cajen2

Hmmmm.....I haven't tried a with or without comparison on the Sightron. I got the extension for my AZ GTiX more for length than anything else: it puts the scope at an ideal height so that I don't need to extend the tripod legs (I sit to observe). I didn't notice any difference in the vibrations when used with the GTiX.

I don't see any reason why the mount couldn't be arranged with the scope on the outside except for the extra twisting moment on the az mounting.

If anyone here has a ever tried to use the AZGTiX unpowered, you'll know what I mean! 😆

Simple. The AX GTIX is NOT a manual mount. Apart from being significantly heavier, it takes time to sort out the power supply, app, cables and alignment before I can even switch it on. The Sightron allows me (literally) to spot a hole in the clouds, pick up scope, mount and tripod, plonk it down and observe. By the way, I'm told motors for the Sightron are on the way, though I don't know about encoders. I'm keeping the AZGTIX for when I have darker skies and the leisure to set it up properly. Ok, call me lazy....😜y

To mount the Heritage properly, I'd have had to reverse the mount and thus have the fouser facing upwards! 😜

Both coped just fine but the Heritage, though bigger, is much lighter than the Starfield.

There you go @The60mmKid Very awkward because of the Heritage exterior secondary struts but by altering the rake of the arm, it's possible.

Sigh.....wrong thread, sorry

, @seven_legssorry, big mess - wrong thread, wrong person! 😆

Ok, just having lunch. I'll let you know.

I'm afraid I haven't.....except for a Heritage 150p which might be a bit too wide. I'll try it for you if you like.

Oooh, I'm very interested in one of those myself for my Starfield. Please let us know how you get on with it. The Starfield in G&G mode with the Sightron Japan alt/az mount:

As I mentioned in the Postman thread, the Sightron is designed so that it can easily be used as an EQ mount with a wedge if you need one of those. It can accommodate a counterweight arm.

Additional: I had a little trouble getting the scope near vertical. I didn't want to rake the vertical arm backwards any further but with adjustments to the scope's rings and dovetail position, it's now fine. Not totally vertical but I never observe at the zenith anyway if I can help it!

As some of you may have seen, I took delivery of one of these recently (it's not like me to be an early adopter!). The Scopetech Zero is no longer available and the Sightron seems to be similar: I bought it for grab & go for my Starfield 102ED. Here they are married up: The mount weighs just 1.45 kg and has a max payload of 7kg. When fully loaded, the Starfield is about five and a half kg. Last night, I was able to try it out for the first time. Here are some reactions for anyone considering the same mount. Notes: 1. The vertical arm is adjustable for rake. Make VERY sure this is firmly fixed before adding the scope. I didn't and the arm slipped, giving me a near heart attack! I would also suggest having it as vertical as possible to keep the CG above the azimuth pivot. 2. There are two options for the locations of the slow motion screws. I assume long dangly ones could also be fitted, though I felt no need for them. 3. The slo-mos are very smooth and make it very easy to centre and track a target, even at high mags. I found a "null" between (e.g.) left and right turns, a little like a car with a dead- ahead null in the steering. Once I found it, I had no problems with it - it's considerably better than having backlash.... 4. There were vibrations at higher mags when focusing, which I'd expected as my scope is quite long and approaching the mount's payload capacity. These dampened very quickly, however, and didn't cause me any undue difficulty. Conclusions: For my G&G purposes, the Sightron is absolutely ideal, being light, easy to fold up and transport and sturdy enough. I can now pick up and carry scope, mount and tripod very easily. I would probably go for something with a higher payload as a permanent mount for my scope. For people with small f/l fracs of 50-90mm apertures, or smaller Maks, I'd have thought the mount would be perfect even for permanent use.

My Celestron U E certainly doesn't suffer from that. The ring is black.

Yep.... Celestron Ultima Edge, APM, Altair.....and more. KUO makes 'em and they are rebadged by lots of companies. For some reason the CUE is the most expensive version, though I'm reliably informed that differences are purely cosmetic (it does look nice with its orange rings, mind!). A great EP - one of my favourites.

Do it! You won't be sorry....

I have the 5 and 14mil - nice EPs.

That's encouraging. The 100DC is longer than my SF.

We'll see. I was hoping to try it out tonight but of course it's clouded over.....😡

I did look at the AZ4 but the SJ has a slightly higher payload, is made in Japan and most importantly, has slow motion controls. Everything I really wanted in a lightweight mount.

As I say, it can hold 7kg. I have no ambitions towards AP, so the 102 should be fine at about 5kg fully loaded.

Oh, FLO have only a few ATM. Also available in black.

I'm certainly very happy with it so far. Perhaps I'll be able to do a first light report tonight.