Want a grab and go

[dark knight]

OK I'm after a nice grab and go set up for mainly the solar system, if can do some brighter dso's it would be a bonus. I've seen the skymax 127 on an AZ GTI mount on FLO website at what seems a very reasonable price. Anyone any experience with this set up, any thoughts on something better, advice very  welcome

[LaurenceT]

I've got the 127 and Az GTi and I'm very pleased with it both for visual and my poor attempts at lunar/planetary photography. Bear in mind that the dovetail is fixed and not on rings, can be a problem if you ever put the mount into EQ/AZ dual mode. If you want to use the combination of mount and Mak in AZ mode you have to connect the scope to the right side of the mount so everything else becomes "upside down".

[dark knight]

Srry, do you mean in eq mode everything is upside down? My intention is to use it for visual use so should not be a problem, if I went down the eq route in future I'd put a small refractor on it like my ed50 for some astrophotography 

[LaurenceT]

If you install the dual  mode Synscan Pro firmware on the AZ-GTI you are prompted to indicate whether you want to use the mount in EQ mode or AZ mode for that session when you open the app.

If you want to use it AZ mode for visual for instance you have to mount the scope on right side of the mount.

If you only want to use it for visual then ensure that the firmware is for Alt Az mode only. If you look at the images for the mount and scope setup on Astro equipment retailer sites you'll see the scope mounted on the left.

It sounds bonkers I know but if you only want to do visual then all you have to do is make sure the right firmware is installed, if buy new then it will come with the right firmware for visual.

[dark knight]

OK thnx for that, how does the set up perform, does it give reasonable views of the solar system? Is the mount stable enough for visual use? For similar money are there better alternatives?

[LaurenceT]

The setup of the mount and scope performs very well for solar system objects, the pair are frequently bundled together. The main issue I had was the stability of the tripod that can be part of a bundle. The standard tripod, in my humble opinion, is not particularly stable for the combination of Mak 127 and Az GTi. I found that when I adjusted the focus of the scope there was an unacceptable amount of wobble in the eyepiece which took a while to settle down. My solution was to buy another tripod:

Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel 1.75" Tripod with 3/8" thread | First Light Optics

and also an electronic focuser:

Sky-Watcher Auto Focuser | First Light Optics

Using this setup I find it much more satisfying. If I were to start over with this combination I would buy the items separately but of course it's up to you. 

[AstroNebulee]

I used to have this set up first and was blown away by the contrast it gives on lunar views and imaging. 

The views of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars were nice too, though I mainly used it for imaging. It's lovely for double stars and had a lot of fun finding and splitting them. 

As Laurence said above the tripod is the weak point it I always used mine unextended with the extension pillar and was stable enough for me. 

The 127 will take a few seconds to settle on the wobble but isn't to bad atall. 

You can use a peg or marmite lid as a mod for the focuser to give you fine focus. 

I sadly had to sell my skymax 127 and I would buy this combination again in a heart beat, I miss the 127 so much. 

Lee

Edited October 11, 2022 by AstroNebulee