Heavy duty alt AZ mount.

[Sirius Bizness]

I have a SW 120ED that I would like to use as a grab and go set up at home i.e. walk out back door. I now have my HEQ5 tripod and a 16" extension pillar but don't know what mount to go for.

FLO only sell the Skytee 2 which looks fairly heavy and I have not read great things about the dovetail clamps. I am wondering what other options are available? The simple giro styles seem to be discontinued although there are a few from TS but I don't know if the are any good.

Any ideas of what my options are would be appreciated.

Thanks

[cantab]

I'm guessing the AZ-EQ6 is going to be way too much of a hunk of metal. Vixen Porta II perhaps?

[Marki]

I believe you can upgrade the dovetail saddles on the Skytee II, FLO sell the adm vixen style saddles but they are an extra £60 each. The mount itself has good capacity, and should hold the sw120ed well. TS still do the ercole version of the Giro mount I think? I'd have thought the Porta II would really be pushed with that scope, but as I have no experience with it I could be wrong.

I faced a similar decsion recently, with a view to better mounting for my long refractors (upgrading from a non-driven EQ5). In the end I went to for the AZ-EQ6 GT, because I wanted to have the capability for ap later. I can confirm that it is indeed one big heavy hunk of metal!

[Sirius Bizness]

If they AZ eq6 is anything like the Eq6 then that's way too heavy for what I am after. I don't think the Porta II can handle the 120ed as it says 6.8kg max and the 120ed is 6kg not including finder, diagonal, EP, etc. Might be pushing it.

I may just try the Skytee 2

[AndyH]

http://www.tele-optic-tecnica.de/mounts.html

The above is the manufacturer of the Giro type mounts. Might be worth asking what is still available.

Andy.

[hunterknox]

Skytee 2 with upgraded saddles would be fine for your 120ed. I've got a longer refractor of a similar weight on mine and it works well. TeleOptic, Berlebach and AOK Swiss do similar mounts, and I would imagine the finish on any of those is a cut above the Skytee.

[steve_bham]

Slightly off topic but do you have to use the counter weight bar or can it be balanced without it?

[AndyH]

There are a few glimpses of the Tele-Optic GIRO-Ercole Alt/Azimuth Mount, in the recent Sky at Night episode. Looks far more impressive than the stock pics of it.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Slightly off topic but do you have to use the counter weight bar or can it be balanced without it?

Depending on the weight of your OTA then I would say 'Yes!' - I use a Giro with with a combination of TeleVue Ranger, Celestron C6/SCT & Meade ETX105 - having an OTA or weight to balance it does make a difference and is so smooth to use - I occaisionly just mount the Ranger on one arm with no weight on the other if I want a 'quick' look as it weighs about 4.00lbs with a Radian eyepiece.

[Mr Fiery Jack]

There is a gap in the market here I think. An AZ5 would be a fantastic mount for a 200P, a potential best seller I would have thought

[catman161]

Altair astro posted a thread on East midlands Stargazers about a new alt/Az (manual) mount called the Sabre. They're showcasing it astrofest this weekend. Looks very smart. Maybe check with them-prices to be announced next week an then first production run, made to order. Give em a shout

[John]

I mount my ED120 on a Giro-type mount with a 16" pillar extension and either an HEQ5 or CG5 tripod (1.75" or 2" steel tube legs respectively). I find I don't need a counterweight on the other side of the mount. It's a really solid mount for this scope but not exactly lightweight - I reckon it's around 40 lbs all up (mount + pillar + scope) so movable but I'm not going to be running up and down stairs with it !.

[foundaplanet]

Altair astro posted a thread on East midlands Stargazers about a new alt/Az (manual) mount called the Sabre. They're showcasing it astrofest this weekend. Looks very smart. Maybe check with them-prices to be announced next week an then first production run, made to order. Give em a shout

I read about that.

I am looking into getting an alt/az, if anyone at astrofest gets the chance to take a piccy....

[steve_bham]

I mount my ED120 on a Giro-type mount with a 16" pillar extension and either an HEQ5 or CG5 tripod (1.75" or 2" steel tube legs respectively). I find I don't need a counterweight on the other side of the mount. It's a really solid mount for this scope but not exactly lightweight - I reckon it's around 40 lbs all up (mount + pillar + scope) so movable but I'm not going to be running up and down stairs with it !.

Thanks for info. I like idea of not having to use a counter weight all the time. And the slow mo controls is a big plus for me.

