Mount options for a 102 Frac

[Stardaze]

I'm definitely going to purchase one of the Starfield, TS, Altair, Tecnosky 102 options next year but I'm really divided on which mount to pair it with. There's not a great lot of choice in the alt/az mid-priced range, is everything geared towards EQ mounts? The obvious option is a Skytee 2, but I don't think I'm going to need a dual mount, so is there something better suited? Most models I've read about seem to have minor niggles, it's tricky to see an obvious option. 

[johninderby]

The Rowan AZ75 looks interesting and sure it will be on sale soon.Perhaps a bit overkill for a 102 frac but nthat’s not a bad thing. 😁

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by johninderby

[mikeDnight]

As a grab and go basic but sturdy Altaz, I think the AZ4 is a fairly stable option that won't break the bank. It may only be a simple push/pull mount but I've used one for years and love it.

I also use a Tak Teegul Altaz that has slow motion controls, which is great for high power tracking but it is quite a bit heavier than the AZ4.

Then theres the option of advertising for an old Vixen Polaris mount, which is both an Altazimuth and an equatorial. Superbly solid with slow motion controls, but only available second-hand.

 

[Stardaze]

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The Rowan AZ75 looks interesting and sure it will be on sale soon.

 

Thanks John. I had seen this, looks lovely, though still, it’s double sided, which I’m not sure I’ll use. Or am I missing something there? 

[Dave1]

There is plenty of choice in the Alt/AZ mount range. It all depends on your budget. You have Tele-Optic Giro mounts, Rowan AZ100, Altair Sabre II, APM AzMaxLoad, TeleVue Gibraltar, AOKswiss range. 

[johninderby]

Just now, Stardaze said:

Thanks John. I had seen this, looks lovely, though still, it’s double sided, which I’m not sure I’ll use. Or am I missing something there? 

Don’t have to fit saddles to both sides.

[Stardaze]

6 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

As a grab and go basic but sturdy Altaz, I think the AZ4 is a fairly stable option that won't break the bank. It may only be a simple push/pull mount but I've used one for years and love it.

I also use a Tak Teegul Altaz that has slow motion controls, which is great for high power tracking but it is quite a bit heavier than the AZ4.

Then theres the option of advertising for an old Vixen Polaris mount, which is both an Altazimuth and an equatorial. Superbly solid with slow motion controls, but only available second-hand.

 

That vixen looks nice Mike, it’s a new one on me. The AZ4 seems to support more than the AZ5, which is a little confusing.

 

 

[johninderby]

The AZ4 doesn’t have slo-mo controls unlike the AZ5 but will carry a bit more weight than the AZ5.

Edited December 19, 2021 by johninderby

[Stardaze]

9 minutes ago, Dave1 said:

There is plenty of choice in the Alt/AZ mount range. It all depends on your budget. You have Tele-Optic Giro mounts, Rowan AZ100, Altair Sabre II, APM AzMaxLoad, TeleVue Gibraltar, AOKswiss range. 

The Ercole and sabre II style look like possible options but hadn’t seen any good reviews of either? The new smaller AZ75  looks the biz but no slow mo controls. That’ said, I haven’t a preference as very little experience previously so I’m sure I’ll just get used to whatever I get. 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Stardaze

[mikeDnight]

9 minutes ago, Stardaze said:

That vixen looks nice Mike, it’s a new one on me. The AZ4 seems to support more than the AZ5, which is a little confusing.

 

 

Yes, the AZ4 is a more solid mount than the AZ5. I think they made the AZ5 down to a price, and its casting isn't as large or as solid as the AZ4. 

[johninderby]

One factor to consider when looking at some of the AZ mounts is do they need a counterweight? The AZ75 doesn’t need a counterweight..

Edited December 19, 2021 by johninderby

[John]

I've had positive experiences with the AZ-4 and 4 inch refractors as well. It's not quite stable enough for an F/9 (in my opinion) but it handled my Vixen ED102SS F/6.5 well. Currently I use a Skytee II or an Ercole with my 120mm and smaller refractors:

 

 

 

 

[johninderby]

Can’t beat the Skytee II for value. Not exactly a precision bit of kit but performs far better than the sum of it’s parts.. 👍🏻

Edited December 19, 2021 by johninderby

[Dave1]

9 minutes ago, Stardaze said:

The Ercole and sabre II style look like possible options but hadn’t seen any good reviews of either? The new smaller AZ75  looks the biz but no slow mo controls. That’ said, I haven’t a preference as very little experience previously so I’m sure I’ll just get used to whatever I get. 

I've had a Altair Sabre II, it was a very good mount and would handle a 102mm F7 very well. I used to use an heavy brass 102mm F15 on it, but because of the length of the telescope the Altair was pushed, but still had very quick dampening time on the vibrations about 3 seconds.

