Which Alt Azimuth Mount & Tripod combination ?

[jabeoo1]

Hi all, just wanted some 1st hand users experience & advice who have run similar rigs.

As the title asks:

It will be holding my FC-100 DF which will be around 4Kg , but I want something sturdy and well dampened to vibration for when high magnification planetary viewing is permitted. Currently she sits on the Vixen Porta (Newer equivelent version is the Porta 2) with an ADM dovetail plate.

Having been reading around and nosing into some older threads I have thought this so far:

From the bottom up:

Tripod: Berlebach Uni18, Uni28 or Planet.

Mount choices:  Giro Ercole, Altair Sabre, Skytee2, AOK Swiss AYO II (Any others?) 

Stay with the Dovetail or swap to Losmandy (Any difference in performance?) 

 

Thanks in advance.    

 

 

 

 

 

[Stu]

The Tak is a nice lightweight scope so you don't need to over do it. I think an Ercole on whatever the Berlebach equivalent to an EQ6 tripod would be my choice. No need for Losmandy, you won't get any flex from a Vixen.

I chose CNC tube rings rather than the Tak clamp which I just feel probably give a more stable result.

[jabeoo1]

Cheers Stu ! 

9 minutes ago, Stu said:

The Tak is a nice lightweight scope so you don't need to over do it.

Okay so the Belebach Planet is complete overkill thats easy decision made

 

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

Berlebach equivalent to an EQ6 tripod would be my choice. 

The UNI 18 & UNI28 for the NEQ6 Support 55 & 50Kg, one has a maximum height 122cm & the other 155cm.  Guess the height wins over extended payload as it can be very useful in this frac game.  Does that sound reasonable Stu?  

 

9 minutes ago, Stu said:

No need for Losmandy, you won't get any flex from a Vixen.

I chose CNC tube rings rather than the Tak clamp which I just feel probably give a more stable result.

 

Thats a relief as I just bought a chunky Telescope Service dovetail plate & I already have decent CNC tube rings. 

[John]

My FC100DL sits very solidly on the Giro II on an Oberwerk hardwood survey type tripod. No counterweights needed. I use an Altair 8 inch CNC Vixen DT bar and the Tak tube clamp, which is made longer for the F/9 frac. I've used 300x plus on this rig with no shake / vibration issues. Whole lot weighs around 10kg so very portable.

I've ordered a Berlebach Uni 28 but thats for the Skytee II and TMB / LZOS 130 F/9.2 triplet. It would be overkill for the FC100DL.

I'm doing a short "show and tell" on my Tak setup at the Bristol AS meeting tonight

[Stu]

23 minutes ago, jabeoo1 said:

Cheers Stu ! 

Okay so the Belebach Planet is complete overkill thats easy decision made

 

The UNI 18 & UNI28 for the NEQ6 Support 55 & 50Kg, one has a maximum height 122cm & the other 155cm.  Guess the height wins over extended payload as it can be very useful in this frac game.  Does that sound reasonable Stu?  

 

 

Thats a relief as I just bought a chunky Telescope Service dovetail plate & I already have decent CNC tube rings. 

Definitely go for height rather than over doing the load. Even seated it's handy to have the scope at suitable height rather than grubbing around in the mud.

[jabeoo1]

Cheers Stu, looks like this was easier than I thought, I guess with mounts you can say this is the last mount I will buy, but its different with scopes as there is always another that will do one thing slightly better than another.  Although saying that, the Tak FC-100 has been a complete game changer for me, it performs in a goldilocks zone across all departments, it just deserves more underneath it in use.  

Maybe I have bought my last scope after all ! 

[Stu]

6 minutes ago, jabeoo1 said:

Maybe I have bought my last scope after all ! 

That's how I feel about the FC-100 too, I certainly can't see myself selling it!

[John]

6 minutes ago, jabeoo1 said:

.... the Tak FC-100 has been a complete game changer .....

You are not the first person that I've heard say that

 

[GavStar]

As I mentioned recently, the porta 2 is not good enough for the fc100-dl at high magnifications. But for the FC100-DF I think it's fine due to the shorter length. I put the better vixen hal 130 tripod on it (link attached) and  I really like the slo mo controls. Worth trying I think before going for a heavier mount or one with no slo mo.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-mounts/vixen-sxg-hal-130-tripod-sx-gp.html

For much more stable mount for the DL I use a T-Rex but it's a bit of a beast in comparison to the porta 2. 

[mikeDnight]

I use my DC on two mounts. In the observatory I use a Vixen GP mounted to a steel pier. Very solid!

As my grab and go I mount the DC on a AZ4 which is mounted on a heavy duty "Vixen" aluminium tripod. Though not of the same design as the modern HAL it is far better built and has a much wider spread than the run of the mill aluminium tripod. 

Throughout much of last year's Mars apperition,  I observed the planet at reasonably high power, even at x296 on occasion, using the AZ4. It's very solid, and as the FC is so short its easy to balance and adjust. The whole package, scope and mount, can be carried in one arm without effort.

When the AZ4 arrived, I dismantled the altitude axis and filed the casting as it was a little rough due to the two components scuffing eachother in a couple of places. It's now buttery smooth and damps in 3 seconds if knocked.

Mike 

 

[mikeDnight]

6 hours ago, jabeoo1 said:

Hi all, just wanted some 1st hand users experience & advice who have run similar rigs.

