AstroTrac TT320 Portable Mount Review Update

[Beyond_Vision]

I finally received my AstroTrac just before the Autumn Kelling Heath Star Party after a long wait having ordered it at the Spring Party. I excitedly unwrapped it and studied its sexy curves. Oops sorry! I mean I unpacked it and was impressed with its engineering.

The package consisted of the AstroTrac, Cigarette lighter power lead and a Polar Scope. The instructions were printed on a couple of sheets of A4, after studying these, I set up the unit on my Bresser tripod in my living room within a few minutes.

As per usual, whenever you buy a new widget, the clouds had rolled in to spoil the fun. This was about a week before I was due to go to the Kelling Heath Star Party and I was hoping to get some practice with it. Fortunately, I managed to get one night before Kelling and got some decent results from my light polluted back garden.

For first light, I used a Canon 400D fitted with a Tokina 270AF Pro 28-70mm F2.6-2.8 lens and tried a range of exposure times upto ten minutes. I found no trailing on the images with the lens set to 28mm and exposure time of 10 mins. The controls are very intuitive and easy to use in the dark. The keys are illuminated and can be adjusted in brightness and also there is audible feedback which can be adjusted in volume. The unit can be used in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres just by swinging the control panel to the right or left, making it very easy to use on Holiday. The unit will track for upto two hours and will warn the user by bleeping 10 mins before the end. The battery life is good with < 200mA drain and should last for 60 hours off of a 12 A/H power pack. This should allow you to use it for a week or more on holiday.

The only issue I found with it was the polar scope attachment method. The polar scope is held in the polar arm by a grub screw, on my unit the screw thread had been drilled and tapped at an angle to the plate and thread was breaking through the surface. This caused issues with the seating of the polar scope and also looked bad. Fortunately AstroTrac replaced the polar arm after letting me use it first at the Kelling event. The grub screw would also clash with the battery compartment of the polar scope as it is rotated. This second issue was fixed by spacing the polar scope away from the polar arm by fitting a large washer. I am glad to say that this issue has been addressed by AstroTrac with a new magnetic method of attachment of the polar scope. I must say at this point how how well Richard Taylor the inventor of the AstroTrac listens to peoples problems and addresses them rapidly. It was rather fortunate that I was pitched next to him at Kelling where he was most helpful.

The AstroTrac will need to be mounted on a good solid tripod such as a Manfrotto or Bresser etc. I would also recommend a geared tripod head for ease of polar alignment. You will also need another tripod head either a ball and socket or a pan and tilt head to adjust the position of the camera/scope. The beauty of this set up is that the tripod and heads can be used for normal day time photography/spotting etc and put together with the AstroTrac becomes an excellent portable imaging platform.

Heres a picture taken at Kelling of the Milky Way around Deneb

Heres the same area for an interesting comparison at Kielder Forest Star Party

I will add to the report when I get chance to try out my 80mm APO on it, in order to see how well it tracks at longer focal lengths. :stars:

[MartinB]

Oh I want one of these. Stunning images. They're a bit of a price though

[iancandler]

Great review and lovely pics to illustrate it.

If these where around £150-£200 I could see most replacing their little grab and go mounts with one, I know I would have.

But at around the same price as most EQ5's they are fighting a loosing battle except for the guy that can afford it and wants a light wieght travel anywhere mount.

I think its also the fact that to get the best out of it your going to need to spend around £130 + on a geared tripod head as well.

At £150 - £200 thats not so much of an issue, at close to £400 without its optional polar scope, adding another £130 + for a suitable tripod head seems like something you shouldnt have to do.

[beamish]

Great review and lovely pics to illustrate it.

If these where around £150-£200 I could see most replacing their little grab and go mounts with one, I know I would have.

But at around the same price as most EQ5's they are fighting a loosing battle except for the guy that can afford it and wants a light wieght travel anywhere mount.

I think its also the fact that to get the best out of it your going to need to spend around £130 + on a geared tripod head as well.

At £150 - £200 thats not so much of an issue, at close to £400 without its optional polar scope, adding another £130 + for a suitable tripod head seems like something you shouldnt have to do.

Agreed.

Karlo

[Gordon G]

Would be intresting to see the results good or bad from the 80mm when you get time. Hope they are good, really impressed with that setup you have. Spot on for Going on hols with, but agree with the above statments regarding costs if you don't already have a quality photo tripod already.

