Building a "new" newbie setup. Evostar 120 / AZ GTi / stainless steel tripod

[InterstellarTim]

Hi everyone,

Been a space nut for ages and currently enjoying many a documentary (Last Man on the Moon / In the Shadow of the Moon / Apollo 11 / Armstrong to name a few as im sure many of you have seen) and got my first scope - a Celestron Powerseeker 80EQ Refractor. Have loved using the scope itself to view the moon and a few other bits but just cannot get on with the EQ mount at all and am definitely a grab and go, star hop, "throw on some hans zimmer" and just look around in wonderment type of observer. Also, having a demanding job, father of two small children and a wife my time is limited so am looking to get a larger refractor and go with an AltAz mount instead, so i can point and go and not have to worry about collimation either.

To give a little background on how i arrived at the setup below, i initially considered the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102 AZ Refractor which although pricey (320ish) seemed to tick all the boxes - its abit bigger than what i have, has smartphone plate solving so i can hop to stuff quickly and is an AltAz mount. I did look at the Nexstar 4 also due to its GoTo capabilities but was under the impression you cant use the mount freely when you dont want to use GoTo.

Sounded perfect but as the rabbit hole of this hobby went deeper i came across SkyWatchers, namely the StarTravel 102 and 120 refractors and thought i could stretch a little further and get something even better (i have since removed the 150 from the list after discovering a) how large the scope itself is b) having to worry about mounting the thing and c) actually storing it and getting it outside late at night.

After further research on both the scopes and what i want out of them, the Evostar range of SkyWatchers seems to make more sense for mainly lunar and planetary observations and some general star exploring that i want to do (i have no interest currently in AP and understand there is no one scope that does absolutely everything and feel like the Evostar is the best compromise for my wants).

So, currently here is the build im looking to put together, id love any input on this combo (namely if it will all fit together as supplied which i think it will).

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SkyWatcher Evostar 120mm Refractor - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/skywatcher-evostar-120-ota.html

Sky-Watcher AZ GTi WiFi Alt-Az Astronomy Mount Only - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi-alt-az-mount-tripod.html
OR Sky-Watcher AZ5 Deluxe Alt-Azimuth Astronomy Mount - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe-alt-azimuth-mount.html

Sky-Watcher AZ Mount Extension Tube - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe-mount-extension-tube.html
Sky-Watcher 3/8" Stainless Steel Tripod - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/sky-watcher-38-stainless-steel-tripod.html

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My main concern is weight and balance as the scope  i believe is 5.1kg and both mounts state max payload of 5kg. I do like the fact that the manual AZ5 has slow motion controls as well as being cheaper. Another factor is exactly how reliable and usable the wifi GoTo is (Celestrons Astro-Fi series have pretty bad writeups for connectivity and dropping out that i've seen and wondered if this is inherent to all of them) the fact thats its app controlled is also more appealing than a dedicated handheld too.

Any thoughts, suggestions or criticisms are welcome. Thanks!

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

The Evostar 120 is too long and heavy for the AZ GTI.

The max payload of the AZ5 when paired with the 1.75" steel tripod is 9kg. However, the AZ5 is better suited to shorter scopes eg, Maksutovs, wide field refractors etc.

An AZ4 would save you a considerable amount of ££ and is proven to work with the Evostar.

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[InterstellarTim]

Thanks for the feedback Scouse! Nearly added that to the list after seeing the purchaser comment mentioning them using the exact same scope with it. The lack of slow motion controls did put me off though.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

There's always the EQ5 Deluxe option if slomo is a game changer. It's in the same price range as some of the variations you offered up. 

[InterstellarTim]

Hmmmm back to the drawing board, had really hoped for AltAz, the SkyTree II and Vixen Porta 2 are on my radar but pricey!

[johninderby]

3 minutes ago, InterstellarTim said:

Hmmmm back to the drawing board, had really hoped for AltAz, the SkyTree II and Vixen Porta 2 are on my radar but pricey!

No this is pricey. 😁

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/rowan-az100-alt-az-mount.html

However worth every penny. 👍🏻

[InterstellarTim]

That looks really cool  Just seen in another thread that the AZ5 mount is not so much the weight of the scope, but the length of it being the critical thing here. The SkyTree II seems to be the best option although would run me 360ish with a steel tripod included plus the cost of the scope itself which is currently around 270.

[HollyHound]

4 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

The Evostar 120 is too long and heavy for the AZ GTI.

The max payload of the AZ5 when paired with the 1.75" steel tripod is 9kg. However, the AZ5 is better suited to shorter scopes eg, Maksutovs, wide field refractors etc.

An AZ4 would save you a considerable amount of ££ and is proven to work with the Evostar.

 

I have that exact combo (AZ5 on the 1.75" steel tripod). I've used it with Skywatcher Mak 127, Celestron C5, Skywatcher ST80 and ST120, and confirm it was rock solid for all these. I leave this setup with the Celestron C5 and Hyperion 8-24 zoom, as a "grab and go" scope, it can be picked up very easily and moved outside in a minute as required. I did think that with the ST120 on board, it seemed at my limit for something I would consider moving in one go, and not sure how it would cope with a longer focal length refractor. I do have the StellaMira 800m f/10, but not tried it on this yet.

I find both the normal motion (with clutches disengaged) and slow motion controls, to be very smooth and natural in use. The clutch controls are small but easy to operate.

I also have the SkyTee 2, which I have used on the same type of tripod, but is now mounted on a Berlebach Uni 28. The SkyTee is a lovely mount, it can easily take any of the scopes either as a single scope or dual mounted. When properly balanced, it is a delight to move around either manually or with the slow motion controls. The clutch controls on this are excellent. As I have added ADM saddles to both end (the version I received was drilled for an additional saddle now!), I am also able to use the top saddle to hold a TelRad (which just slots into the saddle, holds nicely and can be adjusted using the SkyTee adjustment controls for exact centre), which is very handy indeed.

Edited June 19, 2020 by HollyHound

[HollyHound]

4 hours ago, InterstellarTim said:

the fact thats its app controlled is also more appealing than a dedicated handheld too.

I did have one of these... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/sky-watcher-star-discovery-wifi-az-goto-mount-tripod.html, but returned it as I found that I really didn't get on using the app. It was more that it was on a phone and I had to look each time to operate the on screen button controls, plus my screen kept timing out and then having to keep unlocking the phone. In addition, at the time, I couldn't run the SkyWatcher app and SkySafari simultaneously.

For my GoTo mount, I switched to an iOptron AZ Mount Pro (https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ioptron-mounts/ioptron-az-mount-pro.html), which although pricey (again!) has a lovely hand controller (which I can operate mostly without looking at it) and in addition, it connects using it's own WiFi to SkySafari on my iPad too... so best of both worlds. I suspect the SkyWatcher hand controls are also just as good, but never used them.

Having said all this, I have read good things about the AZ GTI mount, and did consider getting it before I decided on the iOptron.

Hope this helps, rather than confuse you even further 😬