Avalon - Linear Fast Reverse Equatorial Mounting - anyone using this mount?

[bugs denis]

Hi,

I'm an happy owner of an Avalon Linear My favorite reseller loaned me it and was able to have a 6 month try before buy. I was the owner an EQ6 all tuned up, ball-bearing changed so somewhat a good EQ6. What do I think about the linear ? I truely believe this an excelent mount with good PE and, more important to me, something really smooth.

During the test I had some really nice seeing so turbulence was not the problem. I have done some test at 10 minutes, really nothing for this mount, then 15, then 20minutes (my favorite exposure time) and ended at 30 minutes ... which is not a problem at all it keep tracking perfectly.

I have done some 30 minutes images with a TSA-102 and ST-2000XM and stars was really good, not perfectly round but only the computer detect it. on M97, with an H-Alpha filter it end with star 1.2*1.4px so from my side more than acceptable.

My main imaging combination is the FSQ-85 and ST-8300M (guiding with OAG and ST-i). Here again tests were really good and even at the first attempt the guiding was directly 2 times better that with the EQ6. For the first "real" image I've tried NGC7000/IC5070 with 30 minutes sub.My fear was the plane, satellist, not the guiding

This gives this after 9h30 of exposures ... only one image was dropped, the first one because I was missing a part of the wall

http://www.astrosurf.com/bugsdenis/Pages/PagesImages/NGC7000-2013.html (full is available)

Here is a kind of tracking graph, it shows an excellent tracking and almost every guiding image remains in the same pixel

I've imaged also NGC6995, not as good but the seing was not really there

http://www.astrosurf.com/bugsdenis/Pages/PagesImages/NGC6995.html (full is available, click the image)

Do I regret my money and old EQ6 ? Not at all ! Would I recommend it ? Yes !

Cheers

[allblue]

Hello, congratulations for the mount. I read on Avalon Instruments that they have an App called StarGO-BT for android, it could be compatible with Skywatcher NEQ6 mounts and that would be a great notice, do you know anything about that?

 

[andrewluck]

A read of the website suggests compatibility with third party mounts but they're not specific about models. To use the Android app you would need the StarGO unit as well so it's not going to be cheap. I suggest contacting them directly using the form on the website. Alternatively, speak to Ian King who's the UK reseller.

Andrew