Regards

Gordon

[Beyond_Vision]

Would be intresting to see the results good or bad from the 80mm when you get time. Hope they are good, really impressed with that setup you have. Spot on for Going on hols with, but agree with the above statments regarding costs if you don't already have a quality photo tripod already.

Regards

Gordon

Hi Gordon,

I will try my best to get some tests done permitting this next weekend. Although I may be busy trying out my Sirius EQG mount on the new pier I have installed in my garden if the mounting plate arrives.

[GordonCopestake]

I would be interested in seeing some photos of the actual mount in action also if you get the time. I'm not 100% sure in my mind how they track!

[Milamber]

Barn door on it's side Gordon, with a long "door" to reduce errors and mounted at your local longitude angle on a camera tripod

Arthur

[GordonCopestake]

Makes sense, thanks Arthur. I always wondered why nobody sells hi tech barn doors nicely machined

[Beyond_Vision]

Would be intresting to see the results good or bad from the 80mm when you get time. Hope they are good, really impressed with that setup you have. Spot on for Going on hols with, but agree with the above statments regarding costs if you don't already have a quality photo tripod already.

Regards

Gordon

Sorry for taking so long to answer this question Gordon.

At first I tried the 80mm APO refractor on the mount and found that the scope plus the geared head and Astrotrac were a bit too heavy for the Bresser tripod. There is also a problem with the rear of the scope coming in to contact with the Astrotrac at high angles. Im afraid the picture could be better showing the scope in line to the Astrotrac arm but this is all I have for now, if you imagine the scope to be rotated through 90 degrees clockwise you would see the clearance with a camera fitted would be minimal.
 

(click to enlarge)

The scope needs to be raised up away from the Astrotrac arm so that when at high viewing angles it will be clear.


 

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Does the arm need to be in that position, or could you rotate the tracker thingy so that the mechanism is to the side?

Kaptain Klevtsov

[Beyond_Vision]

Yep I thought about that too KK, but I'm not sure if it would have a detrimental effect on the tracking due to force of gravity acting differently on the lead screw mechanism. Its relatively easy to rotate the astrotrac for me since the shoe plate for the my manfrotto geared head is round and can be engaged at any angle. For other adapters you could just rotate the shoe plate by 90deg before doing it up to the Astrotracs 3/8 thread.

Will give it a try KK

[Gordon G]

You have answered my question perfectly there. Ti's a shame it collides with small scopes. Would have been perfect a grab and go for holidays, easy to pack away and carry.
Still a nice bit of kit though do like it and you have got some nice results.

Ta

Gordon

[Neon]

That's just the kind of rig I'm ultimately aiming for. Am I right in assuming that you have a Bressner Tripod, which you have attached a geared head, then the Astrotrac with a plate and then a standard tripod head?

Cheers


Mark

[Beyond_Vision]

That's just the kind of rig I'm ultimately aiming for. Am I right in assuming that you have a Bressner Tripod, which you have attached a geared head, then the Astrotrac with a plate and then a standard tripod head?

Cheers


Mark

Yes thats the correct sequence.

Regards

 

[Tinkerbell]

If You haven't got the geared head or the tripod you could always try this starter kit < http://www.astrosource.co.uk/ > a cheaper way to get all the mounting kit and the AstroTrac at the same time

[beamer3.6m]

I understand the travel element of this but why would you want to spend £600 on this when you can get an EQ6 or HEQ5 Pro.

I appreciate they are heavier etc but surely they are better value!

[Beyond_Vision]

I understand the travel element of this but why would you want to spend £600 on this when you can get an EQ6 or HEQ5 Pro.

I appreciate they are heavier etc but surely they are better value!

You ever tried packing your HEQ5 in a suitcase?

Like anything that is miniaturized you tend to pay more for it. I use it at home when ever the weather is unpredictable I can easily pick it up and carry it in in one go. The set up is easy to take to a dark skies that is not readily accessible by car. The tripod and heads can be used for normal photography the tripod on an eq mount cant be used for anything else.

regards.

 

[Tinkerbell]

I understand the travel element of this but why would you want to spend £600 on this when you can get an EQ6 or HEQ5 Pro.

I appreciate they are heavier etc but surely they are better value!

You ever tried packing your HEQ5 in a suitcase?

