Skytee 2, your experience and thoughts please...

[Alan White]

I know folks on here are using the Skywatcher Skytee 2 mount and Johnin derby adapted one rather a lot.

I presently have the AZ4 and am looking for improvements, which I hope that the Skytee 2 will do with its with it slow motions and (better)? engineered build.
    
Would mount it on a CG-5 2" legged tripod for solidity and a riser column for my ED100.
    
Your thought and experiences please as always are appreciated.

Have to say I lust after the AYO Swiss Mount but not sure I can run to it.

[DRT]

I bought a SkyTee II and a Tele Optic Ercole around the same time about two years ago. I sold the SkyTee II quite soon after and the Ercole continues to be my most-used mount.

The biggest issue I had with the SkyTee II was that one of the clamps is mounted on top rather than at the side. I found this to be limiting in terms of what could be mounted on it as that mounting point seems to be designed for relatively light kit. The other problem is the clamps, which are woefully inadequate for the capacity of the mount. They are very shallow and the threads are said to be prone to stripping. I wouln't want and expensive OTA and eyepieces relying on them.

I think if you spend some money upgrading the SkyTee II to have good quality clamps and modify it to put another clamp on the side it is a good mount. But if I had to do it all over again I would just buy an Ercole (or similar) and be done with it.

[Alan White]

Derek, thank you for that. 

I was also looking at a giro type mount option.

The slow motions were the appeal.

 

Well what the heck is going on with my initial post!

[DRT]

Just now, Alan White said:

Derek, thank you for that. 

I was also oozing at a giro type mount option.

The slow motions were the appeal.

 

Well what the heck is going on with my initial post!

I think if you have a well-balanced set-up on a giro mount with good quality clutches you can easily live without the slow-mo controls.

Not sure what has happened t your post but you should be able to open it back up and edit out the white space

 

[Alan White]

Just now, DRT said:

I think if you have a well-balanced set-up on a giro mount with good quality clutches you can easily live without the slow-mo controls.

Not sure what has happened t your post but you should be able to open it back up and edit out the white space

 

Thanks Derek, yes similar to my thoughts, which is good.

Tried to edit post and when saved goes all spread out and white!

[dobbie]

hi alan i too had a sky tee 2 mount and got rid for the same reasons as derek , there good solid mounts if your prepared to fettle around with them .

i ended up with a ayo aok mount which you can move around with your little finger.. 

[Alan White]

That's really nice Dobbie , we have spoken before about the AYO and I am very tempted.

Your riser column, how tall is that please?

[John]

I've recently picked up a used Skytee II which is fitted with the ADM clamps on both sides (an essential upgrade based on my previous experience with the mount). I used it with my ED120 on my Oberwerk hardwood tripod (which is as stable as the 2" CG5 tripod) and it handled the scope with no bother at all and no counterweight needed on the opposite side either (unlike my Giro II which needs one with this scope). I've now taken delivery of a Berlebach UNI 28 tripod which will combine with the Skytee II and a short 140mm pillar extension to carry my TMB / LZOS 130mm F/9.2 triplet. Having trialled this setup the mount was again very steady (even at 350x !) and well dampened with the ashwood Berlebach tripod. I used 5kg of counterweight on the opposite axis to the 130mm 9kg frac.

The slow motion controls work but there is a little backlash still to be adjusted out. I may put some longer cables on the shafts as well, in due course. I still found them useful for re-positioning the FoV after allowing the target to drift for a while while I observed at high power.

The Skytee II is not as polished as the Giro or AYO products but it does seem to carry relatively long and heavy loads well. If buying new though, you would need to factor in at least one clamp upgrade which pushes the price up to around £330 excluding a tripod.

The ED100 is clearly not going to trouble a Skytee II, a Giro II, the AYO or an Ercole in any way as long as you use a decent tripod.

 

[Alan White]

Thanks John, hoped you would be along with some input.

Are the slow motions reason enough to not go for the AYO?

[John]

8 minutes ago, Alan White said:

 

Are the slow motions reason enough to not go for the AYO?

They would not be a major factor for me because I'm used to tracking at high power without them. My Giro II does not have them and I've used that mount with my Tak 100 and ED120 at 250x - 300x without much trouble.

I went for the Skytee II because it seemed to offer the best carrying capacity for the (used) price. I did consider an AYO II but from feedback I had on another forum I was not 100% convinced that it would cope well with the TMB / LZOS 130mm triplet which is very similar in weight and length to a Skywatcher Evostar 150 F/8.

I would have also strongly considered an Ercole if one had been readily available.

 

[chiltonstar]

I went for a SkyTee2 for the same reason as John - load capacity, plus the slomo.

It easily holds my 180 Mak without a c/weight, or my 102mm f13 frac, which is long and heavy, and the mount is stable enough even on the SW tripod for me to lean on it while observing, a very important point!

I use the top mounted clamp for my ED80, or occasionally my 15x70 bins.

