Anyone using an Avalon M Uno?

[Jarno_c]

Well I had the chance to see the 10Micron GM1000 in action today. I must say that in real life it's much larger than it looks on the pictures. Fit & finish are as good as it gets (which is as it should be at this price level) and according to it's owner the mount does exactly what's promised. To get maximum performance out of the GM1000 you will however need an accurate GPS receiver (not included), a thermometer (not included) and a barometer (not included). IMHO a mount in this class should have these sensors built in, it's not as if they're going to be very big and expensive. And being both heavier and physically larger the GM1000 would actually be a step backwards from the G-11 In terms of portability. The M-uno starts looking better and better...

Jarno

[mcolbert]

Jarno, you might also want to PM Per to find out a little more on the GM's.

[Jarno_c]

Thank you for the advice but I've already been in touch with Per on Cloudynights. I'm aware that I could use the GM1000 without the advanced modeling features but that would be like buying a Ferrari and never going above 30mph. And finally, not even the best programmer in the world can write software that'll reduce the physical size of the mount...

Jarno

[mcolbert]

Jarno, that's good to read - that you've got that covered.

Thank you for the advice but I've already been in touch with Per on Cloudynights. I'm aware that I could use the GM1000 without the advanced modeling features but that would be like buying a Ferrari and never going above 30mph. And finally, not even the best programmer in the world can write software that'll reduce the physical size of the mount...

Jarno

but that won't stop them from trying,

[Jarno_c]

Which part, reducing the physical size or driving the Ferrari at 30mph?   Anyway, it's obvious I can't have things both ways: a mount that's wind-resistant and highly portable. The M-Uno seems to be the next best thing in that it's relatively small and quickly corrects for wind induced motion. Plus I like the idea of being able to control the mount through USB or Bluetooth. I can run one USB cable to a hub on the mount and from there split to the mount itself and the guiding cam.

Jarno

[76doublebass]

I am seriously thinking of upgrading from my Losmandy G11 Gemini II Mount to an M-Uno for astroimaging. My OTA is a Celestron C11 and from

the imaging I see from the M-Uno mount I would think it could even handle wonderful round stars at F10 2800mm.

[schmeah]

I am seriously thinking of upgrading from my Losmandy G11 Gemini II Mount to an M-Uno for astroimaging. My OTA is a Celestron C11 and from

the imaging I see from the M-Uno mount I would think it could even handle wonderful round stars at F10 2800mm.

This is a center crop of an image of NGC 7319 I took this past week. It is at FL 2350, 9.25 Edge at f/10. It is from a single two hour long Ha sub and two one hour long OIII subs. I could probably image with a single sub over the entire evening if I had perfect polar alignment. The full image is here:

http://www.pbase.com/dsantiago/image/161216013

Derek

[Jarno_c]

Well, I took the plunge and ordered something red from Italy. In the end I didn't go for the M-Uno though, I ordered the Linear for the following reasons:

1. The transportation dimensions of the Linear are a bit more convenient for me;
2. The Linear places the scopes center of gravity closer to the tripod so I expect it to be a tad more stable;
3. No need to fuss with extension pieces when switching to a longer scope;
4. It's less expensive than the M-Uno;
5. Should I ever choose to sell it, I expect the more conventional form will make that easier.

It should arrive in a week or two so perhaps all UK observers can plan to go observing around then, all clouds will most likely have gathered above the Netherlands. According to some scientists, new astronomical equipment releases little understood particles called "cloudistons". Once released these apparently attract atmospheric moisture to form clouds.  

I intend to start a new thread once the mount arrives to document my experiences, from first impressions to the images made using the Linear.  The Dutch weather is unpredictable however (any meteorologist who's right more than half the time is banned from all casino's for being too lucky) so getting actual results might take some time.

Jarno

[schmeah]

Congrats Jarno! The Linear is a great mount. There are some fabulous images being produced on it. Look forward to hearing your report.

Derek

[ollypenrice]

I am seriously thinking of upgrading from my Losmandy G11 Gemini II Mount to an M-Uno for astroimaging. My OTA is a Celestron C11 and from

the imaging I see from the M-Uno mount I would think it could even handle wonderful round stars at F10 2800mm.

Don't make round stars your test of tracking accuracy when chasing high resolution. Random guiding errors will produce round stars. We saw this while tuning our Mesu on its first night. The stars were round but the trace was bad and the resolution was lacking. Once the trace was good the stars were no rounder but they were a lot smaller.

Jarno, I think you'll like the mount for the purposes you have in mind.

Olly

[schmeah]

Don't make round stars your test of tracking accuracy when chasing high resolution. Random guiding errors will produce round stars. We saw this while tuning our Mesu on its first night. The stars were round but the trace was bad and the resolution was lacking. Once the trace was good the stars were no rounder but they were a lot smaller.

Jarno, I think you'll like the mount for the purposes you have in mind.

Olly

i agree.  My mount, possibly related to the belts, has an uncanny ability to generate round stars regardless of the conditions and guide tracing. Its the FWHM that really matters in terms of resolution. You can still get round (but big and bloated) stars on a night of poor seeing, but you can't get a low FWHM no matter how your mount responds, nor can you get a low FWHM when your mount is tracking poorly even with perfect seeing.

Derek

[Jarno_c]

It's here!!!! A week earlier than expected, the Avalon Linear mount and Hercules tripod have arrived. So far I'm very pleased by the ease of use and overall finish. Software installation went without any issues, as did connection to Starry Night Pro. It's incredible how much smoother the movement is compared to the G11. With the G11, the counterweight bar would move down when the axis clutch was released (without counterweights installed of course), with the Avalon it'll swing down and swing back and forth two more times. Balancing the scope has become much easier. And another benefit of the Linear: since the electronics are integrated into the mount head, they're effectively working as a counterweight meaning I have to drag less actual counterweights along. And miracle of miracles, it appears to be a clear night. I'm sure the weather gods will make me pay for it another time but for now I'm heading out with my new toy.

Jarno

PS I also have some bad news to report: according to Baader this was the last Linear in Europe for the next couple of months as production isn't keeping up with demand. So if you'd want one and it's not in stock at your store, prepare for a long wait...

[schmeah]

Congrats Jarno! Looking forward to a first light report and some great images!

Derek

[Phillyo]

I've been using the Avalon Linear Fast Reverse for a few months now as an upgrade to an EQ-6. I purchased it after looking for something a little better than the EQ-6 but as easy to use and stuck with EQMOD; I noticed that Sara also used the mount to devastating effect too. This made my mind up for me.

I have had the mount back to Avalon once for a repair and that was handled amazingly well by Luciano and he even upgraded the mount for me for free too. Since then I haven't lost a sub due to the mount, only my own mistakes with software etc.

Meridian flips within SGPro work flawlessly once set up and I generally just choose my target for the night, press go then go to bed and when I get up the next morning I have a bunch of lovely subs ready for processing. 

This mount will definitely last me until I can splurge some excess money on a 10Micron...so a long while yet!

Phil