Customer reviews
Clarifications to my review
Review by copernico on 25.07.2018 21:22:14( 5 / 5 )
I was wrong about slow-motion cables. The Skywatcher Slow Motion Cable Set, although not listed among recommended accessories, DOES work for the Avant mount, as duly clarified by Astroshop staff. You just need to mind the following:
1) Both the RA and the Declination controls have rubber caps on one end, and a protruding metal cylinder on the other end: this is where the slow motion cables are inserted.
2) The first time you fit either cable, it is a bit tight. Unscrew fully the cable retaining screw, and try until you get it in. It has to go fully into the cylinder: if it is even 1/2mm not fully in, the retaining screw will not work.
3) Unlike other mounts, where the two cables hang from the same side of the mount, in the Avant they hang from opposite sides. Therefore using both cables means large arm movements. So far, I find it more practical only to fit the slow motion cable for one of the controls only (to follow planets, mostly in South regions of the sky if you are in the Northern Hemispyere, it may be more convenient to use the slow motion cable for the RA, but this varies with sky object and location).
Excellent value-for-money for the beginner or occasional amateur
Review by copernico on 08.07.2018 14:55:37( 5 / 5 )
I got to this model after much searching and, having used it for a few days watching Jupiter and Saturn, I am very happy with it. These are my first impressions:
PROS:
- The cardboard boxes are very well padded for transportation.
- All the parts look beautiful, precision-made and sturdy.
- Assembling tripod, mount and telescope is straightforward, and anyway the enclosed printed leaflet is helpful.
- I tested my telescope's factory collimation and found it to be excellent. (This is imporant as this model is not meant to have the collimation corrected by the user)
- The red-dot finder, although it has no magnification, is functional and easy to use.
- The mount is easy to use in either Azimuthal or Equatorial mode.
- The sharpness of the bundled 25mm eyepiece is excellent (I tested it watching Jupiter and Saturn), and is still very sharp when a 104x magnification is reached by inserting the affordable Omegon 2x Barlow lens.
- The total weight of tripod, mount and telescope is 8.7kg: holding it by the extension tube it is possible to raise it with just one hand. When unmounted it can be stored in four bags/cases, each one weighing between 2 and 4kg and easy to carry around by either a child or an elderly person.
CONS:
- No bags are provided, and no customised bags or cases are available: you have to search for four suitable ones for the telescope, mount, tripod and accessories.
- The bundled 10mm eyepiece should provide an excellent image, with a magnification of 130x (this is slightly above the 104 produced by the 25mm+Barlow, and well below the 204 rated for this telescope). Unfortunately it is not so: the 10mm image lacks definition to the point of being useless, and different users have voiced online the same complaint. I have to admit that at such a knock-down price this is a minor shortcoming: perhaps the telescope should not have included this eyepiece at all, and the obvious solution it to buy a better one separately.
- No user-collimation is possible: there are no external screws for its adjustment. The user should buy a well-padded bag for the telescope and be careful not to drop it.
- No slow-motion cables can be fitted to the Avant mount Right-Ascention and Declination knobs: if the rubber caps are removed, the black plastic cylinders are too wide for the cables that are available online. Besides, the knobs do not move that smoothly, so I assume cables may not work well with this mount. Anyway for what this telescope is meant for, the mount's knobs are perfectly functional.
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