mtminnesota

If someone has already bought a AZ100 then I doubt the price of a machined chunk of aluminum is going to be that worrisome.

You can save it to your PC by right-clicking anywhere in the area the video should be displayed, and selecting "save audio as". It will save as the normal video file Stu uploaded.

This is fantastic, thanks for the thread. I can see that I'm going to "need" a new telescope, one matched perfectly in size to this mount. A new Rowan mount is so important that it makes me reverse the usual order of purchases. *edit - no slo-mo controls...that's a deal breaker for me*

Great news for amateur astronomers everywhere, thanks for posting this Alan.

I think it provides access so a tool can be inserted, just a guess.

That is 60mm heaven, Jeremy.

This has been my experience too. I'm finding that the mount seems to require some resistance in the form of a long moment arm to prevent it from somehow disengaging the worm teeth. I don't have proof of this theory, but I had my azimuth arm seize up on me when I was just turning in my hand, without even being mounted or carrying anything. It got harder and harder to turn until it became almost completely immovable. I sent it back to Astro Hutech, Ted said he didn't know what happened and he sent it back to Scopetech in Japan. That was almost two months ago, it hasn't come back yet. The times I've used the mount with a telescope on it have been flawless, no stiffening at all.

Yes, I just wanted to offer a word-for-word quote from Derek instead of my opinion, with the caveat that it applies only to the question I asked of him. He also attached a CAD drawing with calculations showing where to place the counterweight on the shaft. But I realize that unless our tripod falls over we'll probably never notice an out-of-balance condition with our AZ100s on Planets, whatever scope we mount.

Derek's comments above were an answer to my specific question asking "if I needed a CW with my TSA-120 at a maximum weight of 20 lbs". He wasnt speaking in a general sense.

I read what I could find about users impressions of the inexpensive zooms, and ended up getting a pair of Svbony 7-21s for my outreach telescopes. Both of mine are smooth enough, but several people have reported that they become very hard to turn in cooler (not freezing) temperatures. Spotty quality control is unavoidable in a $50 Chinese zoom, but if you get a good one they're just fine, and I consider it a bargain for the money.

That's a good question. It's in the case because I just added a wide field EP with the Nagler, and haven't decided whether I'll use the 12.5 or not yet. Probably not, so it'll need to go soon.

After months of research (mostly reading what the eyepiece gurus at CN say), I decided on the following accessories for my FS-60CB: TV Plossl 32 (mainly as a finder), TV Nagler Type 6 13, Tak Abbe ortho 12.5, Nagler zoom 3-6, Tak prism, and Nikon 1.6 Barlow. These, plus a Scopetech Zero and Tak extended hood (420 grams, a big help in balancing), all fit nicely in a very small case.

I use a Goal Zero 200, it's expensive but it does everything you could want. https://www.goalzero.com/shop/portable-power/goal-zero-yeti-200x/

Mine is alt-az. It works very well with a FC-100, so apparently it would work with the Vixen too. This video shows how solid the FC-100 is on it. I would add that I've found it's more solid when the arm is vertical, making it better balanced on the tripod that when it's leaned back. Of course you won't be able to observe close to the zenith, but the more vertical the better. The mount is ridiculously easy to align with SkySafari. Connect to the mount via wifi, type in the IP address, port, etc., then point the scope at a known star, click on it in SkySafari and hit "align". No need for Polaris or multiple stars. I assume the mount should be pretty level as well, but it doesn't mention that in the instructions.

The tracking kit and a Mount Zero, just out of the box. The motor cables and connectors are of high quality, reminding me of audiophile equipment. Everything appears well constructed, but it is a minimalist drive kit so it looks sparse with its exposed motors and wires. Is this mount worth the $1325 it costs with the drive kit? Maybe, if you want something unique, compact, and made in Japan. I haven't observed with it yet, but I'm expecting it to perform well and last a long time.

Ted at Astro Hutech told me a few weeks ago that the guy who designed and made the kits had his house burn down. He lost everything, but is going to re-start the business apparently. It won't be real soon, obviously. I got one of the (extremely?) few motor drive kits Ted sold before the fire, and just installed it today. It looks to be well made, and slews slowly but quietly. It runs in conjunction with SkySafari, so it's super easy to align and use. I'm very impressed! My FOA-60Q full kit minus the tripod, in a case a little bigger than a carry-on. The mount with motors doesn't take up much space, and it weighs only a bit more than the stock mount.

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It makes one wonder, doesn't it? As full featured and heavy duty as the Rowan kit is in comparison to the Scopetech kit, perhaps we should brace ourselves. In November Derek Rose said he hoped it would be about 6 months, so it might be any day...

The kit is quite expensive, I had expected it to cost two or three hundred less. I suspect the price is high because it's probably very well made, lightweight as it may be. FLO is saying it will be 10-15 days until they have them. I look forward to using it. I'm assuming the weight capacity will be unchanged, at 7 kg? I don't know why it would be any more or less.

A GOTO motorized tracking kit is now available. They have EQ and alt-az versions. I asked Ted to let me know how each differs in their operation, so I know which one I want, then I'm ordering a second Zero with the kit. Very cool! https://astrohutech....for-mount-zero/