Chris

[Paul73]

      My Sky Tee on a Berlebach 24c is a great setup. Yes, my main scope clamp is the very well engineered ADM. The position and action of the clutches are not the most intuitive and occasionally it takes a quick off/ on to get the best purchase for the slow motions to to work at their buttery best. I love the slow motion controls - zero back lash on mine. 

It is a heavy, well engineered mount that I won't be changing for some time. 

It must be noted that I don't exactly overload mine with approx 7kg on top and a couple tops on the side.

The Ecriole is a lovely bit of kit though. I'm not sure how I would get on without the SkyTee slo mos.

Paul

[dobbie]

10 hours ago, Alan White said:

That's really nice Dobbie , we have spoken before about the AYO and I am very tempted.

Your riser column, how tall is that please?

hi alan the riser is 10" and is just the right size and holds the 120 with no problems.  john. 

 

[parallaxerr]

11 hours ago, dobbie said:

hi alan i too had a sky tee 2 mount and got rid for the same reasons as derek , there good solid mounts if your prepared to fettle around with them .

i ended up with a ayo aok mount which you can move around with your little finger.. 

Hi Dobbie,

slightly off topic sorry, but I'm waiting for my AYO II to find it's way from Switzerland and have been reserching counterweight bars. Can I ask which one you're using? Is it 18mm or 20mm dia?

[dobbie]

20 minutes ago, parallaxerr said:

Hi Dobbie,

slightly off topic sorry, but I'm waiting for my AYO II to find it's way from Switzerland and have been reserching counterweight bars. Can I ask which one you're using? Is it 18mm or 20mm dia?

well mine is a eq1 counterweight bar i cut it to length, i think its 18mm but i am not at home now so cant say for sure ,

a lot cheaper than buying the ayo one john. j

[parallaxerr]

Cheers Dobbie. I think the NEQ6 extension bar which is 18mm may fit and it's only £15, so will double check it's the correct thread with FLO.

[John]

I've found that both an 18mm and a 20mm CW bar will fit into my Giro II. It's the thread size that matters rather than the CW bar diameter. I believe the Giro II uses M12. I find the 20mm bar more useful because standard EQ5 weights will fit with no slop but the 18mm worked fine as well. The Skytee II seems to use a standard EQ5 CW bar fitting but a shorter bar. I expect AYO will specify the bar fitting thread size somewhere.

 

[parallaxerr]

Yes the AYO is M12 too John. The problem I'm having is identifying which CW bars are what diameter, likewise the ID of the weights themselves. Most are sold as "compatible with mount x" or "not compatible with mount y" as opposed to listing the actual dimensions. FLO have the NEQ6 extension which I found out is 18mm dia. and is reasonably priced, but I can't decipher which weights have an 18mm ID, I did read most Skywatcher weights are 20mm ID with a removable plastic sleeve for 18mm bars.

I want black weights too which means Celestron, but again, no dims here - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/cge-pro-series/celestron-counterweights.html

Not sure why the CGEM, CG5 and AVX prices vary so wildly at the same 5kg weight. Seems a bit daft if the only difference is the ID!

[John]

The Celestron AVX counterweights will fit a 20mm bar - I've used them with the Giro II and the Skytee II. I don't know it the CGE pro ones are the same though ?

My understanding is that EQ5 / CG5 weights don't have that plastic sleeve in them but the HEQ5 ones do because the latter has a slightly thinner CW bar. As you say, I think the sleeve can be removed so it's not a show stopper either way.

 

 

 

[Alan White]

Thanks folks, all input appreciated.

So just to add to the mix, if I did not go Skytee 2 but went giro type mount, which one?

AYO
Sabre
Ercole

Your thoughts please.

[parallaxerr]

Just now, Alan White said:

Thanks folks, all input appreciated.

So just to add to the mix, if I did not go Skytee 2 but went giro type mount, which one?

AYO
Sabre
Ercole

Your thoughts please.

That was my shortlist.

The Ercole & Sabre have a higher payload capacity, the AYO is sexier. I bought the AYO!

I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them from what I've read.

P.S. There's an Ercole in the Classifieds now!

[Alan White]

1 hour ago, parallaxerr said:

That was my shortlist.

The Ercole & Sabre have a higher payload capacity, the AYO is sexier. I bought the AYO!

I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them from what I've read.

P.S. There's an Ercole in the Classifieds now!

Thanks Parallaxer.
John was quicker by moments to get to the Ercole, so that was not to be for myself.
I will keep saving the extra pennies for one of those lurvelly AYO's.

[John]

Sorry Alan

[Alan White]

No problem John, is this to replace the Skytee perhaps?

 

[John]

16 minutes ago, Alan White said:

No problem John, is this to replace the Skytee perhaps?

 

I'm intending to compare them carefully with the TMB / LZOS 130 on board. I suspect they both have a similar capacity so it will be interesting to see how their more subtle qualities compare.