Skywatcher AZ-EQ5

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

My Celestron AVX does a good job. My refractor is held solidly. With a two star+ 1 calib star align it places objects into the fov of a 16mm 82° eyepiece. Once centred it will keep the object in the centre of the fov for at least a ninety minutes (the longest I have walked away from the kit). The down side being polar alignment and then star aligning eats into limited observing time. I very rarely try AP.

Likewise, my AZGTi has been great - easy to set up and be up and running within minutes. The point and track mode is good for those grab and go lunar sessions etc. The downside being the limited payload capacity - I don't actually own an appropiate telescope to mount on it at the moment.

The AZ5 is a useful grab and go alt az manual mount for quick sessions but th f7 102mm refractor doesn't perform so well on it - I find the focusing and movement vibrations a tad annoying. 

I don't really want to buy a smaller aperture/shorter/lighter telescope to mount on the AZGTI and AZ5. I've considered a Skymax 127 but I would prefer to not have several mounts & scopes taking up space. I like my one refractor and two binoculars inventory.

The AZ-EQ5 seems to cover all bases - an ideal replacement for all those three mounts - relatively light weight, quick to start observing in alt az mode (I assume the same/similar procedure as the Azgti Syncan north level?) and works manually if required with clutches released?

If I sold those three mounts I should recoup most of the cost of an AZ-EQ5.  So is my reasoning sound and assumptions about the AZ-EQ5 correct? Have I answered my own questions? 

Thanks in advance for any advice or insights.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Greymouser]

I was thinking a similar way, one mount to replace two, whilst maintaining ease of use. For me  it was the Sky Tee and Evolution, though I am not sure about the Evolution, because it is a very good mount, with excellent tracking/goto. With all its flaws, I will be keeping my AZGTi though, it is just too convenient. Therefore I hope your reasoning is good, because it is pretty much the same as mine.  

I ordered an AZ-EQ5 yesterday, partly to avoid the ( probable, ) impending price hike! Now I just have to wait for it to be dispatched from FLO...

 

[DeanCJ]

Hi ScouseSpaceCadet, I purchased (from one of our members) an az-eq5 in November last year. Due to me working away from home I have only managed to use it a few times. I have used it in az mode with my 8se on the primary saddle, and my Altair ed102 on the secondary saddle. The mount handles this combination very easily, and I suspect it could handle plenty more. I am using a Nevada 6-8 amp power supply with a Lynx Astro power cable, for alignment I use the 8se with a 10mm slv de-focused slightly to help with centralisation. I have found the go-to’s to be very accurate. The mount, being belt driven, even on a fast slew, is exceptionally quiet. 
Despite some reports  of play in the ra axis, it is absolutely rock solid when focusing, no decreeable wobble’s etc. 
I have no experience with an az-grill but I do have a 127 Mak with a Synscan az mount and  the alignment procedure is exactly the same, ie as you say pointing North and level. 
As far as weight goes it is surprisingly, heavy, more than I expected to be honest   when attached to the tripod. 
Unfortunately I cannot leave the mount assembled so the set up time is probably at least 30 minutes, as I bought a Geoptik mount bag , the mount has to be stored in eq mode, so when setting up the secondary saddle is fixed to the counter weight bar via a 5mm cap head, and the mount manually cranked through to az mode. I am sure I will be quicker with experience. 
If you could store it assembled that would be great. 
I personally think it is a great mount and suits my needs perfectly.

 

[Shimrod]

4 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

My Celestron AVX does a good job. My refractor is held solidly. With a two star+ 1 calib star align it places objects into the fov of a 16mm 82° eyepiece. Once centred it will keep the object in the centre of the fov for at least a ninety minutes (the longest I have walked away from the kit). The down side being polar alignment and then star aligning eats into limited observing time. I very rarely try AP.

Likewise, my AZGTi has been great - easy to set up and be up and running within minutes. The point and track mode is good for those grab and go lunar sessions etc. The downside being the limited payload capacity - I don't actually own an appropiate telescope to mount on it at the moment.

The AZ5 is a useful grab and go alt az manual mount for quick sessions but th f7 102mm refractor doesn't perform so well on it - I find the focusing and movement vibrations a tad annoying. 

