UK based Rowen Astronomy’s new Rowen AZ100 Alt-Azimuth Mount is an impressive feat of engineering that moves your optics in altitude or azimuth – up and down, or side to side – as independent functions and includes the option to lock the mount’s position and to guide it manually.
The Rowen AZ100 Alt-Azimuth Mount is as easy to setup as it is to use, perfect for the astronomer ‘On-the-Go’, who needs to be able to transport their gear from one dark site to another.
The Rowen AZ100 is machined to a very high standard from black anodized aluminum with stainless steel hardware. Specifications include an 80.0 mm diameter 7075 aluminum wheel gear, a brass worm gear in adjustable worm block and high quality ball bearings used throughout. Load capacity is an impressive 15-20 kg (33-44lbs) each side.
Features included adjustable friction clutches on both axis and 360 degree slow-motion controls. Both slow motion controls remain in alignment with the observer at all times.
You can purchase a Rowen AZ100 mount as:
– Mount only (without encoders).
– Mount with pre-fitted high resolution encoders (152,000 counts/rev) to interface with DSC’s (encoder leads remain in alignment and do not wrap around the azimuth axis).
– Mount with pre-fitted high resolution encoders and a Nexus DSC controller.
These options exclude saddles, counterweight shaft & counterweight. A 25mm diameter stainless steel counterweight shaft with mounting flange and a stainless steel 4 kg counterweight (125mm diameter) are available separately.
You can learn more here.
And if you are looking for a more compact option with less payload, Sky-Watcher USA’s AZ-GTi alt-azimuth mount is for anyone looking for a small, powerful go-to mount. Weighing just 8.6 pounds – complete with pier extension and tripod! – this versatile mount supports a hefty 11-pound payload.
The AZ-GTi is available in three configurations: (1) mount set only, (2) with a 102-mm Maksutov-Cassegrain ($555US), or (3) with a 127-mm Mak-Cass . Whichever option you select, the AZ-GTi is the perfect grab-and-go go-to system for the astronomer on the move.
The mount includes the mount head, a pier extension and a tripod, and features Sky-Watcher USA’s Sky-Freedom Find dual-encoder technology and a SynScan go-to database of 42,000+ objects. Oh, and it has built-in Wi-Fi, too!
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