Jasonb

Thanks John, delighted with it!

Just to show how I solved this in the end, I went with a 10mm Aluminium Disk from Lasermaster. 100mm diameter, 61mm internal diameter (just to give a little bit of tolerance). Am very happy with the result. Thanks for all the help and advice! 😊

Amazing work Nicola!

Yep, I'm the same as John, that Triangle is the key for me, when I find that I know I'm nearby! I do a lot of my star-hopping using shapes in the sky like that.

I would definitely recommend a list of things to look for, be it using a book like Turn Left at Orion or using an App like Sky Safari. Starting a session with a list, rather than randomly trying to pick something on the night, can really help you achieve some goals in a session. And if you are in light polluted skies, is travel an option for you? A Heritage 130p is nice and portable, is there anywhere nearby with much darker skies? I'm about an hour from a much darker region, and I have driven there on a clear night, set up off a quiet country lane and seen so many things; dark skies really do make a difference! I'm also lucky to have a great friend who lives in a darker area and I visit her too. Do you know any other astronomers in your area, or any clubs that you could go along to?

This probably doesn't apply at all, but I have seen a similar issue with Synscan on an EQ mount, where up was down and down was up. It turned out to be caused by having the OTA facing the wrong way. In other words, the OTA was attached to the mount facing one way, and it needed to be attached facing the other way. I know this is a DOB, so it's not a similar setup, but is it possible that the OTA/Motor/*Something* is the wrong way around?

Thanks a lot John! I just looked at the Sky-watcher 1.72" Steel tripod that FLO sell with the Sky Tee 2, and it is clear in the pics of it that the "well" on that tripod is much deeper than 7mm. I assume this is because it can take other mounts with bigger protrusions. In other words, in the recommended setup (SkyTee 2 and 1.75" Sky-watcher Steel Tripod), the bottom of the protrusion does not hit the tripod, only the outside ring sits on the tripod. All of which means, as long as my washer is more than 7mm, so that the protrusion base doesn't hit the tripod, then I have the same setup as the recommended one. A 8mm washer, or even a 10mm or 12mm washer, would be just fine, and there would be a small gap between the bottom of the protrusion and the top of the tripod, just like there is when using the actual recommended tripod. So I can get an 8mm Washer from Lasermaster for about €30 give or take, and I will see what I can get in Ireland and if it will be cheaper!

I'd have to figure that out in Euro! But I think I prefer getting a solid washer that makes a connection all the way around, just a much more permanent solution. I'm guessing the protrusion is 7mm or less, as if it were more than 7mm then there would be a very slight gap between the washer and your mount, as it would be standing proud a little bit, right John? LaserMaster offer 6mm and 8mm, I can always email them to see if they do 7mm. I reckon it would cost about €30 in total for me to get the disk made from them, including shipping and customs duty etc. I am gonna contact a company I found here in Ireland to see if they do a similar service, and how much it would cost, just to compare...

I'm actually seeing if there are any similar services in Ireland, as that might save me money on shipping/customs etc. But at least I have the correct measurements now from @John, so that's great.

Clearly I am not the only person who has faced this issue! A quick question about your washer Omo, do you know what material it's made of? I am no expert but I am guessing aluminium would be fine for a job like this, or should it be steel? I see you have yours permanently attached with bolts, I think I would be happy with mine just sitting in place, as the mount would hold it against the tripod. I had a quick look at Lasermaster, £15 to get a 100/60 disk made from Aluminium. They only do 6mm or 8mm thickness though, I might see if they can do 7mm if I email them, as @John's disk is 7mm in depth.

Wow, that looks perfect! Nice one John, just seeing that really helps me see what I am trying to get done...

It's good to know it's a possible solution then! Any chance you could show me a pic of it in place, if that's not too awkward? Do you know if the 7mm is a perfect height, or does the bottom of the protrusion on the Skytee 2 not reach down all the way to the bottom of the disk, and doesn't touch the tripod?

Good ideas, thanks Harry! I definitely need to get the exact dimensions so I know what I am looking for. My local telescope shop is waiting for some Sky Tee 2 mounts to come in, so I can't measure until I get my hands on one (or some kind soul on here measures theirs! )

