GSO AZ mount?

[MattJenko]

Anyone had any experience with the GSO Az mount : http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1753_TS-Optics-Alt-Azimuth-Mount-Deluxe-with-worm-gears---up-to-8-kg.html ?

I want a nice, light, simple, manual Az mount for my little Mewlon, and this looks just the ticket, but can't find much info about it.

Cheers

Matt

[spaceboy]

Looks a nice mount. I have seen them about on the internet but never realised they had slow motion controls. As long as the backlash is to a minimum I could see that as a nice feature on a mount capable of holding a 8KG ota. Although having extra bits and bobs like slow mo is always going to risk a possible weak link in the chain. Although I feel in this case it is more likely the Ali tripod that will let the mount down.

I use the AZ4. No slow mo controls but keeps it simple and the motion is smooth enough. It's cheaper and comes on a stainless steel tripod but good luck trying to find what the recommended load capacity is. A general rule of thumb is a 6" newt or 4.75" f/5 / 4" f10 refractor is the most it will cope with while remaining smooth at higher magnifications.

I'll be interested to hear how the GSO mount goes from coarse movement to slow mo as the AZ3 had similar and that was utter pants. The GSO is in a totally different league build and price wise though.

[Dave In Vermont]

Looks like an off-shoot of a Vixen Porta II mount. Very interesting. Never seen this over here - yet.

GSO is putting out some very good things lately. I'll be watching for reports.

Thanks for posting,

Dave

[Stu]

It does look like a nice mount. Might be tempted at some stage. I used a mount with slo mos the other day and quite enjoyed it. Being able to move it quickly to target then use slo mo control is very useful. Stability is key though, not sure how good that tripod is. I wonder if it fits any of the 2" stainless steel ones, that would beef it up.

[John]

It does look nice.This one at 365astronomy is also rated at 8kg:

http://www.365astronomy.com/365Astronomy-AZ5-Versatile-Vari-angle-Micro-Motion-Alt-Azimuth-Telescope-Mount-HEAD-ONLY.html

As 365astronomy say, how these mounts handle scopes is as much about the tripod as it is the mount itself.

[iPeace]

Well...

...it's a very decent mount, works well with smaller refractors. I'm afraid I don't know what a "Mewlon" is, though, so I can't help you there.

It's not heavy, is pretty solid for what it is and the slo-mo is perfectly serviceable. I have replaced the Vixen-style clamp with a non-marring model, easily done.

For the money, it's been a good one for me. Haven't tried a Vixen Porta or any of its other competitors, though.

P.S. the bottom picture shows the mount in combination with a right-angle "bino bracket", not included.

[MattJenko]

Thanks all. The TS site mentions 8kg as a load capacity, and my Mewlon is 6kg without EPs, so would be at the top end, but it is not a long scope and fairly evenly balanced, so I may get away with it. Looking at the pictures in action, the tripod does indeed look the weak link in it all for high loads. I think I may need to go bigger for my particular needs, or look into getting a nice wooden tripod for it <cough>berlebach</cough>  

 

13 minutes ago, iPeace said:

 I'm afraid I don't know what a "Mewlon" is, though, so I can't help you there.

 

In the spirit of information sharing, a Mewlon is an uncorrected Dall Kirkham design scope from Takahashi. My 180 is a discontinued smaller size, with the currently available models being 210, 250, 300, at ever increasingly nose-bleed prices. A good review on the 180 is on cloudynights : http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/user-reviews/telescopes/ritchey-chretiens-dall-kirkhams-and-other-designs/takahashi-180-mewlon-r1443.

