Alan White

I thought they were Space Hopper, well at Rowan Towers we had a stack of machined AZ100 parts that I was shown. Perhaps things have changed?

You have done the Horsehead with one of your Refraactors? Wow, thats quite something in my mind @John

If you read above thread, all your questions are answered. But. 4.5 KG withencoders and the vixen clamps. The DSC itself is light, I have not weighed it and its not part of the Rowan build as such. Slow Motion, is a Marmite thing, some are unable to live without it, others are most happy without it. As said many years ago, You cannot please them all. I think the niche at which the AZ75 is aimed is actually less limited that the AZ100 and a wise move by Rowan, but as the say, Your Mileage May Vary. A single arm mount, perhaps, but then you cannot dual mount things such as Solar scopes and the like.

I see where you all are on varying dark adaption, the DSC unit is very dim-able and work well The issue for me and will vary for others is it’s so light polluted at home dark adaption is never full due to the 30+ lights So the encoders with any front end is highly desirable indeed At dark skies the Nexus DSC is turned down very low and not an issue Glad to hear the iPads are ok as that’s what I have, so will try it at a later stage

That's good, I know we like very similar in mounts ans AltAz in particular and love our Refractors, I can say so far the AZ75 is exceedingly smooth in use and playing with it, as you do. The push-to funtionality is the side show, and can make target finding very easy. For me it transformed my home observing, blighted by light pollution of biblical proportions, suddenly I can find faint fuzzies from home again, something lost for the past 12 years of my dear nextdoor light explosion. On push to my experience is with the Nexus DSC computer and screen, which works well, But I will set it up with my tablet and a Planetarium software like @Stu does and see what that is like as well, that however is not really testing of the mount, just a differing method of deployment.

I am glad that;s out in the open 😉 and pleased that the true name is being used, none of this altitude lock naming

But Thor make rubber faced ones @johninderby

@AdeKing It is smooth in both axis and it must have some stiction, I am not seeing it, I think because it is so well machined and the materials used. One the need for a more portable mount, I am sorry, the AZ75 is so much lighter. But the AZ100 has other benefits of its own, a different class of mount. 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.

I think you missed out on the hit it with a Club Hammer option @Stu, I joked on this in one of my replies on my own thread, go on, you know it would make a good video 😉 🤣 For those who have concerns about my soundness of thought, it's a joke, it truly it is. So please resist the temptation to tap test anything astronomical with a Club Hammer.

I know Stu's replied to the same thing, but hey, I am thinking the same and own neither presently......just don't let Mrs W know that train of thought - Ah, I just did, dratt! Worryingly similar spending thoughts in the Stu household as well, have you broken the news to Mrs Stu yet @Stu

Thank you, for the Thank You. The speed of set up and simplicity of either the AZ100 or 75 is one of the many advantages of these manual mounts. The 75 wins in being far lighter too, a one hand carry on a steel tripod with my steel riser. You too see the advantages of the simpler mounts. On the pan handle, the Vixen clamp has the same 3 holes as on the bigger D clamp for the AZ100, Rowan have indicated that a handle is in the pipeline. Indeed it does, but if the manual push mounts are good enough, like this one looks to be, why have a slow motion control? Something I think our thoughts diverge on @John, but diverging thoughts are good. I truly believe that a well built mount with all you desire just cannot be made at the price point you also desire. I am not aware of Rowan using Carbon Fibre in any products, perhaps they do, but they didn't show me anything made from it at my visit. One of the AZ100 plus points is its size, solid build and mass, all very useful with a reasonable (i.e. very desirable) larger scope.

Shall I hit my tripod and telescope with a Club hammer or will my hand do? 😉 It's something of an Astronomers fixation. I do wonder how often do we thump our mounts in actual use? Not a lot I should think unless we are a Butter Fingers, but most happy to feedback. Last night I did the obligatory how long to settle after focus and bashed the tripod with my hand, I just knew the question would be asked. It setteld in less than 1 second, well counting at the One Elephant rate out loudly..... Oh how I must have sounded deranged. The reality is this is on the EQ5 steel tripod, on a wooden one, it would have sttled even faster, ut unless someone wishes to gift me such a tripod, then the Steel one is the one for my Prototype testing. Focus wise, really no shakes other than the momentary I have touched the scope moment, its all very solid. I hope that's a suitable answer, sorry if it sounds a little flippant, its my dry sense of humour, honestly.

