Skywatcher Skytee 2 - First Impression

[GazOC]

Cheers Russ,sounds a great piece of kit. Def.on my "hit list" now. I figured the stalks would be needed with a decent sized scope.

[johninderby]

One thing to consider if using the slo-mo extension knobs is that if you fit the conterweight shaft and weights in the vertical position they can hit the slo-mo extension as you move the mount in Az.

I find that with the 150 f/8 newt OTA or a 4" refractor I can reach the standard knobs easily. If you go up to a 10" newt then yes the extensions would be useful.

John

[MortonH]

Any updates from people using this mount?

[andrew956]

The mount works perfectly and can carry some reasonable weight i have been using it for 3 months and do not have any issues at all it was worth every penny. I have just posted a thread on equipment discussion board which shows my skytee with a 10" Newt attached just to show what this mount can hold. I think most people who have the mount are happy i would be suprised if any have been disapointed.

[John]

..... i would be suprised if any have been disapointed.

My only concern with the one I have been loaned is with the quality of the dovetail mounts. They look nice but on one the thread has stripped out of the tension knob making it unusable

Maybe this was just my sample

Otherwise, it looks a very promising heavy duty alt-azimuth mount - I'm just a little nervous about putting a heavy OTA onto the supplied dovetails.

I know that John (johnderby) has replaced the dovetails on his which may have been a good move.

[johninderby]

My only concern with the one I have been loaned is with the quality of the dovetail mounts. They look nice but on one the thread has stripped out of the tension knob making it unusable

Maybe this was just my sample

Otherwise, it looks a very promising heavy duty alt-azimuth mount - I'm just a little nervous about putting a heavy OTA onto the supplied dovetails.

I know that John (johnderby) has replaced the dovetails on his which may have been a good move.

Steve at FLO has ordered some ADM dovetail saddles with the correct hole spacing for the Skytee 2 so it'll just be a one minute bolt on replacement job.

John

[jam1e1]

if it's any consolation, I use EQ5 and sw250pds and works fine - its at limit

[FLO]

Steve at FLO has ordered some ADM dovetail saddles with the correct hole spacing for the Skytee 2 so it'll just be a one minute bolt on replacement job.

ADM saddles for Skytee-II are now available from stock

Steve

[andrew956]

Better get mine ordered...

[great_bear]

ADM saddles for Skytee-II are now available from stock

Ouch! - That's an expensive upgrade considering that one should expect the supplied saddles to be fit-for-purpose!

i really couldn't wait to get the Orion off the Skytee and back on the AZ4 for silky smooth movement.

Hmmm... I guess that's the final deal-breaker for me, as I'm already an AZ4 owner...

[johninderby]

The thing I like about my Skytee 2 is the silky smooth movement. Just requires fingertip pressure to move, and of course it has the slo-mo controls. Just wouldn't consider any manual Alt-Az mount without slo-mo controls now nowadays.

John

[great_bear]

- and how was its performance with a certain telescope that we both know and love?

[John]

Ouch! - That's an expensive upgrade considering that one should expect the supplied saddles to be fit-for-purpose! ....

Those were my thoughts with the Skytee II that I tried. Mine also did not exhibit the silky smooth motions that John's does - I found it very sticky even with a heavy OTA on board

If Skywatcher can remedy these issues (which I'm sure they could easily) the mount has a lot of potential though.

Meanwhile I'll stay with my AZ-4 and Giro-type mounts.