Show off your Alt-Azimuth mounts

[John]

With the exciting new Rowan AZ100 alt-azimuth mount finding its way to new owners hands now I thought it timely to start a thread to showcase the variety of alt-azimuth mounts that are in use for astronomy, both current ones and ones that are now out of production.

To start things off, here are a few of the ones that I have owned over the years:

1. Skywatcher AZ-3

2. Tele Optik Giro II

3. Tele Optic Ercole

4. Skywatcher AZ-4

5. Skytee II

6. Bray Tablet Mount

7. Ambermille Mount

8. "Moonshane" Dobsonian Mount

[Fozzie]

That's a serious collection @John over time... which was best?

Heres my offerings, skytee and a ball head pan plate combo!

Edited January 28, 2020 by Fozzie

[johninderby]

Looks like I’ll have to sort out a few photos. 😁

[CraigT82]

Wow John you've pretty much had them all! 

I've had the Skytee 2, and SW AZ goto previously.

Current inventory includes the obligitory AZ4 and the WO EZ-Touch, oh and a fullerscopes mkiii

 

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by CraigT82

[John]

20 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

That's a serious collection @John over time... which was best?

 

Hmmm .....

The ones I still have are the Skytee II and the Ercole, and the dob of course.

The Skytee II has proved a solid workhorse despite it's quirks (eg: crummy stock dovetail clamps). I don't know how long it will last though - my example is getting on a bit !

The Ercole is an elegant looking mount, really well made and works with finesse. I think it suits the long tube of the Tak FC-100 really well.

Of the ones that are gone, the Bray Tablet proved very hard to source but in the end was a little bit of a let down to be honest

The Ambermille "Giro style" mount was really strong and smooth but it used basic clamping which, though secure, shredded DT bars. If I still had it I would have found a way to fit ADM or similar clamps to the thing and then it would have been even better than the Ercole I think.

 

[John]

18 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Looks like I’ll have to sort out a few photos. 😁

Yes please John - you have had some cracking alt-az's plus the lovely AZ100 of course

[GavStar]

My Panther TTS-160 loaded up. I’m very impressed with this mount.

Plus my T-Rex (soon to go to a new home..)

 

And the T-Rex next to my porta 2

 

[John]

Superb Gavin - thanks for posting

 

 

 

[Piero]

Great idea, John! Here are mine:

 

 

[John]

Thanks for posting those Piero - they are excellent

Great variety of alt-az mounts already - just what I was hoping for.

CraigT82's Fullescopes-in-alt az mode is a good reminder that some EQ mounts work really well this way.

[Alan White]

Great thread John.

Many the same as already here but....

Skywatcher AZ4, now long gone.


Skytee 2, now long gone.


Ercole Giro, Sadly long gone, miss this one a lot
and miss the tripod too.

 

My present Altair Sabre, like this one,
the ST80 though is long past.


As you might see like most here, I rather like an alt-az.
 

[John]

I'm very partial to an alt-az too Alan

 

[Space Hopper]

Here are mine :

I'm one of the few UK owners of an American made Discmounts DM-6, purchased new in 2014.  Many feel its one of the best manual Alt-az mounts there is (I'm biased)

Towards the end of 2018 i purchased a new TTS-160 Panther mount from 'Track the Stars'.   With a slightly red face, i must confess to hardly ever having used  it.......thats partly due to my preference of my DM-6 for easy manual alt-az.

The other part is that i need to 'fall in love' with the Panther. And i'm afraid i haven't. I actually dislike it, and have thought about selling it.

           

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by Space Hopper

[Fozzie]

That DM6.... 😎

[Space Hopper]

Thanks, its been one of my best astro purchases. And Tom Peters who runs DiscMounts in Florida was a pleasure to do business with.

It cost me a bit, but i was fortunate enough to buy it in 2014 when we were getting $1.70 / to the pound.

[John]

Pity that Discmounts at so thin on the ground on this side of the atlantic. All their models seem to attract great praise from those who own / use them.

I have seen the Panther a couple of times at shows and have had a demonstration of it. It seemed to operate effortlessly even with a massive and lengthy scope on board. I think it was a 200mm apo refractor in the demo that I saw.

Thanks for posting the pictures Space Hopper

[John]

Interesting to see the variety of tripod types being employed as well as the mounts themselves. Having a good tripod can make a lot of difference to a mounts performance

I rather like wood myself.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

A nice clutch of mounts!

My AZ5. Very happy with it.

And posted elsewhere, the AZ-GTI

They both do the job I got them for just fine, so no qualms.

Edited January 28, 2020 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[TakMan]

My original alt/az mount - the second generation of the WO EZTouch mount (that used to hold my TSA102s). I did put it up for sale some years ago, but thankfully it never sold!

Consigned to binocular duty (especially as a travel mount when on holiday down at the family caravan in Amroth, South Wales), it has recently had a second life holding the Borg 90FL (seen here whilst observing the recent transit of Mercury)....

My pride and joy though below. Like 'Space Hopper' above, another rare American made mount - my Half Hitch Nova Hitch mount. Complete with encoders, slow-motion controls and rudamentary tracking on both axis. Originally I used (still own) a SkyCommander unit, but SkySafari and an iPad take observing to another level. Used with the TEC140ED and with the TSA102s for solar with Quark.

A quick and simple adjustment of the saddle plate height keeps the amazing '2-axis balance', which affords sublime fluidity. Under observing, the mount really does 'disappear'.

 

 

Damian

Edited January 28, 2020 by TakMan

[Doc]

My two homemade alt/az mounts

 

 

 

 

[johninderby]

I have have had a few Alt Az mounts I suppose. 🤔

• Manfrotto 410 geared head with a Megrez 72
• Manfrotto 405 geared head with a Lyra 102 f11
• Skytee II with a Lyra 102 f/11 PST mod and another Lyra for white light.
• TS-AZ5 (Skytee)
• Skywatcher AZ5
• Skywatcher AZ-EQ5
• No pics bit also a WO EZtouch and a Giro mini
• Skywatcher SolarQuest 
• CPC 1100

 

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Miguel1983]

Here are mine, the AZ5, AZ GTI and Celestron fork.

The AZ GTI is good, but it suffers from a horrendous backlash, pointing is also not the best, but it is a very compact goto mount.

The AZ5 is good for lightweight gear, i use is mostly for my solar scope, i have used it for my Mak and ED80, if balance is good its not really a problem, but it close to the weight capacity.

The Celestron 11GPS mount is very good for it's age, its quiet, pointing and tracking is good, love it, one downside tough, it weighs a ton.

[johninderby]

Oh yes allmost forgot this little mount as well. 😁

Edited January 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Doc]

Here's a video on youtube off my mount.

 

 

[John]

Some simply gorgeous alt-az mounts here

Wonderful design and execution on both your mounts Doc