Skywatcher AZ-4 Alt-Azimuth Mount

[John]

These are just some quickly typed notes of an "ad-hoc" observing session I've just had.

Mostly cloudy tonight but some gaps showing, then larger gaps, so ...... I pop my Vixen 102mm ED refractor out on my newly acquired Skywatcher AZ-4 Mount. This is the one I have:

Skywatcher - Skywatcher AZ4 Alt-Az mount

Jupiter is my target (of course ) and at 133x the scope / mount is rock solid, as you might expect from a sub-10lb tube assembly on those 1 3/4" steel legs.

After soaking up the Jovian vista for a while, I up the magnification to 189x - still rock steady but Jupiter is not revealing any more details.

Then, in a devil-may-care moment, I pop my 2.5mm Nagler (yes, they make them that short FL !) into the diagonal. 265x and, of course, Jupiter is larger but all I'm seeing are the same details, rather over-magnified, no surprise there as the scope is barely cool and it's only a 4". What IS a surprise though is that the mount is still providing a really steady view. A sharp tap on the scope produces vibrations that last barely a second - very impressive compared to other alt-azimuth mounts I've tried

So ...... it's still generally clear and I have a new (to me) scope - the Orion / Intes 6" mak-newtonian, sitting there, with only a couple of 1st light hours under it's tube rings. So lets go for it - the 20lb tube assembly of the mak-newt is gripped firmly by the AZ-4 dovetail clamp, I've got the balance there or thereabouts so lets give it a go.

Mak-newts need cool down time. That's the rules. After just 10 mins or so out of the house though I loose patience and stick a 5mm Nagler in the drawtube, line up with Jupiter and peer in. Wow ! - this is not a review of the scope but it's a rather stunning view - more cloud belts and much more detail in the NEB than the 4" showed - when it's fully cooled this is going to be a killer planetary scope

Again, though, the big surprise is the AZ-4 mount. A 20lb, 38 inch tube assembly is well over the capacity of the mount, but it still does a good job of holding the scope steadily enough to view through at 180x and even 257x !. Very impressive indeed

Even at these extremes of load / magnification, vibration dampening is an acceptable 3 seconds or so.

So, if you are looking for a solid, alt-azimuth mounting solution which really does combine portability (the steel tube tripod version of the mount weighs 18lb I think) and steadiness, think of the Skywatcher AZ-4 mount.

It's "nudge" all the way of course as there are no slow motion controls, but the movement is very smooth (even under load) and adjustable to suit a variety of scope / focuser loads.

Up until now the Skywatcher AZ-4 has been a rather anonymous mount for me but, having got to know it rather better now, I'm very impressed

[russ]

Excellent review John. I have the Orion USA version of the mount and have been mighty impressed too.

Mighty impressed you put the Intes 6" on there and still got a steady view at 257x....wow, that's good. So far the most i've put on the VersaGo is a 6" Newt and 4" Apo. Both of which it handles without a problem.

That Intes/Orion sounds the business.

[John]

Excellent review John. I have the Orion USA version of the mount and have been mighty impressed too.

Mighty impressed you put the Intes 6" on there and still got a steady view at 257x....wow, that's good. So far the most i've put on the VersaGo is a 6" Newt and 4" Apo. Both of which it handles without a problem.

That Intes/Orion sounds the business.

Thanks Russ - I downloaded the Versago II manual as I didn't get one with the AZ-4 and anyway I find the Orion manuals better than their Skywatcher equivilents. Not that you need much in the way of instructions with az mounts

While the mount held the Intes steadily enough, it was way over the recommended max for the mount so I'll be using the Ambermille Aztech with the mak-newt most of the time - don't want to break something on the AZ-4 !.

[russ]

The AZ4 should be a lovely mount for the Vixen while the Intes is mounted on the Aztech. Great setup you have put together now.

[mark7331]

Great review John. I didn't think this mount was that capable but I'm impressed. It's certainly given me food for thought as I need a platform to work alongside my imaging system so that I can plan and observe while I'm waiting for subs. Nothing too complicated, simple and quick to setup. This mount seems to have what it takes.

