Good morning,
I am very interested in this mount, but I am having a difficult time finding reviews. Hopefully this forum can help.
How difficult is the polar alignment? I have read where the mount moves when tightening down the levers/ screws, etc. and a few reviews say it's not a problem. Have any improvements been made to help with this?
How well does the carbon fiber tripod perform? My imaging setup right now includes an 80mm APO. I'm wanting to expand my imaging telescopes to include an 8" SCT or a 120mm or 130mm APO.
I would think the 80 APO would perform fine on the carbon fiber tripod. I am worried that the larger scope would be susceptible to breezes/ wind. Would adding a tripod sling with 20 pounds help? Or would it be best to use the adapter and mount it on a Skywatcher EQ6-R tripod?
Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Overall Reviews Needed
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LesGrossman
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2024 2:34 pm
Re: Overall Reviews Needed
I do not have any comparision since the NYX-101 is my first EQ-mount, but I´d say after gaining some experience with this mount it should be possible for anyone to polar-align and get something around 0.5 RMS.
There is some movement when tightening the clamps. As I said, I do not have experience with other EQ-mounts, but I guess this is almost inevitable from a mechanical point of view since the clamps must have a physical connection.
I do have the carbon tripod as well and I´m using it with the pier extension on a 90mm APO and a C9.25 (I´m always keeping the tripod legs short). Even with a mounted Hyperstar and an aluminum dew shield, this mount is capable of handling it without any counterweight and is absolutely bored while carrying the APO. I didn´t experienced any kind of flex, swing or movement of the tripod. However, I usually do not have a lot of wind at my location. You could try it first without a counterweight at home or in a wind-calm night - or with the APO - to get a better feeling and if necessary, buy a shaft and a counterweight later on. Though, if weight is no issue and/or you are imaging in your own garden etc., I´d probably rather buy a EQ6-R as in the end it will be more stable, especially under difficult conditions. In my case, I still own a massive metal Celestron tripod, but after some sessions with the PA carbon I never thought again about buying an adapter. My goal was to have a setup that is as light and transportable as possible while still being capable of handling my SCT. I´m usually not taking too long exposures, especially not with the Hyperstar, so for me it´s not the end of the world if I have to throw away a few lights and in return my tripod + mount is lighter than the C9.25 OTA.
So in a nutshell: The tripod depends on your needs and priorities, but the mount will handle both scopes easily. And for the case you don´t feel comfortable with wind/breezes, buy a counterweight later on which will definitely be more than enough to keep everything balanced even if you are imaging directly at the coast.
There is some movement when tightening the clamps. As I said, I do not have experience with other EQ-mounts, but I guess this is almost inevitable from a mechanical point of view since the clamps must have a physical connection.
I do have the carbon tripod as well and I´m using it with the pier extension on a 90mm APO and a C9.25 (I´m always keeping the tripod legs short). Even with a mounted Hyperstar and an aluminum dew shield, this mount is capable of handling it without any counterweight and is absolutely bored while carrying the APO. I didn´t experienced any kind of flex, swing or movement of the tripod. However, I usually do not have a lot of wind at my location. You could try it first without a counterweight at home or in a wind-calm night - or with the APO - to get a better feeling and if necessary, buy a shaft and a counterweight later on. Though, if weight is no issue and/or you are imaging in your own garden etc., I´d probably rather buy a EQ6-R as in the end it will be more stable, especially under difficult conditions. In my case, I still own a massive metal Celestron tripod, but after some sessions with the PA carbon I never thought again about buying an adapter. My goal was to have a setup that is as light and transportable as possible while still being capable of handling my SCT. I´m usually not taking too long exposures, especially not with the Hyperstar, so for me it´s not the end of the world if I have to throw away a few lights and in return my tripod + mount is lighter than the C9.25 OTA.
So in a nutshell: The tripod depends on your needs and priorities, but the mount will handle both scopes easily. And for the case you don´t feel comfortable with wind/breezes, buy a counterweight later on which will definitely be more than enough to keep everything balanced even if you are imaging directly at the coast.
Re: Overall Reviews Needed
Les, thank you for responding.
How long does it take you to get polar aligned?
I am assuming you are using Sharpcap or NINA to polar align?
Once again, thank you for responding.
How long does it take you to get polar aligned?
I am assuming you are using Sharpcap or NINA to polar align?
Once again, thank you for responding.