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Help needed! AZ4 or skytee ii


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I'm about to start looking to buy an upgraded mount for my scope, which at the moment is a 120mm ST refractor.

I want so etching that is portable and can easily take future upgrades.

Both mounts have plus's skytee Slow mo controls and az4 price.

If you had to pick which would be the best for future proofing.

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Id say the sky tee 2 is more future proof as it can cope with two scopes where the az4 whilst cheaper is on for one..

There's a massive price difference though make sure your looking at the price for the sky tee complete hen i first found it i thought it was 250 odd but its not that's just the mount its around 375 for the complete set up with tripod

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Id say the sky tee 2 is more future proof as it can cope with two scopes where the az4 whilst cheaper is on for one..

There's a massive price difference though make sure your looking at the price for the sky tee complete hen i first found it i thought it was 250 odd but its not that's just the mount its around 375 for the complete set up with tripod

Yes ill get it with tripod so have the budget for that as well. Do u know the weight of the skytee and tripod?

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Steve I have the Sky Tee ll it's rock solid and I would say a much better choice than a AZ mount. The advantage I find is that it will handle scopes up to 10" so if you wanted to up grade your mount will always be good. It will handle your 120 refractor no problem at all. Well worth paying the extra for.

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Steve I have the Sky Tee ll it's rock solid and I would say a much better choice than a AZ mount. The advantage I find is that it will handle scopes up to 10" so if you wanted to up grade your mount will always be good. It will handle your 120 refractor no problem at all. Well worth paying the extra for.

Thanks for that. Do u use the counter weight bar often? Or just put your scope on?

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I've been considering both mounts for my TAL100R (weight 4.3kg) too.

AZ4 - takes a single telescope, benefits from an extension pier. Basic cost £179 + £90 for the pier = maximum total cost of £269.

SkyTee 2 - can take two telescopes (so I could buy a matching TAL100RS :) ), has slo-mo controls, but needs SW counterweights & I've read ADM saddle upgrades are popular/recommended. Basic cost £375 + £30 for the counterweights & £120 for the saddles = maximum total cost of £525

I think the SkyTee is more future proof but at almost double the price it's not as easy a decision to make. For around the same money as an upgraded SkyTee I could also be looking at a secondhand HEQ5 Pro, or a new EQ5 Pro, or CG5-GT. The age old question....to goto or not to goto....and I still haven't decided!

Does anyone have a lucky coin....heads or tails :)

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I've been considering both mounts for my TAL100R (weight 4.3kg) too.

AZ4 - takes a single telescope, benefits from an extension pier. Basic cost £179 + £90 for the pier = maximum total cost of £269.

SkyTee 2 - can take two telescopes (so I could buy a matching TAL100RS :) ), has slo-mo controls, but needs SW counterweights & I've read ADM saddle upgrades are popular/recommended. Basic cost £375 + £30 for the counterweights & £120 for the saddles = maximum total cost of £525

I think the SkyTee is more future proof but at almost double the price it's not as easy a decision to make. For around the same money as an upgraded SkyTee I could also be looking at a secondhand HEQ5 Pro, or a new EQ5 Pro, or CG5-GT. The age old question....to goto or not to goto....and I still haven't decided!

Does anyone have a lucky coin....heads or tails :)

Yeh not looking at eq mounts like the simplicity of alt az mounts.

The skytee also has a 15kg weight limit so can carry much larger scopes than az4.

Just wished they did an az4 with slow mo control lol

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That extra weight capacity might be the thing that decides it for me as I would quite like to try a 5-6" refractor in the future. I know the AZ4 will cope with my current TAL100R but I think it would struggle with something like an Evostar 150.

Hmm, I may have just about decided....thanks for this thread Steve :)

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That extra weight capacity might be the thing that decides it for me as I would quite like to try a 5-6" refractor in the future. I know the AZ4 will cope with my current TAL100R but I think it would struggle with something like an Evostar 150.

Hmm, I may have just about decided....thanks for this thread Steve :)

SkyTee 2 all the way for me, great set-up. This is the mount I go for the most for a quick session. Easy to setup and use. Using a reflector is great, bit like a dob, the eyepiece is always in a good position. Lots of mods you can do as well. One of the guys on here has done a very good job of adding a wedge and goto motorised drive.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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The AZ-4 won't cope with a 150mm F/8 optical tube, if thats the way you think you are going. I've used Meade AR6 F/8 on a Skytee II and it was OK. It needed a counterweight / other scope on the other side of the mount and I'd certainly budget to upgrade the dovetail clamps on it - I had a near disaster with the one I used :shocked:

The Giro-type mounts do have a large capacity too, as Shane says:

post-118-0-42272400-1360513747_thumb.jpg

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The AZ-4 won't cope with a 150mm F/8 optical tube, if thats the way you think you are going. I've used Meade AR6 F/8 on a Skytee II and it was OK. It needed a counterweight / other scope on the other side of the mount and I'd certainly budget to upgrade the dovetail clamps on it - I had a near disaster with the one I used :shocked:

The Giro-type mounts do have a large capacity too, as Shane says:

Wow! Nice looking set up. Think that pic alone has sold the idea for me!

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I am having the same problem. They look great and exactly what i am after but can't seem to get a giro mount anywhere. I put an ad in ABS a week ago and got no response.

I think I am going to go with the new AA one - Altair AZ Montierung on TS website. Not sure if its available yet though.

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The 2nd pic looks like a monster! What refractors are they?

Not a monster really,only an 8" Schmidt-Newtonian. The refractors are,on the left,a 150 mm Startravel and a WO 110mm FLT APO.

All are quite heavy scopes but are carried well by the SkyTee II.

Below is an image of mount with slow motion stalks fitted.

post-849-0-57625500-1360518100_thumb.jpg

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Not a monster really,only an 8" Schmidt-Newtonian. The refractors are,on the left,a 150 mm Startravel and a WO 110mm FLT APO.

All are quite heavy scopes but are carried well by the SkyTee II.

Below is an image of mount with slow motion stalks fitted.

Thought it was the 150mm ST Refractor. That's what I want to upgrade too, how do you fun it performs?

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