Help needed in new mount decision.

[mhudson]

Hi,

I’m looking for some help in deciding on a new portable premium mount for Astrophotography.  Currently I have a modified DSLR in use (also have a Starlight CCD boxed up waiting to come out to play soon).  I’m no stranger to premium mounts having owned an AP1200 in the past.

I’m looking for something that can handle a small refractor and APM 152 f/8 Refractor (yes I like refractors) - one at a time, so probably looking at around 15kg payload with cameras etc.  Extra spare capacity is welcome for possible future use.  Prime use will be imaging and I want something that won’t take much more than 30-40mins to set-up and get running with tracking capable of say 10mins unguided (I may look to do guiding at a later date perhaps with an OAG or ONAG (just to eliminate flexure as much as possible).  I want the mount to be reliable in operation and set-up in order to maximise the few opportunities I have to get to good skies.  On that subject I am based in the Midlands of the UK, so skies locally are not the best, I can get to better skies in 30mins or good to very good in 90mins or so.

Also I’ve never been a big fan of taking a laptop into the field, but if I’m to get using my SXV CCD Camera again I will need to, so it’s not the end of the world if I need to do that (just need to figure out how to power it - any suggestions).  Also it may be that I can’t get the best from the mounts without a laptop (MacBook - can run a Windows VM in Parallels) or tablet (iPad).

So my short(ish) list has ended up as follows:

• Paramount MyT - lower than 10Micron on capacity and MUST have a laptop/tablet connected to work (see above), well established company and great software suite which supports Mac (not sure the SXV-H9 works with the camera addon though).  Plus it’s a lovely red colour… lol.
• 10Micron GM1000 HPS and GM2000 HPS UP - (do I really need Absolute Encoders and to spend the extra cash, will I really benefit).  Supposedly great unguided capabilites due to it’s modelling abilities.
• AP 900 - while probably on the edge of portability, these seem difficult to get second hand in the UK.
• AP Mach1 - very tempting now, considering the 30kg capacity.

 

I have also looked at the ASA DDM85 (too expensive), the Mesu 200 (doesn’t look very portable).

 

I have read and researched for months on this topic, so I have seen good and bad reports for just about all mounts, but I need a balanced opinion (if possible) to help me make my final decision and place an order.  Right now it’s really between the MyT and 10Micron, but not sure if I can justify the extra for 10Micron considering how many clear nights I get and how many I can get out on.  I am aware I may need to make some sacrifices to get what is suitable to me.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated, especially if you have first hand experience with these mounts.

Thanks everyone, Mark 

(desperate to get a new shiny mount).

[Whirlwind]

Hi Mark

The Mach1GTO is rated at 30kg not 20kg

http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/mounts/mach1gto/mach1gto

Capacity

Approximately 65 lb. (30 kg) of scope and accessories, depending on length. Recommended for: Astro-Physics and similar fast refractors up to our 160 mm f7.5 Starfire EDF, 8-12" SCTs and 8-10" Maks. These are only guidelines. Some telescopes are very long for their weight or heavy for their size and will require a larger mount. Remember also that imaging requirements are more rigid than visual observation.

Not sure what the issue with importing was, seemed OK when I had mine imported.  More difficult was getting the Utterly Pointless Service to do the delivery.

Other options could be the Vixen AXD mount (30kg) but not heard much about this one.
There is the Avalon M - Uno (20kg) a bit low on the weight, unsure how it would deal with a 150mm refractor with such a large moment (no meridian flip)

As for the computer have you considered something like the PrimaLuce Lab Eagle as that is a portable computer that you can then control wirelessly from a phone, ipad etc.  Also allows you to power pretty much everything through one hub.

 

 

[andrew s]

I think any of these mount will work well for you. 

I have used Paramounts with TSX for years and been very happy with them. There is a sx h9 driver.

Others on here strongly support the 10 micron mounts.

Regards Andrew 

 

[mhudson]

Thanks Guys for the quick responses.

Sorry, that was my error on the Mach1 weight capacity and as such that is also under consideration now.

Certainly the PrimaLuce looks interesting and is probably something I will consider.

And it's good to know the SXV-H9 is supported in the TSX.

Many Thanks, Mark

[mhudson]

BTW, I've edited the original post to reflect the correct Mach1 capacity of 30kg. 

[ollypenrice]

The Mach One is very appealing. The Mesu is my favourite mount of all but it isn't my idea of portable, not on a night by night basis.

For high portability and very good performance I wouldn't overlook the Avalon range, notably the linear fast reverse. There really is a lot to be said for these.

Olly

[DaveS]

Out of that list I think I'd go for the 10micron, now that ASA have discontinued the DDM60.

[swag72]

If I was looking for a premium mount to carry my TMB152/1200 I'd be looking at an Astro Physics mount for sure.

[Anderscn]

How about the Fornax 52? 

It is high on my list.

 BR,

Anders

[alan4908]

As a 10micron GM1000HPS user - I'd definitely recommend this mount - it will easily handle your estimated 15kg payload.

Interestingly, since moving from guided to unguided imaging my imaging productivity rate has increased, which I put down to the elimination of acquiring and losing guide stars.

I currently image at 0.7 arc seconds per pixel with an Esprit 150 mounted on the GM1000HPS and take up to unguided 30min subs, if I compare the performance to guiding at 1.4 arc seconds/pixel with ED80 on my NEQ6 then it regularly gives me smaller star aspect ratios when I measure these with CCDInspector.

You do need to build a sky model before you image, however, this can be done at twilight so you will not waste any imaging time. Since I operate my mount in a permanent setup, I tend to build a detailed (100 point) models, which cover all areas of my observable sky - I find that it lasts 1 - 2 months before it stars to degrade and I need to build a new one.  I've never used it in a portable set up but I know that many users do, you might wish to investigate the various forums on cloudynights.

Alan