Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual

[quasar117]

5 minutes ago, John said:

The AZ-4 base will sit on the Uni 28 tripod hub in the same way that it does on the 1.75" steel tripod:

The Skytee II fully inserts into the recess on these tripod tops.

On the topic of the Skytee II, I have used my 130mm F/9.2 triplet refractor on the Skytee II and it has done quite well but not well enough (for my tastes) at the very high powers that this scope is capable of. The tripod is the Uni 28 here:

 

Thanks for clearing that up John. As you have the same tripod, how easy is the Skytee and tripod setup to move? Is it quite a lump even without the OTA?

Edited February 25 by quasar117

[Moonlit Night]

Like John said. If it was me I would add a 2 inch WO carbon diagonal or one of the Altair 2 inch ones. It’s future proofing really. 

[Moonlit Night]

Doesn’t JeremyS still run a 4 inch Tak on an AZ4? Must be a similar size to the Starfield? 

[John]

1 hour ago, quasar117 said:

Thanks for clearing that up John. As you have the same tripod, how easy is the Skytee and tripod setup to move? Is it quite a lump even without the OTA?

I can carry the Skytee II and Uni 28 tripod outside in one piece quite easily. My observing site is just a few paces from the door though. I would not want to carry it up and down stairs or 100's of feet from the house.

 

[RobertI]

One thing to note about the Skytee 2 is that the azimuth slo motion does not move round with the scope, it is fixed to the bottom part of the mount which does not move. So if you use slo mo cables, and you are panning round to different parts of the sky, you have to lift the entire rig to keep the slo mo cable in a convenient position close to hand. You can also end up bashing the scope against the slo mo cable as you move around. Not so much of a problem if you are observing just one object during the night, but most of the time a bit of a pain. So much so that I have removed the cables from my Skytee now. Some mounts are designed better and don’t have this problem (eg: AZ100) but it’s definitely worth considering if buying a mount with slo motion.

The other thing about the Skytee is the “top saddle”. What’s the point of it? I never really found a use for it, especially with the inconvenience of the extra counterweights needed. I ended up drilling some holes and attaching the saddle to the end of the alt axis as I use two scopes every now and then. I suspect most people use the Skytee with one scope though. The Skytee definitely represents value for money, especially if you’re on a budget, but if I was splashing out on a dual-scope mount now, id try and stretch to an AZ75.

Edited February 26 by RobertI

[Naughty Neal]

Skytee top saddle is handy for a Starsense or even a finder depending on the final height of the unit.  If using along frac/achro then one likely will have  a lower height for said item to be useful. 

[RobertI]

9 hours ago, RobertI said:

What’s the point of it?

Actually I have found the top saddle counterweight bar to be a very useful panning handle. 👍

[John]

On my Skytee II I have knobs rather than cables for slow motion controls.

 

[quasar117]

10 hours ago, RobertI said:

One thing to note about the Skytee 2 is that the azimuth slo motion does not move round with the scope, it is fixed to the bottom part of the mount which does not move. So if you use slo mo cables, and you are panning round to different parts of the sky, you have to lift the entire rig to keep the slo mo cable in a convenient position close to hand. You can also end up bashing the scope against the slo mo cable as you move around. Not so much of a problem if you are observing just one object during the night, but most of the time a bit of a pain. So much so that I have removed the cables from my Skytee now. Some mounts are designed better and don’t have this problem (eg: AZ100) but it’s definitely worth considering if buying a mount with slo motion.

The other thing about the Skytee is the “top saddle”. What’s the point of it? I never really found a use for it, especially with the inconvenience of the extra counterweights needed. I ended up drilling some holes and attaching the saddle to the end of the alt axis as I use two scopes every now and then. I suspect most people use the Skytee with one scope though. The Skytee definitely represents value for money, especially if you’re on a budget, but if I was splashing out on a dual-scope mount now, id try and stretch to an AZ75.

As long as I can reach the knobs whilst at the EP (which hopefully I can on the Starfield) I don't think I'd need the slow mo cables.  Panning hand idea sounds good!

AZ75 would be great, however ,I believe it doesn't come with any saddles which is an additional cost....it's just too much for me really, as nice as it would be. Plus would it be  as good as the Skytee2 for high magnification viewing without the slomo capabilities?

TBH this is the only reason I'm put off the AZ4...if I could get it to operate well at high magnification as well as for panning around it would be the winner for me!

Really can't make a decision on choosing a mount haha.

 

 

 

[RobertI]

1 hour ago, quasar117 said:

Really can't make a decision on choosing a mount haha.

The other thing to factor in with the Skytee is you will probably want to buy a replacement saddle; the stock saddles had a habit of failing and the scope falling off (happened to me). I think they have been improved and probably much better now, but many people (including myself) replace one of them typically with an ADM. Perhaps other people with more recent Skytees can chime in here. 

[Ratlet]

2 hours ago, quasar117 said:

As long as I can reach the knobs whilst at the EP (which hopefully I can on the Starfield) I don't think I'd need the slow mo cables.  Panning hand idea sounds good!

