Franklin

Did you sit the lens on a tube-stand, narrower than the cell and drop the cell down away from the doublet? That way you can remove them together and keep the elements aligned and put your own pencil mark on the edge. Just for future reference

Yes. People assumed that the AP was the replacement for the GP, just like the GP succeeded the SP, but that is not the case. The AP design is a totally different concept and is made up of various, interchangeable modules. The GP has a more "rugged" build to it and will be quite happy carrying beyond it's rated capacity. The AP is more of a precision, though more delicate product. The AP works best when underloaded but the GP can be overloaded to a degree. Both fantastic mounts though.

You're not going to break the mount, it just won't be as stable as it would be with a lighter scope. Also, I'd use a power supply rather than the internal batteries.

Yikes! I can hear the little AP yelping from here......Help me.....Help me.....😁. Seriously though, as long as you're not over 6kg it will work but as the magnification increases so will the jitters. I've always tried to not put more than 50% of whatever payload is given in the specs but maybe I'm just fussy in my old age.

Those old Astro-Systems tripods were mental, proper foundation if I ever saw one.

A point to note is that the EQ, AP version is given a 6kg rating regardless of motors or manual and that the AZ, APZ version has 8kg manual and yet 6kg with the motors. Vixen's ratings have always been on the cautious side and so too are Takahashi mounts. They claim their ratings are "Photographic" ratings and I think there's truth in this. Of course the truth will always lay with experience and I have seen plenty of 7kg GP's carrying 10kg+ for visual and still performed well.

If you take a gander at the link above, this guy has a C8 on the APZ with motors and tells you what he thinks.

I believe, with the motors, the AP/APZ has a rating of 6kg. It's not the mechanics of the mount but the delicacy of the motors. There's an in-depth look at the AP/APZ in a review from Japan. “Vixen Advanced Polaris” – Great ! The Legendary Equatorial Mount (1)｜Astronomical Reflexions

He's right.

Yes, but does she have three?

You can just use the regular AP bar and weight, that's how I used it with the big 115.

Yes, they are a touch flimsy compared to the GP locks.

You only need the APZ base unit, if you already have the manual slo-mo modules, to turn it into the alt-az. This mount exudes quality and the design is worlds apart, no wonder Vixen won awards when they came up with this!

Stop putting up pictures like this please. It's making me wish I hadn't sold mine!

For visual, with a goto mount, your PA can be way off and the mount will compensate.

LOL.... yes definitely, like an Andrex puppy all snug in a blanket and hot water bottle!

Agree, the AZ5 like the Twilight and the Porta is best with an 80mm class refractor, something weighing around 3.5kg max. They will handle up to 5kg but being a single fork arm design things will start to get a bit wobbly. It boils down to whether or not that wobble bothers you, if there's a breeze in the air forget it.

4" achro for me. Why? Because decades ago I was brainwashed by Patrick Moore into believing that a 6" reflector was about as good as a 3" refractor so obviously the 4" frac must be better. Also, I believe telescopes are devices for looking at things and looking into the side of scope at 90deg from the object I'm looking at just seems silly. Sorry Sir Isaac.

Sounds like the mount/scope are working just fine and the problem is with the way Stellarium is controlling the setup.

Do you collimate your scope first or your eyeballs?

Anyway, if you need any astro related advice just post your question and the SGL community will help.

Humorous comments, but seriously the best thing to drink through a long session at the eyepiece is water. Keeping hydrated helps your vision, caffeine and booze will only impair it.

I think the reason SGL is the amazing forum that it is, is because everyone involved has a genuine love of stargazing and the sites sponsors, FLO, are the best and most successful astro suppliers in the country for the exact same reason.

But what if it is Rolf Harris who's running the club?

Exactly. I'm sure 99.9% of astro societies are genuine and legit, but there are some strange folk in this world, and unregulated groups of people, under the pretense of some "club", can and do have the means to basically bully innocent people. I know this from experience as it happened to me in Sheffield back in 1979 when I was just a 10 year old kid.