Mark

[optical thrombosis]

Wow. I too use an Alt-Az and generally limit myself to 150x. Thank you for an informative review.

[Ogri]

Thanks John, that looks a very interesting mount, to say the least.

[John]

No problem folks

Here are some pics of my Vixen setup (I don't use the supplied panning handle):

[Kef9]

Ummmm I could be very tempted to get one of these for my new Startravel 150 which I've just bought tonight in a moment of madness!

The ota without anything like eyepieces or diagonals weighs 6.59Kg. What do you think as I want to use the startravel as my 'can take anywhere' scope?

[John]

...The ota without anything like eyepieces or diagonals weighs 6.59Kg. What do you think as I want to use the startravel as my 'can take anywhere' scope?

Well people put 6" F/5 newtonians on this mount so I reckon a Startravel 150 might just work OK

[Kef9]

Well people put 6" F/5 newtonians on this mount so I reckon a Startravel 150 might just work OK

Cheers John

Do you think this could work as a grab and go? How compact & heavy is it and whats the setup time etc.

Cheers

[John]

The AZ-4 on the 1.75" steel tube tripod weighs 18lbs in total. If you keep the mount head on the tripod (as I do) setup time is i) taking it outside, ii) fitting the tripod spreader then iii) attaching the scope. a few mins at most I guess.

If you have storage room / wide doors you could just keep the whole thing fully set up all the time so it's just a matter of carrying it outside - my wife is not so keen on that approach !.

[Kef9]

Ha Ha Ha

Thats what I do currently with my C100ED and CG5. I just pick up the whole lot and walk outside with it through french doors.

With the startravel though I'm after a mount which will be small that I can put up very quickly. Have you used the AZ3? Would that be able to take the 150 startravel and how does it compare?

[John]

..With the startravel though I'm after a mount which will be small that I can put up very quickly. Have you used the AZ3? Would that be able to take the 150 startravel and how does it compare?

I have an AZ-3 mount. It's not entirely suitable for my 102mm F/6.5 refractor which is why I've gone to the AZ-4. The AZ-3 is very light but, in my opinion, only satisfactory with small, short tube scopes.

The problem with the AZ-3 is that the altitude axis is well below the main mass of the tube - when you want to view above around 45 degrees, especially with a 2" digonal / eyepiece, it's sifficult to stop the scope tipping backwards.

I honestly think the 150mm F/5 would be far too much for it.

[Kef9]

Thanks John for the feedback, it looks like an AZ4 then! unless there is something else out there?

What other options did you consider?

I wonder how much a AZ4 weighs compared to a CG5?

[russ]

I wonder how much a AZ4 weighs compared to a CG5?

A lot less and a lot less hassle. I reckon it should take the Startravel 150 with it being a short tube scope. The Orion VersaGo (AZ4 clone) certainly takes the ED100 no worries, not sure what the weight difference is between the ED100 and ST150?

[catburglar]

I too have a Skywatcher AZ4, and would highly recommend it. One of the most often quoted alternatives when I was in the market 6 months back was the Vixen Porta because of the slow motion controls, but I'm not sure that would be up to the task of handling the ST150. Other alternatives would be the Giro and it's lookalikes, but they're lots more cash for the mount head alone, so you'd still need a sturdy tripod.

In short, get yourself an AZ4, and enjoy extremely smooth tracking at silly magnifications.

[omega3]

Sorry, have not seen one of these mounts. Do you track by nudging them like you do with dobsonian mounts.

Alan

[John]

Sorry, have not seen one of these mounts. Do you track by nudging them like you do with dobsonian mounts.

Alan

Yes Alan, it's hand driven !.

90% of my observing is done with undriven alt-azimuth mounts so I've got used to the technique - and use wide field eyepieces, which helps

[Trevor-Austin]

That's an encouraging review! Looking at the goto version for apparently not much more for a 6" newt