AZ75 would be great, however ,I believe it doesn't come with any saddles which is an additional cost....it's just too much for me really, as nice as it would be. Plus would it be  as good as the Skytee2 for high magnification viewing without the slomo capabilities?

TBH this is the only reason I'm put off the AZ4...if I could get it to operate well at high magnification as well as for panning around it would be the winner for me!

Really can't make a decision on choosing a mount haha.

 

 

 

Mate I feel your pain there.

Depending on your time frame and availability you might want to see what's available second hand.  It always seems with astro kit that you pay a premium for new to get assurance and insurance if quality and support. 

Second hand kit just doesn't seem to drop in value though.  It's almost like you're paying a deposit on it and if you don't like it you just sell it on for the same money.  Always the balance of you don't want to get scammed or buy a lemon though.

[quasar117]

22 minutes ago, RobertI said:

The other thing to factor in with the Skytee is you will probably want to buy a replacement saddle; the stock saddles had a habit of failing and the scope falling off (happened to me). I think they have been improved and probably much better now, but many people (including myself) replace one of them typically with an ADM. Perhaps other people with more recent Skytees can chime in here. 

The compatible ADM saddles on FLO retail at a hefty £95. I have seen an alternative saddle that's a universal vixen mini saddle that might work just as well for cheaper.

[Sunshine]

31 minutes ago, RobertI said:

the stock saddles had a habit of failing and the scope falling off (happened to me)

What? for real? this can be a catastrophic issue! I can’t imagine, this is insanity! oh gosh I would loose my mind.

Edited February 26 by Sunshine

[Moonlit Night]

I wouldn’t want anything cheap attaching my scope to the mount. A good saddle might be cheaper than you think 

[Moonlit Night]

ADM are the only brand I would use to be honest. Quality sells itself. 

[quasar117]

1 minute ago, Moonlit Night said:

I wouldn’t want anything cheap attaching my scope to the mount. A good saddle might be cheaper than you think 

Cheaper than a broken OTA I suppose!

[quasar117]

6 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

Mate I feel your pain there.

Depending on your time frame and availability you might want to see what's available second hand.  It always seems with astro kit that you pay a premium for new to get assurance and insurance if quality and support. 

Second hand kit just doesn't seem to drop in value though.  It's almost like you're paying a deposit on it and if you don't like it you just sell it on for the same money.  Always the balance of you don't want to get scammed or buy a lemon though.

I could wait for a used one but I've got the Starfield on order and I'm keen to test it out. Don't want it just sitting waiting to be used 😅

[Moonlit Night]

I have seen it happen. A 10 inch OO Newtonian hit a concrete floor, quite a noise. The scope in question was 2 months old. The bloke in question sold the rest of his gear a little later.

[Sunshine]

1 minute ago, Moonlit Night said:

I have seen it happen. A 10 inch OO Newtonian hit a concrete floor, quite a noise. The scope in question was 2 months old. The bloke in question sold the rest of his gear a little later.

Was this due to a faulty saddle?

[Moonlit Night]

1 minute ago, Sunshine said:

Was this due to a faulty saddle?

Poor quality with only a couple of contact points. ADM clamps work like a vice and make contact with the dovetail the full length of the clamp 

[Elp]

If it's compatible with the hole positions the WO vixen saddle is good, I have it on my Cubo.

Edited February 26 by Elp

[RobertI]

20 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

What? for real? this can be a catastrophic issue! I can’t imagine, this is insanity! oh gosh I would loose my mind.

Yes, hard to believe but it’s true. There are several reports of this that I read. The problem in my case (and I assume others) was the poor quality alloy knob being stripped of its threads over time a finally failing and popping off. My 72ED fell to the floor - fortunately it was carpet and not concrete! I replaced the knobs with better quality metal, which seemed to work, but I lost faith in them and put an ADM on one side to support my C8 and one of these on the other for my lighter scopes. You get a lot for your money with a Skytee, it’s solid and stable, but built to a price if you know what I mean. 

[quasar117]

7 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Yes, hard to believe but it’s true. There are several reports of this that I read. The problem in my case (and I assume others) was the poor quality alloy knob being stripped of its threads over time a finally failing and popping off. My 72ED fell to the floor - fortunately it was carpet and not concrete! I replaced the knobs with better quality metal, which seemed to work, but I lost faith in them and put an ADM on one side to support my C8 and one of these on the other for my lighter scopes. You get a lot for your money with a Skytee, it’s solid and stable, but built to a price if you know what I mean. 

I wonder if the FLO Stellalyra version of the Skytee2 has better saddles.

[RobertI]

23 minutes ago, quasar117 said:

I wonder if the FLO Stellalyra version of the Skytee2 has better saddles.

FLO don’t seem to mention that as a selling point of the StellaLyra , so I doubt it the knobs are better, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the knobs have been improved on all versions at some point so may no longer be such a problem. 

[Sunshine]

Have you thought about an EQ mount? i have used a Vixen GP mount for years now and I will be buried with it. If you can find on used by chance I wouldn’t hesitate for a second, they’re quite common even though they are old. They can be had used for well under your budget, they are tanks, mine held my 115mm triplet without issue, i now use for my Lunt 60.

Edited February 26 by Sunshine