As the title asks:

It will be holding my FC-100 DF which will be around 4Kg , but I want something sturdy and well dampened to vibration for when high magnification planetary viewing is permitted. Currently she sits on the Vixen Porta (Newer equivelent version is the Porta 2) with an ADM dovetail plate.

Having been reading around and nosing into some older threads I have thought this so far:

From the bottom up:

Tripod: Berlebach Uni18, Uni28 or Planet.

Mount choices:  Giro Ercole, Altair Sabre, Skytee2, AOK Swiss AYO II (Any others?) 

Stay with the Dovetail or swap to Losmandy (Any difference in performance?) 

 

Thanks in advance.    

 

 

 

 

 

Does it have to be an AZ mount? A lightweight German equatorial with a single counterweight such as a Vixen GP  or even an eq5 would be solid and portable.

Mike

[jabeoo1]

7 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Does it have to be an AZ mount? A lightweight German equatorial with a single counterweight such as a Vixen GP  or even an eq5 would be solid and portable.

Mike

Good point Mike, although I am settled into using AZ mounts now and don't fancy the change, especially as the outlay to try something different.  I don't know whether I prefer the idea of Slo-Mo controls or the clutch style AZ move the scope type mount. 

Is the Sabre the odd one out with no slo mo controls?  

[jabeoo1]

Matthew reviewed the Ecole on his great website here:

 http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2015/05/03/tele-optic-giro-ercole-alt-az-mount-review/

I am sure its a great mount ! 

[nightfisher]

12 hours ago, jabeoo1 said:

Matthew reviewed the Ecole on his great website here:

 http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2015/05/03/tele-optic-giro-ercole-alt-az-mount-review/

I am sure its a great mount ! 

I have been offered 2 different AZ mounts one is a sabre mk2 and other is a cheap fork mount, due to a laptop that has called it a day looks like i will go for the cheaper fork, i can put you onto the chap selling the sabre if you are interested

[jabeoo1]

1 hour ago, nightfisher said:

I have been offered 2 different AZ mounts one is a sabre mk2 and other is a cheap fork mount, due to a laptop that has called it a day looks like i will go for the cheaper fork, i can put you onto the chap selling the sabre if you are interested

Appreciated Jules PM'd ! 

[jabeoo1]

Just interested to know then, these mounts.  Some don't have slo-mo controls, so I guess they have a tension/friction clutch in both axis to get set up then you push the OTA  ? 

[Highburymark]

James - as you may have seen I bought an Ercole mini on a heavy duty photo tripod for my Tak. The Ercole mini easily handles the DC, so the bigger Ercole will be even more solid. Just balance the scope and as you say, adjust the clutches and then just nudge the scope manually - which is pretty straighforward when it's as light as a Tak FC. But whatever you choose, sounds like you're going to have a fantastic set up

[Stu]

The mini Ercoles do look excellent, might give one a try sometime.

Is the motion smooth without a counterweight with the FC100?

[John]

1 hour ago, jabeoo1 said:

Just interested to know then, these mounts.  Some don't have slo-mo controls, so I guess they have a tension/friction clutch in both axis to get set up then you push the OTA  ? 

Thats it really - get the tension on the axis as you would like it and then gently push or nudge the OTA to track. Rather like a dobsonian.

If the mount is decently well made you can adjust the tension to get it to move smoothly but also to stay just where it's pointed.

I showed my FC-100DL on the Giro mount at the Bristol AS meeting last night and I'm not sure anyone there had seen such a simple setup before. Most of the observers there seem to use SCT's on GOTO mounts.

[jabeoo1]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

The mini Ercoles do look excellent, might give one a try sometime.

Is the motion smooth without a counterweight with the FC100?

This is a good point raised as I don't really want to use a counterweight. 

[nightfisher]

46 minutes ago, jabeoo1 said:

This is a good point raised as I don't really want to use a counterweight. 

If you used an altair sabre with the Tak you would not need the counterweight 

[Highburymark]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

The mini Ercoles do look excellent, might give one a try sometime.

Is the motion smooth without a counterweight with the FC100?

It is smooth - but it's smoother still with a counterweight. You really notice the difference at high power, but for travelling light, the counterweight is not essential.

[Stu]

30 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

If you used an altair sabre with the Tak you would not need the counterweight 

It's always a trade off between mount weight and need for a counterweight. A full Ercole would not need a CW, but is a lot heavier than a Giro-WR which still benefits from one. The Giro-WR weighs under a kilo so is ideal for travel.

[Highburymark]

8 minutes ago, Stu said:

It's always a trade off between mount weight and need for a counterweight. A full Ercole would not need a CW, but is a lot heavier than a Giro-WR which still benefits from one. The Giro-WR weighs under a kilo so is ideal for travel.

Must say Stu that from the pics and reports of the WR you've posted it looks like an amazing piece of kit. 

[Stu]

Just now, Highburymark said:

Must say Stu that from the pics and reports of the WR you've posted it looks like an amazing piece of kit. 

I really like it, it's just so compact yet does such a good job. Mine is currently in a slightly heavier configuration as it has a stronger bar in it plus dual clamps, but it's easy enough to get back to its lightweight self.

Its not perfect, and can be a little jerky without a CW but it's still the best travel Mount option I've found, plus I use it more often than not at home these days.