Alan White

Well life has been more generous today and I have had 20 minutes to unpack andd put the AZ75 on a trpiod again. Its very slightly taller than the earlier test unit and has a second saddle now that fits my scopes, the earlier test one was not a final design, so being able to test 2 scopes was not workable for me with ease, it now is and very nice with two scopes fitted. Here are some images of first set up and also with a solar and non solar scope fitted together. All very nice, just needs some clear sky and away we go testing again, oh and some free time as well. It really is feeling like a finished mount now, not a test unit in anyway at all, so clearly barring any unforseen issues, which I doubt we will find (but you never know), then it may be very close to being something that Rowan will make the launch call on.

I know that feeling, I have terrible sky here at home, too much light pollution. You have to make the best of what we are served after all.

Paul, that's fair enough comment. What I really meant was why limit what you observe and just be a very observe all that you can, if we limit ourselves to one target type, great, but the menu is wider. I do a lot of Solar observing, it's readily available and the only Sun I can observe in detail with ease. I also do a lot of Lunar observing to for exactly the same reasons. But my scope then does look all over at the fantastic variety the Cosmos presents to us.

On Wednesday a parcel containing the final test AZ75 was delivered to me. Of course it has arrived with rain and cloud and I have had some serious disrtactions this week as well. I hope to post my own pictures and feedback on this soon, weather and life willing. All I can say is it's the same altered dimensions etc. as on @Stu report / thread, he has been lucky enough to have had time and clear skies to picture and use it, looks great and look forward to doing th same with my one. Watch this space......

Nice that you have clear Stu, wall to wall cloud and rain here today.

125mm and 200mm is what is posted Jeremy, also have copied and pasted an image as well. looks to be a work well in progress by the machine work done, must be all CNC as that is what Rowan does. Looking as well engineered as everything they make.

Give it time, It will gain traction 🤣

Postie has been, sadly dropped the plastic bag wrapped book through door bending cover, it was immaculate before. Book based in threads here and have to say a super book, old hand or not. Works of Books purchase.

They are nice, I just bought one to replace the one I sold in a huff over undercuts. It feels wider FOV than the the stated 62 degrees and has longer eyerelief, essential for me as I wear glasses at the scope. I always thought my 19mm Pans over the years as small and cute, if a eyepiece can be that, but the 18.2 DeLite has something else. You know you want to, don't you...... I am sure you can pick one up at The PAS in a few weeks time? I can check in on you doing so 😉

So would I, but somehow I would think this unlikely to happen.

I have this same issue from time to time, internet? or this site?

Its just a teaser picture put up by Rowan on Facebook, shows they are reacting to requests.

Looks reassuringly solid and well made to me, quality is never cheap.

Interesting post on Rowan Facebook page, Also posted this in AZ100 post. A riser, stackable is is progress at Rowan Towers, looks good.

I have seen a very interesting post by Rowan on Facebook. Riser for the AZ series is being worked upon, two stackable heights, sounds good.

Sadly no images. I only got my own scope once I was able to buy one and that was 28 years ago. Bresser Achromat 900mm FL 80mm Optic on a very rough equatorial mount and wooden tripod. Came from Dark Star, Mail Order. I wanted the Vixen 80mm Achromat, but my funds did not allow. It served me well and the eyepices survive to this day. I tried the 20mm last year and was impressed with it for what it was, a starter EP. I learnt about how the sky moved, a lot more about The Moon and Planets and started to look outside of the Solar System. It was a long serving scope, but sadly ended its days with a drop and a broken lens cell, the mount died far sooner as made from metalic cheese.

Interesting thread. Looking at all this scope building or rebuilding, has it been cloudy lately?? A more sensible post from me, is those scopes all look wonderful, somehow I forsee a longer focal length refractor tempting me at some point, perhaps sooner than I had truly considered.

Silence is golden in my book, just sadly wiped out by Tinnitus in my case.

Not at all, more surprised that he only has modest sets 😉

Now that’s a thread revival, nice ep though.

Please, this is torture Jeremy, I have purchased some LE again and was slowly building a set, perhaps very slowly now.

My first TV ep was a Plossl, I still have some and enjoy them, but all Plossl have short eye relief and shorter focal length, so perhaps other EP are easier on the eyeball. I use Takahashi LE etc. at shorter FL I also own wider FOV ep as well, so can treat myself depending upon the mood and objects observed.

Somehow neither were many of us, then again, Michael Fish says no wind is due tonight 😉 Fingers crossed for tonight and tomorrows test, better than a wind tunel.

All sounding very promising indeed. As a tester of the AZ75, Rowan really do listen and work with the testers and interested parties. Said it before and will say it again, such a breath of fresh air with a UK manufacturer.

Paul, what a great end or is that middle of a 30 year dream A dream commonly shared by many Nice build, I hope it stands up to this weeks storms ok Thanks for the video, also interesting to see your face after just your SGL name in posts