nakiazaki

Haha, this is a bug in SkySafari, I have already reported it to the developers. No fix yet... [UX Issues]* Telescope Direction Not Accurate After Alignment Using SkyScan_Link – Simulation Curriculum Corp.

A simple regreasing won't solve this issue. Been there, done that, no solution, really. The problem is with the metal plate at the bearing. You can loosen the connection between them, it can help a lot, but a plastic plate is much better. I made a less tough squeezing without replacing the original metal plate and it is much better now. I have a 4.5 kg 102/714 refractor which is on the upper end both in weight and length, so is very sensitive to unsmooth tracking. After loosening AZ axis at the bearing, the whole stuff became less shaky, almost perfect. So I can just recommend this small hack with the mount. Good luck for that!

This is the solution for this problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoAF6tYcby8 I have finetuned mine and it tracks smoother than before. SkyWatcher should have done it better, anyway.

Anyone experienced ticking noise from inside the mount when star tracking? I suspected it is because of too much payload: I use my mount with a 4 kg scope and accessories, but it's not because the setup's weight. Even if there is no payload on it, the mount is ticking sometimes. It's not something new, I have this equipment since March 2018 and there was a few occurance also, but now this behaviour became almost constant. Maybe the "famous" Chinese grease is the reason? Any other idea maybe? Should I regrease it? If yes, which part exactly? I opened the mount and noticed only horizontal tracking movement is noisy, altitude is okay. Kinda annoying...

I'd try to use iPhone's hotspot function instead of making an access point with the mount. Why? Because iPhone drops the wifi connection if there is no internet - and obviously the mount will share a local network only. I think it has changed with iOS version 13. Quite stupid, at least there should be an option on iPhone to use the connection regardless it is an Internet gateway or not. Anyway, I use this mount on the field with iPhone hotspot and it is working fine for me.

Thank you for the answers, both of you. Yes, I'm still evaluating how I will like the twist lock design. My concern is almost the same than yours, Paz, that I have to twist it quite hard to reach proper solidity and I can accidentally turn my scope away which is not too good if you are using a goto mount. Normally I have to do it once at the beginning when I put my camera or diagonal into it, so it's not a big issue. But yes, maybe I'll end up with the standard compression ring method eventually, I do not know yet. By the way, Yesterday I fixed the bigger twist lock with a 1x1 cm insulation tape on the plastic inlay ring. That narrowed down the barrel to the level where I can tighten the lock securely. So, everything is okay now

Paz, just a question. The self-centering twist locks are really good, the 1.25 one is holding the small diagonal and eyepieces tightly, but the one for 2" accessories is a bit loosy. As I rotate the capstan wheel it is loosening or tightening itself, but even on the most tight position, I can still pull out the inserted accessory. What do you think, is there an easy way to make it more tight? I have a feeling that if I would use some heavier camera or eyepiece it might fall off accidentally. A bit thicker inner plastic ring would be better for stronger support of the 2" diagonal. What's your experience, is it the same for you maybe?

Yesterday it has arrived. It's a beauty! I was a bit lucky as there was an hour maybe just to have a quick test before the fog arrived. Unfortunately the seeing was not my friend and I had to hurry so I was just jumping from target to target. Extra aperture clearly brought slightly brighter M42 compared to 80/600 just as expected. Venus was more disk-like than in the smaller scope. No annoying color fringing, at least for my taste. I found finding the perfect focus was a bit harder, but it may have caused by poor seeing conditions as mentioned earlier. About the OTA: it is a really nice scope, mechanical design is flawless! Sliding dewcap fits perfectly and easy to move, the matte white finish is so elegant. Serial number on the lens strenthens the feeling that it must have passed a proper QA. So bad that I was not able to make a proper test with tight double stars. Defocusing bright stars brought nice concentric rings both in and out so collimation is perfect, I did not expect anythis else on this. The focuser is a dream! I have never used a good rack and pinion style focuser, only the cheap ones plus Crayford-style on my previous ED tube and the special one on Maksutovs. It's a different thing. No accidental sliding with heavy eyepieces or camera attached, just smooth operation. It was a new thing for me that both 2" and 1.25" connection is a ring, not screws. 1.25" holds the diagonal perfectly, but using that I have to take it out from the wider one in order to properly pinc the ring. I felt pinching the 2" ring is a bit loose, at least I felt it's still can slip out even on tightest position - does anyone have the same feeling? It's still okay, but it would be good to tighten it a bit more. Here are some pictures. Nothing new, I know, but it's such a beauty

Today I've ordered one. Hope it will arrive soon and all the clouds will go away from above Central Europe

Oh yeah, that's why I asked. I know that SW 120/600 is quite short and I was wondering how could be this 102ED-R tube 60 cm long. Thank you for the accurate answer!

Hi Paz, Thank you for the detailed information! It's in my plans to have a scope like this or something similar. Your pictures about the size are really helpful as this is a crucial point for me (meet airplane cabin bag size, mount capabilities, etc). Could you please tell me what is the exact transport size in length when the dewshield is fully retracted? Without diagonal & eyepiece, of course Many thanks in advance! Clear skies, Tamas