Home > Telescope Mounts & Tripods > View All Mounts
Model: 20291Brand: SkywatcherComputerized Computerized GOTOMount Type Equatorial & Alt Az
Availability
Generally In Stock, Please Confirm Before Ordering
Alt-Azimuth/Equatorial Computerised GO-TO Mount & Tripod. Brand new version with USB port.
The Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6GT is an exciting evolutionary development of the hugely successful NEQ6 PRO.
The AZ-EQ6GT is a dual purpose, fully functional computerised heavy-duty Go-To/Tracking astronomical mount in both Alt-Azimuth (AZ) and Equatorial (EQ) modes.Supplied with a Synscan handset with dual AZ/EQ firmware, it can automatically find and track over 42,900 celestial objects from its database. In EQ mode, the AZ-EQ6GT is designed for either visual use or precise astro-imaging. In AZ mode, it is primarily intended for visual use, and in this mode, two telescopes can be mounted simultaneously in parallel.
A great feature of the AZ-EQ6GT is the patented dual-encoder technology. This allows the telescope to be moved manually in either axis without the mount losing its positional information. This gives the user enormous freedom, convenience and flexibility during observational sessions. The Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6GT.....a new legend is born!!
SPECIFICATIONPayload Capacity: 25kg (EQ and AZ modes)Tracking Accuracy: 0.1436 arc minutesGo-To Capability: EQ and AZ modesSynscan Handset Database: over 42,900 celestial objectsTracking Speed: sidereal, solar & lunar ratesTracking Mode: EQ or AZ, dual or single axisPEC control in EQ modeAutoguider Port : YesDSLR Electronic Shutter Release Port : YesMotor Type: DC12V stepper motorsPatented Dual-Encoder design allows manual movement without losing positional informationPolar alignment: via software control or supplied polar scopeAlignment methods: 1, 2 or 3 star alignment (EQ) / brightest star or 2 star alignment (AZ)Telescope Connection: 2 x dual-fit saddle plates supplied accepting 45mm & 75mm dovetail barsRA/DEC Worm Gears: D=92.5mm, 180 teeth, brassRA/DEC Axes: D=40mm, steelTripod: 2” Stainless SteelCounterweights supplied: 2 x 5kgCounterweight Bar: 25mm DiameterMount Body Weight: 15.4kg, Tripod Weight: 7.5kgPower requirement: 12V DC 3A (Sky-Watcher 17Ah Power Tank recommended)
Not to say its not good in EQ mode, that's nor what I bought it for.I hated the faff and contortionist antics when using my Newt on the EQ5 Pro. I wanted a future proof AZ Goto that I could pop out on the deck and have a quick look at the nights best object's on those days when time was tight because of weather gaps or social demands. I was fed up of rotating the tube to a position I could get my eye to the EP. My solution is this beauty. Yes it's heavy. But it looks good and tracks very well and it will take any OTA I can handle. Mine is set up with Celestron Starsense and GPS module. I can manage the tripod and mount with the Celestron bits on it but I do take the counterweights off. I'm 74. Mount the OTA, plug in the Starsense Camera and start AutoAlign. Setup and alignment takes about 15 mins. Mount puts the target centre of EP and tracks very well. Newt focuser stays well placed so I see a lot more targets in any alloted time. If I get seduced into astrophotography it will be all I need. A great mount for those of us who like Newtonian with light bucket ability.
Was this helpful to you? Yes / No
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
I have only used AZ mounts, the sort you start of with. I set up the mount in AZ mode, mounted the small 102mm Refractor as it was on the old mount, only to find that when I did the two star alignment the scope went the wrong way and pointed to the ground and yes I did read the manual, anyway after much research I found I had the scope the wrong way round. Have the mount facing North, so that the mounting saddle is on the East side so that when you put on your scope it will face North, the balance bar is pointing west. My Thanks to the Guys at RVO.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
I purchased the Skywatcher AZ EQ6 to replace my ageing black EQ6 which had developed a roughness in its tracking that was almost impossible to autoguide out. I opted for the AZ EQ6 over the EQ6R mainly because of its ability to mount a second scope on the counterweight side of the Dec axis, and the enhanced locking mechanisms on the RA and Dec. I also purchased Skywatcher's pedestal to mount it on.The AZ EQ6 is beautifully made and finished and really looks the part mounted on the pedestal and carrying twin telescopes. I have no intention of ever using it in ALT-AZ mode and, contrary to what you might read elsewhere, you can use it to carry twin scopes in EQ mode provided the second scope is not too long. I use it with a short tube 80mm refractor guidescope, but a 5" Mak will fit as well, even with the mount on its tripod. Using the pedestal allows scopes with longer tubes to be used but I haven't yet tried to see the largest that will fit. This saves overall weight and strain on the mount when imaging.The improved motors and belt drive really make a difference to the tracking - it's very smooth with low periodic error. Unguided 60sec exposures at 900mm focal length show perfectly round stars, even with no PPEC. It's noticeably quieter too but has a more high pitched whine compared to the EQ6 which to my ears doesn't sound as nice.Altitude adjustment for setting up the mount is now a breeze, so easy compared to the old system. In contrast the polar alignment scope had me perplexed for a while and is a bit of a faff. Gone is the easy to use reticule where you just align the Ursa Major and Cassiopia engravings with their respective positions in the sky and adjust the mount until Polaris sits in the little circle. On the AZ EQ6 I was faced with a basic kind of clock face, a southern sky star pattern, and some dates. Aparently you have to fire up the mount, go through all the inialisation stuff, input all your location and time data into the handset which will then tell you at what position on the clock face to place Polaris. I might end up buying a conventional polar scope !My only other gripe is that I now need to wear reading glasses to see the characters on the handset whereas I dont with my EQ5 or EQ6 so maybe they have made them a bit smaller or changed the colour. Other than that the AZ EQ6 is a really great mount and I am well pleased with it. Highly recommended.