Quite a few members here have had the Ercole and sing its praises. Here's one review Tele Optic Giro Ercole Review | Alpha Lyrae (alpha-lyrae.co.uk)

Edited December 19, 2021 by Dave1

[Stardaze]

4 minutes ago, John said:

I've had positive experiences with the AZ-4 and 4 inch refractors as well. It's not quite stable enough for an F/9 (in my opinion) but it handled my Vixen ED102SS F/6.5 well. Currently I use a Skytee II or an Ercole with my 120mm and smaller refractors:

 

 

 

 

When do you use the ercole over the skytee John? I like the look of them. The Skytee seems bombproof but isn’t the smoothest, from what I’ve ready. 

[johninderby]

The Skytee can be very smooth but as it’s a low cost mount a bit of adjusting may be needed to achieve this. 

[John]

Just now, Stardaze said:

When do you use the ercole over the skytee John? I like the look of them. The Skytee seems bombproof but isn’t the smoothest, from what I’ve ready. 

Actually mostly I use the Skytee II. The Ercole needs counterweighting to be really smooth in both axis of movement. The Skytee II is not as nicely made by any means but does not need a counterweight even with the heavier ED120 on board.

I keep the Ercole because I like it's simple design and high quality construction.

 

[badhex]

+1 for the Skytee. That's what I was using in my first light report on the TS 102.

All of that said, mine is not perfect out of the box, but by no means unusable. Az is very smooth but Alt is a bit stiff in the cold due to the infamous sticky grease, so I have brought a tube of Aeroshell 33 to regrease it sometime in the new year.

There are plenty of threads around on regreasing and tuning up the mount but appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea having to strip and regrease a new mount! 

[Deadlake]

The Scopetech zero as well. I also have an AZ100 plus other mounts as well, but I think for grab n’ go best option given it’s weight… Has slow mo, just need to attach the cables.

[Mr Spock]

EQ5. I can't cope with having to track the scope manually. It's just more faff. Bung it outside, switch it on, and away you go. You can concentrate on what you are looking at instead of fiddling with the mount 👍
That rotatable focuser means you never have to get in an awkward position. Perfect!

[Roy Challen]

9 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

 

Then theres the option of advertising for an old Vixen Polaris mount, which is both an Altazimuth and an equatorial. Superbly solid with slow motion controls, but only available second-hand.

 

+1 for the Vixen Polaris! It's an oldie but a goodie! 

[Stardaze]

46 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

The Scopetech zero as well. I also have an AZ100 plus other mounts as well, but I think for grab n’ go best option given it’s weight… Has slow mo, just need to attach the cables.

I was thinking that the weight was on the limit for a scope tech at 4.5kg?

28 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

EQ5. I can't cope with having to track the scope manually. It's just more faff. Bung it outside, switch it on, and away you go. You can concentrate on what you are looking at instead of fiddling with the mount 👍
That rotatable focuser means you never have to get in an awkward position. Perfect!

Interesting as this is where I have two thoughts. They are excellent value for money and seem to show the ALT/AZ's as being over-priced by comparison, especially the sky tee. They must be the best value mount for a medium-sized scope. But it's really interesting in that you like an EQ mount for grab and go, which contradicts my reasoning. When I did have an EQ mount (early days granted) I'd always get caught up in aligning and trying to have it working as it should. I guess you can point and shoot, to a point.

9 hours ago, johninderby said:

Can’t beat the Skytee II for value. Not exactly a precision bit of kit but performs far better than the sum of it’s parts.. 👍🏻

They seem a bit over-priced to me these days John? The fact that it will need stripping and re-greasing for a £300 mount, kinda puts me off a little.  I'm thinking that I'd like something that doesn't need any faffing with. I'll probably save a little initially with some stainless legs but some wooden versions later on will inevitably happen I think. AZ75 does look worth the extra is my thoughts. 

[Stardaze]

41 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

EQ5. I can't cope with having to track the scope manually. It's just more faff. Bung it outside, switch it on, and away you go. You can concentrate on what you are looking at instead of fiddling with the mount 👍
That rotatable focuser means you never have to get in an awkward position. Perfect!

PS. What diagonal did you plumb for with yours?

[RobertI]

I also use the Skytee with my 102ED which, with the 2” tripod, is super stable. However I do sometimes wish for something lighter and simpler for quick sessions and have been looking at the AZ4. Given the good reviews here I’m more convinced and it’s only £190 including tripod which is tremendous value. I also like the panning handle - I really hate having to grab the diagonal to steer the scope. 

[johninderby]

I’ve not found it necessary to strip and regrease a Skytee. Adjusting the gear mesh is usually all that’s required. A simple 5 minute job. The TS AZ5 version of the Skytee I had was perfect as it was with nothing needing doing to it.