Hi there, I currently have an Sky-watcher AZ5 mount and a Meade Field 2" Steel Tripod. The top of the Tripod is perfectly flat (ignore the three bolts, they can come out) with a hole in the middle for the bolt from below (the hole is about 20mm diameter). The base of the AZ5 is also flat, and fits together perfectly with my tripod. However, I am hoping/planning to buy a Sky Tee 2 mount, and the base of the Sky Tee 2 isn't flat... You can see the protrusion coming out of the base of the mount, it's 60mm in diameter but I don't know yet how high/deep it is, and I don't know yet the total diameter of the whole base of the mount itself. The protrusion is designed to slip into the "well" at the top of some Sky-watcher tripods. So, for my current set up (150P Reflector) I think just attaching the mount onto my tripod (and using an M10 bolt to tighten it in place) will probably be fine, it will be sturdy enough. However, I plan to upgrade with a heavier scope/counterweights etc., so ideally I want full contact between all of the bottom of the mount and the tripod. In other words, not just the base of the protrusion. I have searched online for some adaptors, like this one from Berlebach... but this particular example is too "deep" a well, and also the "walls" of the adaptor are too thin, so really I would have less mount in contact with the tripod/adaptor than I would have without any adaptor at all. I have also tried searching for basically a large metal washer to act as a collar or gasket around the mount's protrusion, something like this... One (or more) of those, with the correct dimensions, effectively supporting the outer edge of the mount, with the protrusion sitting in the middle. So far though, I have only been able to find the correct inner diameter (60mm or slightly more) on parts that you have to buy in bulk, and cost hundreds of euro! So, I am opening this up to the hive mind here. Any suggestions? I know I could "just" get a different tripod and that would solve this problem, but I love my tripod, it's solid as a rock, and I wasn't planning to replace it, and my funds don't go that far. Does anyone have a Sky Tee 2, could they let me know how tall/deep that protrusion is, and the diameter of the full base of the mount, just so I have those figures? Any ideas how to buy/create a collar/gasket for this setup? Preferably one that doesn't cost the same as a new tripod! All suggestions welcome, thanks!

Thanks for all your comments. I'm not actually in the market for a tripod, I have enough other plans, but it's good to hear the advantages of the wooden tripod! Thanks...

Hi there, Just looking for people's experiences comparing Steel v Wood tripods. I have a Meade Field Steel Tripod, the legs are 5cm in diameter. It a heavy beast but can take lots of weight and has done me well so far. I have heard that the best tripods for vibration dampening are wooden ones, but I don't know how they compare for load bearing as well. Would a wooden tripod handle as much weight as a 5cm diameter steel one? And does it definitely dampen vibrations more? Just curious really, I have no plans to upgrade my tripod yet, I'm too busy upgrading other things!

Yep, as Elp says, a steel tripod is immediately more steady then an aluminium one, and it makes a noticeable difference!

Binoculars are an excellent tool, and sometimes under used/valued! Have fun choosing your first setup, the possibilities and research is almost as fun as getting to see things through them!

I would be selling the AZ5 on its own, as I'll be keeping the heavy duty tripod I have. Will probably be selling it in the next few weeks, all going well, but it's not up for sale yet. I have found that Astronomy tends to have upgrade steps, where you get the best you can afford at that time, and then in a year or two you might look at upgrading again. That's definitely the path I have followed! Something like the AZ5, or the BST Starguider EPs, are good investments 'cos they aren't *that* expensive (relatively speaking), are good quality and they can last you for quite a while. The only reason I'm thinking of moving on from the AZ5 is 'cos I hope to get an 8" Reflector, and that would just be too heavy for the AZ5. If you're starting out and planning for the future, this Forum is a great place to start, you'll get lots of great advice on here and the people are very friendly! And a lot of the second hand gear is very good as the people here take good care of it, so you can buy second hand with confidence!

I have used the AZ5 mount for a while now (I have a 150 Reflector on it) and am very happy with it, especially with a steel tripod. So I would heartedly recommend it. Quick and simple to set up, can handle up to 5Kg on an aluminium tripod and up to 9Kg on a steel one, and the slow motions controls are really handy. I might also be selling my AZ5 soon, as I am looking to move to a bigger mount to handle a bigger Reflector, just in case a 2nd hand mount might tempt you to save some money!

Ah, but then how do you choose which one Nicola? Like picking a favourite child! 😊

A great report of a great night, thanks Nicola! So much fun seeing so many targets and comparing them in the different scopes and EPs.

Maybe not deliberately Nicola, but, bit by bit... scope by scope... Until suddenly you are actually working for Takahashi as their Ireland Sales Rep! 🤣

Looks like it would be a really interesting night! Unfortunately it looks like it's only in the UK, the tour details are here... https://timpeake.com/speaking/events/

Thanks for getting back to me. It's not a big deal, clearly, but it would be handy if it could stay in Full Screen mode. It still has Full Screen selected, so I have to deselect it and reselect it. The Small UI option does stay selected when I leave the App and come back in, for example. Anyhow, I appreciate you getting back to me and looking into it, it really is a great App for those of us who don't have GoTo mounts etc.!