 

[iPeace]

2 minutes ago, MattJenko said:

Thanks all. The TS site mentions 8kg as a load capacity, and my Mewlon is 6kg without EPs, so would be at the top end, but it is not a long scope and fairly evenly balanced, so I may get away with it. Looking at the pictures in action, the tripod does indeed look the weak link in it all for high loads. I think I may need to go bigger for my particular needs, or look into getting a nice wooden tripod for it <cough>berlebach</cough>  

 

In the spirit of information sharing, a Mewlon is an uncorrected Dall Kirkham design scope from Takahashi. My 180 is a discontinued smaller size, with the currently available models being 210, 250, 300, at ever increasingly nose-bleed prices. A good review on the 180 is on cloudynights : http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/user-reviews/telescopes/ritchey-chretiens-dall-kirkhams-and-other-designs/takahashi-180-mewlon-r1443.

 

Looks nice.

The heaviest load I've put on this mount is probably close to 6kg, with the tube being 60cm long plus diagonal, and as is the case with fracs, with most of the weight at either end of the assembly, and it has worked just fine.

[iPeace]

I really like the look of Desert Sky's offerings:

http://www.desertskyastro.com/

[MattJenko]

Hmm, choices choices.

[spaceboy]

I'm not to sure I would recommend an AZ mount for anyone with an f/12 but that's just me. I know EQ mounts are a total pain to set up and there is all the hassle of counterweights but even so with such a long focal length and I assume tight FOV would you not be better off with something that will track objects. Even an AZ with slow mo controls I'm guessing there will come a point where your sick of keeping up with chasing objects through the FOV ?? If you did go AZ then I'd think an over rated mount would be your best bet for smoothness rather than a mount that is at the upper end of it's capacity .

[spaceboy]

Might be of interest if your positive AZ is the way to go ?

 

[dobbie]

this is my alt/az set up  very smooth , balance is the key once balanced i can move it in both axis with my finger holds 8kg or 12kg with a weight on the other side . 

[nightfisher]

27 minutes ago, dobbie said:

this is my alt/az set up  very smooth , balance is the key once balanced i can move it in both axis with my finger holds 8kg or 12kg with a weight on the other side . 

Nice set up Dobbie, i am looking at maybe getting an alt az for my 120ED, and possibly making a pier to mount it but this is just thinking out loud for the moment

[dobbie]

hi jules thanks.. i am just waiting for a 9" extension so i can lift the scope up a bit and clear the legs at zenith .

[RobertI]

Hi Matt,

I went through a similar process when trying to choose an alt az mount., and I did consider the GSO for quite a while., however I discounted this and similar style mounts on two counts, I didn't think the design looked like it would be stable enough for larger scopes and I didn't think it would accomodate wide or long scopes very well, it seemed best suited to shorter fracs. Just my thinking at the time i have never used one so cannot confirm. I decided the T style mounts were probably more stable and more versatile and ended up with the Skytee II because of the slow mo controls and the fact you can buy the mount only if you have already have a good tripod. Having used it I really like the heavy duty nature, it seems solid enough to take really heavy scopes and it handles my C8 (7kg) without a counterweight with no problems. Build quality is not fab though (eg: you immediately have to spend £60 on a better dovetail clamp) and I dont use the slow mo that much as i tend to view at low power, but its nice to know its there. If I were to choose again I would seriously  look at the Teleoptic Ercole or mini-Ercole and the Altair Astro Sabre. The Ayo also looks very nice indeed. They would all site nicely on a wooden Berlebach. ?

[Alan White]

On 1/24/2017 at 16:45, dobbie said:

this is my alt/az set up  very smooth , balance is the key once balanced i can move it in both axis with my finger holds 8kg or 12kg with a weight on the other side . 

Dobbie, please stop posting this astro temptation, I know I want both the AYO mount and the Berleback Tripod, just a case of my wallet says no.
That AYO looks lurvely and would look spot on next to me ED100.

[MattJenko]

On ‎24‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 15:34, spaceboy said:

I'm not to sure I would recommend an AZ mount for anyone with an f/12 but that's just me. .

This has struck a chord. I may need to rethink my manual approach with my scope, although that AYO on a Berlebach looks ridiculously good. A iOptron minitower looks a better bet, but of course means saving up and spending more. Thanks for all the input.