The mighty Rowan AZ100

[Saganite]

I bought this mount back in June of this year, and very quickly discovered what a superb  and solid piece of engineering it is. My Tak FC100, until it departed recently to a new owner, was carried by this mount , and while I wait hopefully for a Vixen ED103S to appear, it occurred to me that I might as well try my big refractor on it since it could be that or nothing for some time.  I got quite a surprise at the ease with which it handles the  D & G 5" f15 !

The weight of the OTA plus finder, electric focuser, binoviewer and eyepieces came in at  circa 12 kg, so well within the single side payload of 20 kg, but the length of the assembly at over 2 metres was my concern. This big refractor has spent the last 5 or so years operating on a solid steel pier bolted into a concrete block with an NEQ6 on top. It is an extremely solid pier, but the long OTA still takes 3 to 4 seconds to settle. When I first got the scope  I  mounted it on an EQ6 and Skywatcher 2" s/s tripod, which was even worse at around 5 or 6 seconds, so I was not expecting too much.

On the AZ100 and Berlebach UNI 18, with the tripod set so that the OTA rides at 56 " above the ground, the settle time is a little over  3 seconds,  almost the same as the pier /NEQ6 combination...quite remarkable.  Of course a little effort is required to balance the scope but once done and the friction clutch on the altitude is  adjusted, the slow motion control raises and lowers this leviathan with ease. Disengage the azimuth friction clutch, level the scope, and the gentlest push with a finger will see the scope complete at least a full circle, as smooth as you like.

This set up resides where it is shown and is just a few steps from being outside, and I joked with Dave ( f15 Rules), the previous owner of this scope, that I still have a 'Grab N go '.

I spoke with Derek at Rowan  Astronomy about the development of the drive motors and he said that they produce sufficient torque for this set up so I very much look forward to that option.

A shoulder injury 12 months ago which is stubbornly refusing to heal completely  (  68 year old components ) , has reduced the frequency of the pier/ NEQ6 use with Andromeda, and I was beginning to think that the time was approaching when I may have to consider parting with this beautiful telescope, but that has now changed !

The question for me now is do I need the 4" frac option to accompany my 12" OO VX  Dob ?  I am not sure that I do, but I fear that is an itch I will have to scratch.

Edited October 27, 2020 by Saganite

[Roy Challen]

That is very nice indeed.

[Telescope40]

Looking good, fella 👍👍👍

John

[Space Hopper]

Impressive. How does the big F15 perform with the Denk 2 ?

[Louis D]

51 minutes ago, Saganite said:

A shoulder injury 12 months ago which is stubbornly refusing to heal completely  (  68 year old components )

I injured my 52 year old shoulder a couple of years ago in a work fall, and it is still not 100%, so you're not alone.  Give it another year or two, it does get a bit better each year.

My 34 year old back was injured in an auto accident 20 years ago, and it never recovered to 100%.  I had to quit using my 15" Dob as a result of that one.

As Bill Clinton said in 1992, "I feel your pain".

[John]

Great report and a wonderful combination of telescope and mount Steve

I hope your injury continues to make some gradual improvement and I'm so pleased that the excellent Rowan AZ100 will enable you to continue to own and operate Andromeda 

 

[F15Rules]

Steve,

It's just great that you look like being able to keep Andromeda 👍..scopes like that come along only rarely, and we both know that the scopes' optics are exquisite.

That Rowan Altaz mount also looks superb, and it's ability to handle such a large scope so smoothly is testament to it's wonderful engineering.

A Vixen ED103s will make a genuinely top notch grab and go setup - and it would make a great Megafinder sitting on top of Andromeda too!😂🤣😎

Your evident delight and enthusiasm for your setup is heartwarming, and I wish you well both with your observing, and importantly with your continuing recovery from your injury.😊

Dave

[Saganite]

16 hours ago, Space Hopper said:

Impressive. How does the big F15 perform with the Denk 2 ?

Hi Rob,

The Denks work perfectly. A pair of 24mm Panoptics give me 111X,  158X,  and 198X , at the flick of a switch, but I can go much lower and higher with powers from a range of eyepiece pairs, 35mm to 10mm. These I have put together because until recently I had scopes with focal lengths ranging from f5.3 , f7.4, and f15, and I probably will eventually replace the Tak with a Vixen at f7.7.

 

[Saganite]

9 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Steve,

It's just great that you look like being able to keep Andromeda 👍..scopes like that come along only rarely, and we both know that the scopes' optics are exquisite.

That Rowan Altaz mount also looks superb, and it's ability to handle such a large scope so smoothly is testament to it's wonderful engineering.

A Vixen ED103s will make a genuinely top notch grab and go setup - and it would make a great Megafinder sitting on top of Andromeda too!😂🤣😎

Your evident delight and enthusiasm for your setup is heartwarming, and I wish you well both with your observing, and importantly with your continuing recovery from your injury.😊

Dave

Cheers Dave,

I don't know why it took me so long to try it really, but it works and is a solution to a problem, so all is well now.

[Saganite]

10 hours ago, John said:

Great report and a wonderful combination of telescope and mount Steve

I hope your injury continues to make some gradual improvement and I'm so pleased that the excellent Rowan AZ100 will enable you to continue to own and operate Andromeda 

 

Thanks John,

I always felt, from the moment I saw it at Dave's home that it was a lifetime scope.

[Alan White]

That looks wonderful Steve, and as others have said a testament to the Rowan engineering, which is superb.
As you know I have a similar itch, but for an AZ100 that needs urgent scratching as well.
So pleased to see Andromeda riding again, what a wonderful scope she is.
 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Alan White

[garryblueboy]

Looks great Steve the AZ100 is something else mount wise it handled my 150 TOA with ease

can’t wait for the motors to come available it will be the only mount I need then 

[Saganite]

It just got better !

On my pier it is even more solid....settle time under 2 seconds