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Incoming: Losmandy AZ8


iPeace

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Should arrive tomorrow...

:happy11:

I've ogled this for almost a year - but none of my suppliers have had it in stock until recently. Perhaps as well, for the time has been well spent with my Ercole mounts, one of which is now winging its way to a new location just off the Bristol Channel.

I harbour no pretentions; it could just be a big mistake. There are those who swear by Losmandy's products, and those who, frankly, don't. Having abstained from a SkyTee, I may well have purchased an overpriced, inferior alternative. The die is cast, though, and at least I may partake in the youthful joy of decisiveness as an advance against the adventure that lies ahead.

I do most of my observing with a TV85. Hardly requires a mount at all, you might think, and there are certainly cheaper alternatives. And I may well fall back on one of those if this doesn't work out for me. But I just want to try it, for I would otherwise always wonder: what if?

So, is there a alt-az, slo-mo Walhalla to be attained, short of a T-Rex, for the likes of me? You are cordially invited to find out.

:happy9:

 

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Congratulations on the purchase. There has been a lot of threads on manual Alt/Az mounts recently and between myself, @John (who I think purchased your Ercole) @Alan White, @DRT, @dobbie, @nightfisher and I dare say a few more I have forgotten, we came to the conclusion that other than the skytee, there is no other slo-mo man alt/az unless you spend a whole lot more, which you have done :)

I for one will be interested in how the AZ8 performs. I considered one for all of a few seconds before financial reality kicked in and went for an AYOII.

Looking at the specs, it would appear you'll have to try hard to find a scope that it can't cope with!

Manual Alt/Az fever strikes again!!!

Edited by parallaxerr
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Ipeace those look really great :Envy:

I am in the process of going from an old VIxen Porta 1 to a Altair Sabre II on a Berlebach Uni 28.  Im also in hope that its a noticeable jump up.  I have been wondering for a few years what if, with all these Alt Az mount paraphernalia. 

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I will be very interested to find out about the Losmandy AZ8 Mike :icon_biggrin:

I noticed it when it was 1st launched but it's quite hard to find much feedback on it. With Losmandy's reputation it should be really good though :thumbright:

 

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8 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

Ouch, that is one rather pricey AZ mount

Well, I certainly considered that.

:mellow:

I could have gone the other way, already owning a full-sized Ercole, I could have opted to add a nice Berlebach tripod for a bit less. Still appeals. I may end up there someday.

This time, I settled on letting some other well-loved kit go. We'll see.

:happy11:

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7 minutes ago, John said:

I will be very interested to find out about the Losmandy AZ8 Mike :icon_biggrin:

I noticed it when it was 1st launched but it's quite hard to find much feedback on it. With Losmandy's reputation it should be really good though :thumbright:

 

Read a bit about it on Cloudy Nights; it can get pretty severe over there...

:rolleyes2:

Let's just say I have had my reality check beforehand. Still went for it.

I'll be glad to share.

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3 hours ago, parallaxerr said:

Congratulations on the purchase. There has been a lot of threads on manual Alt/Az mounts recently and between myself, @John (who I think purchased your Ercole) @Alan White, @DRT, @dobbie, @nightfisher and I dare say a few more I have forgotten, we came to the conclusion that other than the skytee, there is no other slo-mo man alt/az unless you spend a whole lot more, which you have done :)

I for one will be interested in how the AZ8 performs. I considered one for all of a few seconds before financial reality kicked in and went for an AYOII.

Lookign at the specs, it would appear you'll have to try hard to find a scope that it can't cope with!

Manual Alt/Az fever strikes again!!!

Fully agree with the above from parallaxer, much discussion has taken place recently.
You have been brave, we await your feedback with much interest iPeace.

 

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First impressions:

  • VERY nicely made
  • SMOOOOOOOOOOOOTH action

From the bottom up, the tripod is very sturdy, and lighter than I expected. The legs extend and retract smoothly and surprisingly quietly.

The included pillar extension aligns to the top of the tripod using several protruding bolts, and is affixed with a single bolt with wing nut. It is high enough to ensure the TV85 clears the legs; a 120ED, however, will *just* touch a leg with its dew shield, so something to keep in mind. Not immediately inclined to get an additional pillar, but they can be stacked at will.

The pillar extension provides access to the azimuth clutch:

tmp_1640-DSC_03421102711838.JPG

The clutch is very nice to work with, wearing gloves will not be a problem.

On one side of the mount is the altitude clutch, a similar item, works just as well.

tmp_1640-DSC_0339-1651848071.JPG

Loosening the azimuth clutch to its maximum still keeps the slo-mo on that axis engaged; loosening the altitude clutch to the max. will at some point practically disengage the slo-mo there. Loosening both clutches...gives you back your beloved Ercole! In fact, a fully loosened altitude clutch gives even more smoothness than the Ercole, making proper balancing of the tube assembly essential. Indeed, proper balancing helps the slo-mo to great extent on this mount as well. Fortunately, if you've spent more than twelve minutes within twelve miles of an Ercole-type mount, you'll know all about proper balancing...

The supplied clamps come attached, and are VERY nice:

tmp_1640-DSC_0343-1931320352.JPG

The slow motion knob for altitude turns as the mount head does; the one for azimuth stays put, so it is possible to get it into an awkward position, we'll see.

The slow motion action is very nice. It allows for very fine adjustments, and is very, very smooth. Is it perfect? Perhaps not. I suspect that it's nigh on impossible to get it any better than this at anything below double this price point. If you give one of the knobs a very short, sharp twist, you will get some wobble at the eyepiece, but it settles very quickly. If you go slow, it's... well, think of your own favourite metaphor for smooth and precise.

tmp_1640-DSC_0337-1320816720.JPG

With only a TV85 on one side, I noticed no difference between using a counterweight opposite and not. With a 120ED, a counterweight becomes more desirable, or indeed, a TV85 to help smooth things out.

tmp_1640-DSC_03491034384377.JPG

As it's been snowing out, and doesn't look like improving, there will be no "first light" - if that even applies, for a mount - tonight. I will surely continue my assessment and share it with all of you who may be interested.

In the mean time, if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

:happy11:

Edited by iPeace
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Lovely, really lovely Mike :smiley:

I think the pics in this thread are the best ones I've seen of this mount anywhere - it looks so well put together.

The big test is when you use it of course. I'm looking forward to hearing about that almost as much as I am to using the Ercole !

 

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Ruddy hell this forum is doing my nut in!, go to post a reply and up comes a quote from previous!

back on topic :smiley: Nice, this mount looks a million dollars, just oozing quality.....only wish i could afford one, okay so i can afford one but i cant justify this kind of outlay, really looking forward to your "in use report" i suspect it will be good

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1 minute ago, jabeoo1 said:

iPeace......Once the decade of cloud clears please do inform us of its superiority over other designs. 

:)

Count on it. Anything in particular you'd like to know about, just put it up here, and I'll be only too happy.

:happy11:

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56 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

You mention polar align on this, but why would you even think about it on an AZ mount, sorry just curious about this

Indeed. The point is, that this design is a rework of the GM8 - and it incorporates parts which are manufactured in the original manner. This part could have been used on a GM8 - it has the polar alignment opening required for that mount. On the AZ8, it's just a curiosity with a very nice cap. Pretty cool.

:happy11:

For those interested, look closely and compare the GM8 to the AZ8. It's like using a GM8 in alt-az mode.

Apologies for not making this more clear in my post with the picture.

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