A telescope's mount is sometimes more important than the telescope. Strange, but if you have a mount that's flimsy you may eventually come to that conclusion. Mounts that are not solidly made, or ones that are sloppy will eventually cause you a great deal of frustration, especially when you try to use the focuser. Although a mount may be "heavy", it's not the actual weight of it that matters. It's really about quality, what it's made of, and how well things fit together INSIDE.
If you have a good-quality refractor (or a medium-sized Newtonian or SCT) you probably have what's called a "German Equatorial" mount – sometimes called an "E.Q." mount or GEM mount. An equatorial mount is a two-axis affair which swivels in Right Ascension and Declination. Some equatorial mounts are sturdy enough to handle the job. Others, although seemingly "heavy", are quite flimsy, and can contribute to frustrating jiggles and vibrations that make observing (or even just focusing!) all but impossible. Some mounts are poorly made with sloppy internal gears and parts which makes finding objects (and re-finding them!) very difficult.
Aftermarket equatorial mounts are available from many manufacturers and suppliers. Most good upgrades will cost between $300 and $1,000 or more. Below are some of the best examples - in random order. Our top choices are the Losmandy GM-8, Takahashi Teegul Sky Patrol III, and Meade LXD75, which all offer a lot of bang-for-the-buck.
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Meade
Meade LXD75 Mount & Tripod w/AutoStar Computer Controller
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Meade offers their LXD75 mount and tripod separately from the telescope. It is beefy and sturdy enough to support medium loads, and sells for $599. With computerized dual-drive, polar alignment scope, and AutoStar controller, it's an excellent buy.
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Losmandy manufactures world class equatorial mounts. Their GM-8 and G-11 versions are superb platforms for any agenda including astrophotography. All parts are machined from stainless steel and aluminum. The GM-8 (pictured here – our top choice for those who can afford it) sells for $1,495 ($2,640 with a Gemini GO-TO system attached) and is a superb set up. The G-11 (for heavier scopes) sells for $2,195 - $3,195 with Gemini. Their HGM Titan with Gemini sells for $6,720 without tripod. |
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Takahashi makes some of the best mounts in the world, and are highly sought after by discerning astronomers. For entry level ($930), they make the Teegul Sky Patrol III Mount, for medium size refractors with motor drives controlled by a hand controller. Takahashi is known, however, for their EM-200 and EM-400 mounts, especially when paired with their Temma-2 GoTo control. These mounts come with different speed motor drives depending on what the consumer needs. Takahashi EM mounts are accurate, high-precision, and tough yet smooth, uniquely designed machines that are an absolute dream to work with. |
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More choices – at even higher prices
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There are of course more choices, and they can get very expensive. For instance, Software Bisque presents their Paramount ME Millennium Edition for a mere $14,500. Other choices are Takahashi's EM-500 Temma 2 Closed Loop 540x GOTO mount($12,340) and Astro-Physics computerized mounts which are more in the mid-range for price but still top quality. Astro-Physics 900 German Equatorial ($8,450) and 1200 German Equatorial ($9,800) are extremely popular, and for good reason!
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Alt-Az (Altitude-Azimuth) mounts
Alt-Az mounts operate in two axes – Altitude (up-down) and Azimuth (left-right). Compared to equatorial mounts, Alt-Az motions are far less cumbersome. Your eyepiece always remains upright, and you don't need counterweights or slow-motion controls. Also, manual tracking and star-hopping can be more intuitive. In the Alt-Az category we present two choices – one for the budget-minded (which is motorized!), and one at the top of the scale.
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Specifically designed for small and medium refractors, TeleVue's Gibraltar Alt-Az mount "cradles" the scope at the tube's center of gravity. This "balancing act" serves to make the telescope virtually "weightless", rendering 'navigation' an effortless marvel. Bearing surfaces of brass and Teflon provide the smooth feel required for accurate movements. The ash tripod provides a very stabile support, as wood absorbs vibration and rebound-affects better than aluminum (you will notice that the better-grade telescopes and mounts come equipped with wood tripods).
The mount-heads are predrilled for easy installation of Sky Tour Encoder Kits. Made in America. Price starts at $710 (includes ash tripod).
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The Hotech AZM-100 motorized Alt-Az mount is designed to support up to a 7 pound load and can be mounted on a standard photographic tripod-head with 3/8-16 threads. It can also be mounted on a photo tripod with 1/4-20 threads by virtue of a thread-adapter. Electric slewing in both axes allows manually-attended "tracking". Camera-standard 1/4-20 screws allow the mounting of lightweight scopes with or without rings (two screws separated by about 3-3/4" are provided). Standard cameras, camcorders, and binocular mounts can also be accommodated. The price is a genuine bargain at $229.
We have often seen these quality mounts in use for solar viewing, lunar photography, and binocular observing, in addition to plain-vanilla "star-hopping".
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