ScouseSpaceCadet

Excellent advice has been provided above. You have possibly misinterpreted those reviews. I have not owned a 127mm Maksutov (only the 102mm). However based on my ownership of its smaller sibling, reviews, comments on these forums and understanding optics better than when I started, the high focal ratio but compact 127mm Maksutov is for its size & price perfect for planetary, lunar, double stars, globular clusters and brighter galaxies if your sky is dark enough. I'm actually about to buy one soon to replace my recently sold 102mm version precisely because it will fit well with my existing mounts and I've no doubt great for those relaxed summer lunar sessions I like. The ST120 was my second telescope. A great, relatively cheap wide field scope - open clusters, extended nebula and brighter galaxy groups under dark skies are fantastic with it but, due to the low focal ratio, it begins to struggle as magnification is increased to those required for decent planetary, lunar and splitting double stars etc. So you see above, the Maksutov edges out the Startravel as a Jack of *Most* trades. Added to this, the Mak is easier to store and being much lighter & shorter than the ST120, far easier to mount. The AZGTI is a versatile little mount. There's a thread dedicated to them on the forums. The Point and Track function is particularly useful for planetary, solar and lunar observing. Goto isn't magical though, there is still a moderate learning curve to get the most out of it.

That very scope. 😎 As much as the 4" ED has been a fantastic introduction to higher quality instruments, I miss the larger aperture of my previous telescopes.

Hah.. please John. We will have someone arguing it's a fantastic combo any second. 😬 After a great deal of deliberation I've decided to pick up a Skymax 127 for the AZ5 and AZGTi. The 4" ED will be replaced by a 5" apo. 👍😀 Two scopes and two binoculars are enough for me (until I retire, move house and buy a 12" dob... 🧐😁)

A Grab n' Wobble© setup...

The clause that worries me on that page is: "how it’s likely to affect the average person (unusual sensitivities aren’t included)" Is a hobbyist astronomer complaining about a domestic security light classed as having, 'unusual sensitivities'? 🙄

What will you do with the illuminated reticle eyepiece?

Seeing how many people last year in the local area took part and their results is interesting. Although I think the person a mile from me entering 26 stars must have double vision! I managed 14 but that was a particularly pristine night and I was dark adapted (as much as that is possible in the urban jungle). The average for the area was around 8-10. Interestingly the largest cluster of results was in the more affluent southeast Liverpool suburbs. Access to better schools+financial security+decent housing = more likely to be interested in astronomy and science? Hmm.

I've actually owned a 4" Mak and a 6" f5 newt at the same time and observed with them together. The Mak will not show "more detail" when lunar observing. At higher magnifications the view through the maksutov was more stable, with better contrast and easier on the eye, but the newt did resolve finer details. During Mars opposition 2020 I had them both out and the newtonian hands down showed more albedo effects and the southern ice cap was better resolved. The only benefit the mak had was a lack of diffraction spikes on a bright Mars. Essentially, observing is easier with the Mak but you don't see quite as much... The newtonian was perfectly collimated. 😉

Strange... Despite being red/green colour blind, massively reducing career choices when younger, I can see the colour in stars. The wide field of binoculars spectacularly enhances the effect. The colours may not be correct colours but I can definitely see them! The familiar red giants look orangey-red. Blue stars are more white with a pale blue hue. When behind the telescope splitting coloured doubles, I can see the colour difference but as above, occasionally I'm not sure if the identified colour is correct. Regarding M42; when I owned an 8" dob I did on at least a couple of occasions observe a green hue.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning more toward a C5 or 127mm Mak for my other mounts I think. I've just bought an extension cable for the AVX Nexstar handset. A major flaw in the package is the daft handset cable! The AVX does work well and holds my refractor solidly. So for the time being, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... 👍

That's definitely more realistic. My ST120 wasn't far under that weight with a 50mm RACI, 2" diagonal and 2" eyepiece. The load made the AZ5 feel maxed out.

The 102 was solid indeed with the ADM saddle. However I found myself using the 102mm refractor 99% of the time and owning decent binoculars, wasn't using the Mak on trips, so it went. Sold after eighteen months use on *bay for £6 less than I paid for it. 😀 The intention really was to sell the AZGTi but the 127 Mak is calling out to me lol.

Yeah. It worked OK but the ticking started and I decided for longevity sake to stop, then I found the P150i tube - a new customer return. Cheap as chips and brilliant with the focuser upgrade. To aid balancing, the existing vixen dovetail was removed and replaced with tube rings. It looked great too... 🙄 That setup served me well during Mars opposition 2020.

Ty. The 102 Mak was a bit bouncy on the L bracket tbh. I ended up mounting it sideways straight onto the mount and used a RACI 30mm finder with a long stalked bracket. Another sales regret is definitely my first 130PS. I bought the AZGTI afterward but they would have been a perfect match and that was a fun scope.

A slight diversion from the very latest chat, however some of the scopes I've tried with the AZGTi... ST120. Seemed OK at first but proved too heavy - the mount started ticking... Skymax 102. Perfect but just sold. I've been considering selling the AZGTi but it's just so good at grab and go. I may buy a 127mm Mak or SCT. A P150i with upgraded focuser and tube rings added. I'm trying to remember why I sold that scope! The Altair Ascent 102ED. Too heavy and long. A used Celestron AVX mount saved the day. A cheap used Canon 450D with zoom lens practicing lunar shots in alt az mode still. A versatile and quite cheap mount. 👍

... and are no longer available on Ebay for £40 and are up to £60 on Amazon. I should have got one before Christmas. 🙄

I have a 102mm f7 refractor and will not use it with the AZGTI. I have done, but felt as the altitude increased, the mount was straining somewhat. So thinking long term, rather than risking breaking the mount, I resolved not to use the refractor. Others will disagree my opinion is a 4" f7+ frac is too much. Likewise, an f5 Skywatcher ST120 also felt too heavy. In the intended alt az mode, stick to refractors <= 102mm/f5, catadioptrics <= 127mm and newtonian reflectors <= 130mm f5 and the mount should be fine.

Unlucky Stu.. The early evening weather forecast here is touch and go, so a mount is assembled in the conservatory and I'll be looking out of the window all afternoon... Tonight the target should clear the roof tops so it's worth a try. There is live feed for those who won't get the chance to observe the asteroid: https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/

Searching for "7482" in SS Pro 6 works for me...

A great read, thanks for posting. 👍

Thanks for the feedback. Instead of selling the mounts plus cash, for roughly the same outlay I can pick up a new Skymax 127 to use with the AZ5 and AZGTI... Despite my reservations about kit overload, this does give me more observing options and is less hassle than selling the mounts... Gawd.. decisions, decisions... I may just toss a coin. 🙄

Your scope is mounted to the left, when looking from the rear. 😀 Other manufacturers, notably Celestron, hang their telescopes to the right of their mounts. The 3.37 firmware is useful if for instance you want to use a Celestron 5SE SCT with the Skywatcher AZGTI.

Your telescope is to the left of the mount. If you want to keep it that way - do not upgrade to 3.37.

I've only ever updated my firmware over the mount wifi using a laptop without issue. The mount is over two years old and still alive. 👍

Thanks to you both. I'm seriously considering going ahead. I should get about £950 if I sell all three mounts, so not much to make up the remaining cost. Shimrod another option is an Ioptron AZ Pro but the reviews I've read are a bit so-so... and it does cost £60 more for pretty much the same functionality? Edit: I totally forgot about Celestron Starsense. Does this really save much time?