Like anything that is miniaturized you tend to pay more for it. I use it at home when ever the weather is unpredictable I can easily pick it up and carry it in in one go. The set up is easy to take to a dark skies that is not readily accessible by car. The tripod and heads can be used for normal photography the tripod on an eq mount cant be used for anything else.

regards.

Kevin

Also the tracking on an EQ6/HEQ5 Pro is good but not in the same realm as this piece of kit think of this as in the same tracking accuracy league as an AP1200 :shock: then think of the size of the afore mentioned mounts, the AstroTrac is primarily designed to be used with a DSLR and lens, but can be used with some of the smaller APO's. That said go to one of the Camera vendor sites and have a look at how big and how heavy some of the bigger lense's are and they work quite well with the AstroTrac.

The AstroTrac isn't going to be high on everyones list's of must have equipment but if You are interested in a mount with fantastic tracking accuracy and astrophotography is something You wish to have a go at, it could be that this piece of kit could be the one for you.

You can see from my Sig that I use an EQ6 Pro and I will continue to use it alongside the AstroTrac but sometimes the conditions do not warrant the use of the EQ6 as Kevin said above, now I have something that can be set up in minutes and if the weather doesn't play ball can be broken down and moved pretty quickly unlike the beast which would just have his wet weather cover put on and left to his own devices .

All I would say is if Anybody is attending any of the main Star Party's this year there will be someone there with an AstroTrac and they will be more than willing to show You how it works and how light and easily handled it is You could be lucky like Kevin and find out the Inventor of it is camped next to You

Phew I can get down of my soapbox now :kiss:

[beamer3.6m]

Those are fair points but I still think £600.00 is steep.

I agree with the smaller things are usually pricey and the accuracy is a strong selling point but its that kinda price which even if you wanted one I am not sure people could justify the expense.

I could be wrong and no doubt they will sell loads.

[Tinkerbell]

Those are fair points but I still think £600.00 is steep.

I agree with the smaller things are usually pricey and the accuracy is a strong selling point but its that kinda price which even if you wanted one I am not sure people could justify the expense.

I could be wrong and no doubt they will sell loads.

It's a funny paradox that many people when they are first starting off as witnessed in the Beginners Help and advice section start with a fixed sum in their mind as to how much they are prepared to spend on what to some people see as possibly a fad hobby that they might and mightnot stick at. They ask the right questions and the members respond with their thoughts and advice on the best set-up for that X amount of pounds. Normally after much thought and pondering the new member pay his or her X amount of pounds for one of the recommended set-ups and are more than happy with it, but if you then check their Sig's after a year or so lo and behold they have spent their budget another three times over on either bigger and better kit or more addons to their original kit. I know a few people who last bought new kit when they first started out and that was it not another penny spent and they are more than happy. I also realise that not everyone has the available cash to spend on yet more astro goodies but its funny how if you push yourself hard how you can justify just about anything.

As to the cost if You were to buy all the parts separate you might be able to get them cheaper but I very much doubt it as this package was put together to get the customer up and running out of the box. The other dedicated camera tracking platform < http://www.scsastro.co.uk/it050028.htm > Kenko Sky Memo is a lovely set up but it is not as easy to set up as the AstroTrac and is a much more bulky piece of kit to store and transport but quite a few people have bought them. People also spend hundreds of pounds on a DSLR then go and spend hundreds on lenses so its not too much of a stretch to think that they would also spend £600 on a platform that can do their previous investment justice.

I really should hide that bl**dy soapbox

Kev

[Beyond_Vision]

I quite agree with you Moon Plodger.

At the end of the day it takes more than one scope or more than one type of camera lens to capture all the different objects that are up there. The astrotrac is just another piece of equipment to add to the arsenal to make it possible to photograph as many objects as you can from different locations.


Regards
 

[mehmet]

hey, 

Just got the astrotrac travel system,and tested it out last night for the first time. Here is my review about it. 

[OutThereSomewhere]

I've just about got enough saved for one of these rascals, so thanks to everyone who has posted above. The thoughts and reviews all help when parting with a lot of cash that could easily be spent on other astro goodies!

[MartinB]

Crikey, I thought I'd gone back in a time warp

Interested in that travel system Mehmet.  Do you think it lives up to it's name or do you think it compromises the original Astrotrak ethos?