Altair Sabre Alt-Azimuth

[Gary70]

Hi,

Anyone had experience with this mount? Altair Sabre Alt-Azimuth,

I plan to stick a Bresser 127/1200 achro on it and possibly a vixen A80 MF not always together but maybe.

Is the lack of slow motion control a big deal? I hear not as the clutches are pretty smooth,

I dont care about AP and dont often look beyond the solar system.

Thx

[AndyH]

Would like to hear any user reports about this mount also.

Anyone?

Cheers,

Andy.

[John]

It looks very similar to the Giro II and III mounts and my Ambermille Az-Tech alt-az mount. I've mounted a Bresser 127 / 1200 on the latter and it carried it pretty well. I have a 2" steel tripod on mine wheras the Altair one looks to be a 1.75". Doesn't sound much but the 2" one is a lot more stable with a large / long refractor on board and a little taller. You need to take some care with balancing with mounts of this type as well - switching between 1.25" and 2" eyepieces for instance, needs to be done with some care. You might want to consider a pillar extension to get the eyepiece up a bit - it can get low when viewing the zenith area. You should also consider getting the counterweight option for the other arm which will smooth the motions of the mount considerably.

Here is my Ambermille in action with the Bresser and my Vixen ED102 on board:

[Druid]

Anyone out there using an Altair Sabre yet?

They look very useful, especially if they fit on EQ6 legs.

[Druid]

I've just managed a very brief session with my newly arrived one before the sky clouded over.

Good solid-looking piece of kit. Seems silky smooth. Will give more detailed impressions when weather permits.

What I can say is that Ian at Altair Astro was a pleasure to deal with. There was a niggle (nothing to do with kit quality) which he went beyond my expectations in sorting out.  

P.S. They don't fit on the EQ6 legs, but work fine on EQ5 ones and presumably also with an EQ5-sized Berlebach. 

[Druid]

Definitely liking this mount. Does exactly what I wanted from it.

Lets me get set up quickly when tracking / photography aren't an issue with a rock-solid platform and dob-like convenience.

If the weather permits I'll set up in daylight and do some pics later on.

[Druid]

As promised, some photos of the Altair Sabre mount with the TV101 and Celestron C11. 

[Druid]

Apologies for the distorted photos, it was looking like rain so I was working in a cramped conservatory with a wide angle lens. 

As you can see, it's a solid-looking piece of kit and seems quite comfortable with the C11 and 15kg of counterweights. 

[IanH]

That looks great. Have you had a chance to try it under the stars yet? I'm interested in one for a c11 too. It's the lack of slo motion controls, given the long focal length that has held me back. Also what is the vibration like?

Cheers.

Ian

[Druid]

I've not really had much luck with weather since getting it alas. One reasonable session with the TV101 but only a couple of abortive struggles with cloud using the C11.

My impression so far is that it's great with the TV101, smooth and very controllable.

With the C11 my tentative impression is that it's a bit more of a handful, partly due to weight and partly due to focal length, but it still seemed like it would be usable as long as you have it we'll balanced etc.

[Druid]

That's " well balanced " I hate auto spell

What I also found was that a hand on the counterweight bar made it very controllable in azimuth even with a big lump like the C11.

Altitude was trickier, but I'm not convinced I had it balanced right during the few mins before the cloud rolled in. So I don't feel confident in my impression there yet.

[Druid]

With the TV101 vibration was very well controlled.

With the C11 vibration was evident when focussing but damped out in a second or so.

[IanH]

That's good feedback, thanks. I am planning on getting a four or five inch in refractor, if it can handle the c11 too it would be a bonus. I have a Skywatcher AzEq6 which I use on the Alt Az setting and it advertises itself as good for the c11, but after a year it's making occasional bad noises while slewing and the puck with the dovetail clamp gets loose. Once when the powerpack ran out I used it like a manual mount - pushing it a bit to keep the image in view, but it was frustrating with the long focal length, and small field of view of the c11. Vibration is at least a second on this too.

That's interesting that you can "steer" with the counterweight bar. I wonder if there is some way of having a lever for the altitude direction?

Do you think you will use this with the TV101 as a "grab and go" type, quick setup?

All the best,

Ian

[RT65CB-SWL]

How does it perform with both OTA's at the same time?

I have the paupers version:-

C6/SCT & TeleVue Ranger mounted on a TeleOptic Giro ll on a SkyWatcher aluminium tripod. It is silky smooth on both axis when both are mounted. Vibration does not appear to be a major problem if the 'scopes are perfectly balanced.

[Druid]

I've yet to try both scopes at once but will do so when weather permits.

It's certainly a nice grab and go setup with just the TV101, but the C11 isn't that much harder.

I've been going to the gym since getting it and can now control it with one hand just about. Celestron should probably do a workout video

[Stu]

Knew I'd seen it somewhere.... The Moonshane Special Giro Handle. Looks quite nifty :-)

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php?/topic/121825-Simple-mod-for-those-with-a-Giro-type-mount

Stu

[Druid]

Yet to try both OTAs together, but did manage to get out for a bit last night with the C11 again. 

Better experience this time because I got closer to having the Alt balance right.

What I'm finding is that the closer you are to perfect balance in Alt axis, the looser you can leave the clutch and the closer to a 'dob-like' experience you can achieve. 

Still haven't quite cracked it yet though. I was messing about with a new home-made dew shield which didn't help. 

[Druid]

Oh and one other thing. I noticed that the sensitivity to vibration increased quite a bit when the (HEQ5) tripod was fully extended, to the point where focussing was an issue (strong gusts of icy wind didn't help either)

This suggests to me that performance might be improved noticeably with a stronger tripod like a Berlebach Uni or something. 

[AndyH]

Good info, Druid.

 I'll follow your updates with interest.

Cheers,

Andy.

[Stu]

Oh and one other thing. I noticed that the sensitivity to vibration increased quite a bit when the (HEQ5) tripod was fully extended, to the point where focussing was an issue (strong gusts of icy wind didn't help either)

This suggests to me that performance might be improved noticeably with a stronger tripod like a Berlebach Uni or something.

Thats exactly what I found Druid, the tripod makes a huge difference to the stability of the mount. I picked up an EQ6 tripod which has the 2" legs and it is very stable even when extended. Well worth seeking out something sturdier than the 1.75" legs that can handle the weight.

Stu

[Druid]

How do you get a HEQ5 fit mount onto EQ6 legs though? I've got a set of the latter from my AZ-EQ6

[dobbie]

hi all I luv this mount I got mine upgraded to v2 (bigger bearings?) I put my 200pds on mine with a counter weight on the other end and use anti vibrations pads under the tripod , its so smooth I can move it with one finger , I can track planets when I put the 150pl on it  , I added a little az circle and with a wixey for alt I can find faster than my goto mount  dobbie.

[dobbie]

ps.. hi gary just noticed your in leeds if you want to see one in action you could pop down to the west Yorkshire astro society i'll be there to help or I live near thorner  we could meet up regards dobbie .

[borderfin]

how would it compare with a Sky Tee 2 mount for a C925?

Paul

[Guest]

I have added a 5 inch height extension to my Altair Sabre. It allows me to use my 8 inch f6 Newtonian . Proto Star I I am interested to know what a Wixey is as I am looking for ways in which to find objects with my setup.