS-60 as an ultra lightweight grab & go. Also replaced the low rent plastic Slo Mo controls that @John mentioned with skywatcher cables which improves things immeasurably!

Looking forward to reading the review as well 😜👍

Very nice acquisition John and like the Slik tripod, as matter of interest how does it handle high power views with your little Mak? I’ve been looking for a lightweight travel tripod for my Tak FS60 for a while now and the Slik looks a cheaper option than the Manfrotto’s & Gitzo’s!

Hi and welcome to SGL. Bought my first scope back in the mid 90’s for £250, a Russian 4.5” reflector which served me well over the years. However since I joined this forum I’ve spent considerably more than planned but had a blast in the process 😉

Thanks for posting this just hope the dust storm has gone this year 🤞

You’ve got me drooling now @mikeDnight nothing better than the hallowed 100DZ with retractable dew shield!!

Me as well 😩

I’m very familiar with Grease 33 it’s in widespread use on Aircraft flying controls, doors and undercarriage systems so good choice for the AZ100.

Cheers @merlin100Those pictures were taken a couple of years ago when I first stripped it down. I removed old grease using brake part cleaner spray and re-lubed using universal wheel bearing grease from my local motor factors.

It took a lot of effort to remove the so called grease on mine, it was like a concoction of un-mixed araldite & bees wax also not sure about the dodgy casting techniques 😂 On the plus side it’s still in one piece and does everything I want it do 😀

Is it stiff in operation when using slo mo controls? Can you fully engage & disengage slo mo controls? With these controls disengaged it should be fairly effortless in operation even with the original sticky grease, for me its the cold weather that seemed to gum the works up. As far as grease goes I use multi purpose grease for wheel bearings which works fine for me though others may disagree. As John points out once you start stripping things down your warranty goes out the window. Have a look at an old thread 'SkyTee 2 tweaks'

Yeh its a doddle. Forgot to mention, in conjunction with what I said you will have to slacken off and tighten the two allen bolts on the front face of the slo mo fitting.

Hi Steve, what I do is turn the two grub screws on the top plate anti clockwise with a small allen key, then tighten the centre allen bolt, this effectively reduces the gap between the slo mo pinion shaft and internal gear. This should reduce your backlash but will also make the slo mo controls tighter in operation, it's then a case of fine tuning to suit your requirements. My Skytee still has an element of backlash but I can live with it and works well for me. Hope that helps.

Contacted Rowan a few weeks ago about slo mo cables, also asked them if they had anything in the pipeline in regards to a lighter version of the AZ100 and something that would compete against the Skytee II & Giro Ercole. He said they are looking at producing a smaller mount, not a miniature AZ100 but different spec intending to take the best points from several other types. No other details apart from that unfortunately.

Welcome to SGL and very nice pic of the Veil 👍

Bought my Skytee II second hand a few years ago and it is rock solid with my Tak FC100DL & Tal 100RS. As others have said it does require some fettling and the engineering is somewhat agricultural but once you have ironed out the little niiggles it is an extremely versatile and capable mount. For me I replaced the sticky Synta grease, adjusted the backlash of the slo mo controls and now is a pleasure to use and dare I say it....at the expense of my Giro Ercole!

It was recommended on a lens cleaning thread a while back but can’t remember by who?

Nowadays I use the alcohol free lens cleaner from Specsavers with Baader cloths which works a treat.

Welcome to SGL Gary!

Thanks @Stu very interesting that the Tak & Vixen are so evenly matched and looking forward to further episodes of this clash of titans! Also got to compliment you on your spectacular array of equipment I’m not jealous honest!! I picked up on your comment in regards to the speed of operation of the slo mo controls, is it geared up in comparison to say the Skytee 2? and did you get those slo mo cables with the AZ100? I’m after a couple of fairly long ultra floppy cables.

Nice photo of one of my favourite Apollo landing sites! Also thanks for posting that NASA photo, it’s the most detailed I’ve seen.

Loving your sketches of Venus Mike! Good idea about the sangria but might treat myself to a dark & stormy (dark rum & ginger) instead 🧉

Thanks Mike another fine sketch! might give it a go later today before it gets to low.

Cheers Matthew @DirkSteele an excellent review of these quality eyepieces. Bought my 3-6 Nagler Zoom off this forum last year and has been the mainstay in my high powered department ever since. Those reassuring 'clicks' between powers make it so easy to use, I've found it brilliant on double stars, globular clusters (M13 especially), moon & planets! Apart from magnification would the 2-4 NZ give you much more than the 3-6 NZ?

It’s the Scottish bit in me Paul, I was trying to save a few pennies 😂