Having talked with Rowan before the agreement for me to test the AZ75 and my answers above, just to be clear: Although slow motion could have been included in the AZ75 design, the mount is aimed at a different niche and is to compete against a different range of mounts to where the AZ100 sits. With Slow motion, the AZ75 would be in the same group and then the cost of the additional components would price the AZ75 very close to the AZ100. After all, there would be only a small saving in material cost and slightly shorter machining time in the 25mm size differences of the overall mounts.

Indeed that's what Rowan told me before I went to Banbury for my visit and makes complete sense to me. Fully agree on the different class of smothness, its a case of stiction? what stiction. Clearly it physically must have some, but not that notices. Colder weather will show, but I feel the quality of the clutches is what's making this work well. If you like the AZ100 clutches, well they are the same design. I have never got on with EQ mounts, so stuck with AltAz, Never found tracking a challenge even at higher powers, but that's a learned skill I think to some extent, as well as your ability to sit and observe in changing seeing, something that comes to us all with patience. I will get a night with the HR 3.4 at some point and I will be very surprised if the mount offers challenges in any way, but the proof of the pudding is in th eating of course.

Last night in use it was very smooth, no stiction and nice clutches The clutch is the same as the AZ100 in design from what I have been told and seen at Rowan Towers Minor adjustments to where the Nexus DSC was pointing me, were easy, smooth and painless AZ75 same as the AZ100 comes with option of encoders or not. Some folks don’t want encoders, some do 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.

I think you have all of that correct Ade, A different mount for different folks and uses. I can see some owning both Rowan mounts for differing uses.

Not as far as I am aware. Intentionally the mount has no internal gears, so no slow motion or other connection for motors but Customer feedback will be listened to by Rowan, they do customer interaction well.

I was watching it in the Classifieds and was slightly tempted, just because, but held back as its to close to the other 80 and 100 that I own to make sense for me. I started with an 80 Refractor Achromat so many years ago, as did many others, enjoy it, what with the ED glass, should be an utter pleasure. Mount wise is the AZ Gti really up to holding it for the full enjoyment of such a scope?

So as everyone wants to compare to the AZ100 size, as I said above. The A100 is 100mm Diameter The AZ75 is 75mm Diameter. Here is a badly Photoshopped image from me taken at Rowans, I just remembered it was taken 😉 And one of Stu's robbed from his thread on Tripods. As you can see they differ in size, its making a second option available to us guys.

Robert, go look at the AYO prices and you will see where the pricing sits. I Very true John and my view entirely. I actually found slow motions a deal breaker for me when I pondered buying the AZ100. Funny old world. A 'Marmite' moment. We all take a choice on our purchases, thank fully we are all different Fedele, that's what is great about life, let alone astro. The AZ75 is Encoder ready, its in my report above. A smaller lighter AZ100, would be missing the point, if you want a mount like that, they have a certain size to them to fit in all those goodies, just look at what else is on the market...smaller and lighter? Anyway, this is not the AZ75 thread for debate on other mounts really, its a means of me interacting about the AZ75 and what it is, but this is a Prototype testing not a full review of the production mount.

So am I Deadlake, a scope size that I would one day love to own. I don't think a lighter tripod involves any 'getting away with it' here, the mount sits solidly on the EQ5 one well, this was part of the design ethos at Rowan I am lead to believe.

Something @Stu mentions in his thread is the protruding screw heads on the base. Its visible in my images above. It is not bad design, but very clever design, allows 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.

Weight is 4.5 Kg with saddles, that's what Rowan told me, will double check over the weekend with my scales. Hope that helps @Greymouser 😀 And confirmed by @Stu and his scales earlier and now my scales as well.

Robert see my AZ75 in mounts thread....

I have also been blessed with a clearish (but average seeing) sky with a 78% Waxing Moon. Got to try the mount with the Nexus DSC fitted, with which I am familair using on my Dob. Faultless in operation, after 2 star allign, target middle of the 30mm UFF and near centre of 10mm XW, can you ask more of these encoders and the mount? I did a whistle stop tour, but with dampness, my knees giving me a tough time and tryting to talk with No.2 daughter had to call it a day and come in and type all of this up. The mount was just pushed about and no issues, it become invisible in use, so exactly what you would want.