34 of 36 people found this review helpful.
Some items that are showing as in stock are in stock at our holding warehouses, not at the shop. To double check the stock levels at the shop, please contact us on 01909774369 or sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.
The delivery times for most items is 1 - 2 days but again, please double check stock levels on important orders before placing an order via the website.
The delivery costs for courier next day are for mainland UK only. If you live in the Scottish Highlands/Islands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, then a shipping surchage will apply. please contact us for prices. Smaller items can still go 1st class via Royal Mail.
Please note that if you are wanting to take advantage of our Saturday and Sunday timed services or next day pre 12 or pre 10:30 services, you MUST check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. Also, orders using the Saturday and Sunday services must be placed before 1pm the previous working day. Also, please remember to check that the stock is here at the shop before placing orders. If the stock is not at the shop, we won't be able to ship on any of the timed services.
Please note International customers will need to contact us for a shipping price prior to ordering via the website. We don't ship all items internationally. It is at our discretion what we ship outside of the UK. This all depends on the size and weight of the items. Please get in touch with us for any postage costs. Please note we do NOT ship telescopes or heavy items outside of the UK. This is due to massive postage costs and problems regarding returns.
If you have any questions regarding stock levels or delivery, please get in touch.
Zygo Interferometer Testing For ED Refractor Telescopes!
We are extremely pleased to announce our Zygo Interferometer is now installed and ready for use! Our experienced staff can test refractor lenses up to 120mm aperture and provide a comprehensive 2 page report showing the optical quality and Strehl ratio, plus much more information. We are using the very latest Zygo MX software to provide a more detailed report compared to other standard reports.
The interferometer is essentially a measuring instrument. Within the interferometer is a calibrated laser that is pointed through the optical test surface, then onto a high quality reference sphere, then back through the test subject then to an internal camera which gives us the measurement on the screen. From this, we can adjust the position of the test optic and the reference sphere to obtain a perfectly calibrated system. The more central the laser to the test optic and then on return, the better and more accurate reading and measurement we can take. This takes a lot of adjustment to get the best results from the optical surface. Once the measurement has been taken, we are provided with a series of results that show the optical quality of the surface plus other information. Continue reading for an explanation of the individual values and you can also see a test report that was done on one of our RVO Horizon 60 OTAs.
We are offering certain telescopes with a Zygo test at an extra cost. Mainly ED doublets and triplets. All available telescopes with a Zygo test report are listed here. Just select Zygo Test Report from the drop down box at the top of the listing and we will test the optics in house and provide a full 2 page report with your scope. This will show you the optical quality of your telescope optics. We can also offer this service on your refractor telescope. Please get in touch for more details about this.
At Rother Valley Optics, one thing we pride ourselves on is customer service and quality of our equipment. When we test your telescope, we will ensure that it is of the highest quality otherwise, we will reject the scope under our strict quality control and test another model for your peace of mind. One of the main values to look at when testing a refractor is the Strehl ratio. The higher this number, the higher quality lens you have. At Rother Valley Optics, we will guarantee the highest possible Strehl ratio for your telescope. We will aim to provide 0.95 Strehl or higher on Takahashi, RVO Horizon, William Optics and many more! Generally, the higher the Strehl ratio, the lower the Astigmatism and Coma meaning a better image quality from your instrument.
Other measurements such as the PV and RMS are important too. With these measurements, the lower the number the better as it shows less curvature on the lens. The flatter an optical lens, the better it will perform. The PV rating (Peak To Valley) is a measurement from the highest point (Peak) to the lowest point (Valley). From this we get the RMS (Root, Mean, Square). This is a similar figure to the PV and measured exactly the same way. The RMS is basically an average height difference from the PV so again, the lower the better. As you can see form the example below, we measured an RMS of just 0.027 wave which is a very good value.
We also measure the Power with our systems which is essentially the error from the reference sphere to the test optic. The reference sphere we use on our system is a very high quality sphere so the closer to zero the Power, the less error between the 2 elements thus ensuring a higher quality optical surface.
You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is.
Once the Zygo test report has been completed, the optical alignment is thoroughly tested and tuned to ensure they are spot on before they leave us.
All available telescopes are on the website at the link below and ones we've tested already that are available straight away are also listed.
https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/zygo-tested-refractors.html
Here is an example of the test what we provide. This was a test on one of our Horizon 60 ED OTA's.
For any questions about this amazing new service, please either call 01909774369 or email sales@rothervalleyoptics.co.uk.
Are you interested in this product but would like to speak to someone with some more information? Simply fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can!
*NamePlease enter your full name*Telephone NumberPlease input your telephone number here*Model NumberPlease enter the model number which is just aboveAdditional InformationPlease include any information here that will help our staff members assist your query*Please add the two numbersSubmitSubmit
RVO Beginners Guide To Equatorial Mounted Telescopes DVD£6.99
This is a fantastic, straightforward instructional DVD on how to set up and use equatorial mounted telescopes. Learn how to use your equatorual mount in just 45 minutes!
*NameYour name*Contact InformationPlease enter your email address or telephone number here so we can contact you about the price match*URL of competitors websitePlease enter a link here to the item where you have seen it cheaperAdditional InformationAny additional information can be inputted here*Please add the two numbersSubmitSubmit
Fast & Reliable Delivery
Helpful & Friendly Staff
Best Prices Online
100% Secure Shopping