I don't really want to buy a smaller aperture/shorter/lighter telescope to mount on the AZGTI and AZ5. I've considered a Skymax 127 but I would prefer to not have several mounts & scopes taking up space. I like my one refractor and two binoculars inventory.

The AZ-EQ5 seems to cover all bases - an ideal replacement for all those three mounts - relatively light weight, quick to start observing in alt az mode (I assume the same/similar procedure as the Azgti Syncan north level?) and works manually if required with clutches released?

If I sold those three mounts I should recoup most of the cost of an AZ-EQ5.  So is my reasoning sound and assumptions about the AZ-EQ5 correct? Have I answered my own questions? 

Thanks in advance for any advice or insights.

 

 

You have gone the reverse direction to me - I started off with (and still have) an AVX, but bought the AZ-GTI for a smaller mount that could easily be taken on holiday. I have an 80ed and ZS61 that I can use on both mounts just fine. 

Have you considered the Ioptron Az mount pro? It was on my list before deciding to get the smaller and cheaper AZ GTI - it offers a quick set up and is self contained with a battery pack. If AP isn't your thing then how important is it to get a mount that offers an EQ option?

Alternatively, have you considered getting a ipolar or polemaster for the AVX? I have the ipolar and it makes set up much quicker.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Thanks to you both. I'm seriously considering going ahead. I should get about £950 if I sell all three mounts, so not much to make up the remaining cost.

Shimrod another option is an Ioptron AZ Pro but the reviews I've read are a bit so-so... and it does cost £60 more for pretty much the same functionality?

 

Edit: I totally forgot about Celestron Starsense. Does this really save much time?

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Greymouser]

28 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Thanks to you both. I'm seriously considering going ahead.

 

Be quick deciding, there were four in stock at FLO yesterday, now only two. A price rise is probable and FLO are by far the best seller. ( Never mind how many months till restocked... )

[Shimrod]

3 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Thanks to you both. I'm seriously considering going ahead. I should get about £950 if I sell all three mounts, so not much to make up the remaining cost.

Shimrod another option is an Ioptron AZ Pro but the reviews I've read are a bit so-so... and it does cost £60 more for pretty much the same functionality?

 

Edit: I totally forgot about Celestron Starsense. Does this really save much time?

 

Ioptron or polemaster are much cheaper than the Starsense (especially with recent price rises) if you just want to get better polar alignment before doing the star alignment with the mount. Starsense automates the second part and is self-contained (no laptop required). I find Starsense does help make alignment quicker in my light-polluted skies and I can also get set up before I can see the stars visually - but for the price of both devices it might be worth considering the staraid revolution as an alternative.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Thanks for the feedback. Instead of selling the mounts plus cash, for roughly the same outlay I can pick up a new Skymax 127 to use with the AZ5 and AZGTI...  Despite my reservations about kit overload, this does give me more observing options and is less hassle than selling the mounts... Gawd.. decisions, decisions... I may just toss a coin. 🙄

[catburglar]

I don’t know if you’ve tossed the coin yet. I had an AZ-EQ5…It had some play in the RA/AZ axis…It did work in AZ mode, but it wasn’t particularly quick to switch between AZ and EQ, so I ended up using it in EQ mode almost exclusively…Also…the skywatcher/SynScan alignment process seems a bit old tech, and there’s no good way using the hand control to improve the mount model for go to(the sync option seems to replace previous sync points rather than add to them)…So if I was doing it again I think I’d go Celestron or iOptron unless you really need the EQ mode

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

8 hours ago, catburglar said:

I don’t know if you’ve tossed the coin yet. I had an AZ-EQ5…It had some play in the RA/AZ axis…It did work in AZ mode, but it wasn’t particularly quick to switch between AZ and EQ, so I ended up using it in EQ mode almost exclusively…Also…the skywatcher/SynScan alignment process seems a bit old tech, and there’s no good way using the hand control to improve the mount model for go to(the sync option seems to replace previous sync points rather than add to them)…So if I was doing it again I think I’d go Celestron or iOptron unless you really need the EQ mode

Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning more toward a C5 or 127mm Mak for my other mounts I think. I've just bought an extension cable for the AVX Nexstar handset. A major flaw in the package is the daft handset cable! The AVX does work well and holds my refractor solidly. So for the time being, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... 👍

[iapa]

On 21/01/2022 at 21:09, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

So for the time being, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... 👍

+1