[Helen]

Just on my way back from Astrofest and there were a few nice Alt Az mounts on show. Widescreen had the giro mounts, Altair did have the new Sabre which felt very smooth and solid (and seemed to lock better than my giro mini does with nice big knurled knobs), and there was a large re-engineered version of the TV Gibraltar type head on the Sky's the Limit stand ( I think!) it had a large frac on it but handled it with ease (and didn't look as heavy as some of the Skytee types). I've got a photo of the Sabre on my phone, but don't know how to post it from mobile!!!!! When I get home tomorrow.....

Helen

[AndyH]

Altair astro posted a thread on East midlands Stargazers about a new alt/Az (manual) mount called the Sabre. They're showcasing it astrofest this weekend. Looks very smart. Maybe check with them-prices to be announced next week an then first production run, made to order. Give em a shout

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p6019_Altair-AZ-Montierung-fuer-2-Teleskope---die-Alternative-zur-GIRO.html

[catman161]

Here's a couple of pics from Altair Astro of their new sabre mount

[Sirius Bizness]

It does feel like there is a gap in the market as I have been searching for a while for different options.

Catman, thanks for the heads up, the Sabre mount looks spot on for what I am after.

If it is around the 300 euro mark then will be an option. Is it available from TS now?

Helen, have you got anymore info on the one you saw on Sky's the limit stand? Sounds interesting.

Thanks for all the input.

[AndyH]

The Sky's the Limit mount is probably this one?

http://www.skysthelimit.org.uk/telescope%20mounts.html

Regarding the Altair Giro type - Does anyone know about the mechanics inside? ie: Do the axles run on bearings? It certainly looks the part, no doubts.

[catman161]

It does feel like there is a gap in the market as I have been searching for a while for different options.

Catman, thanks for the heads up, the Sabre mount looks spot on for what I am after.

If it is around the 300 euro mark then will be an option. Is it available from TS now?

Helen, have you got anymore info on the one you saw on Sky's the limit stand? Sounds interesting.

Thanks for all the input.

Hey, No problem. Here's the info Altair Astro have given about it so far:

Hi there, thought I'd share some pictures of a project (borne out of frustration!) which I've been working on for ages but which only just came together this weekend.

It's a new Alt Az mount for customers who want a "Dobsonian" style experience with their SCT or refractor, powered by hands alone. You know that new TV series "Revolution" being advertised at the moment, staged in a post-apocalyptic world where electricity doesn't work? Well, this mount would still work just fine!

It will fit EQ3-2 aluminium or EQ5 steel tripods (which most folks have already) or Berlebach, and can handle two scopes at once, or one heavy scope with a standard EQ5 type counterweight on the other side. The CW is attached by means of an additional stainless steel shaft which projects through the centre.

An additional longer arm will be available to allow zenith viewing with large SCT scopes, or longer refractors.

Fully backward compatible with your Altair TMS Vixen-format and Losmandy-format dovetail clamps so you don't need to buy more stuff.

Price TBA soonish and pictures attached.

........it can take a C11 or 6" triplet provided you use counterweights but I haven't an exact rating yet. To be honest I'm not sure how to rate it because the tripod will give way before the mount if it's massively overloaded (or just tip over) and I'm worried that customers will overload the tripod. It has a friction clutch, so balancing is reasonably important but it locks up really tight. I've just this afternoon done the assembly of the final anodised product and it looks really nice. I haven't prices yet chaps, but hopefully very soon.

.........Yes Teleskop Service will retail this mount, also the Altair TMS system of clamps, guide scope rings and mounting plates, bars, handles, etc. which are all compatible. In fact they already have TMS stock and are in the process of putting this on the website.

I'm now on the way to Astrofest in London where the first prototype unit will be on show and where I can assess any customer comments. Main production starts next week with pricing info available soon, as I'm working out the material and machining time costs.

Hope this helps

[foundaplanet]

It does look a bit nice.

[Sirius Bizness]

Sounds brilliant. Thanks for that. I just hope it comes with a clamp (not included on some of the photos) otherwise the price will start building up with all their TMS accessories.

I guess the only thing it doesn't have is slo mo controls. Is this a big advantage on the Skytee for those that have used mounts with and without?

[Patrice Lanteigne]

For me a good solution was a SkyTee-II clone called a Duo-T and sold by Canadian Telescopes for $300 (Can). Here it is holding up a 27 lb scope. I really enjoy this setup for the "DOB like" experience with a large refractor. I've since upgraded the saddle with an ADM DV (losmandy and vixen) saddle.