TheSkySearchers

Ordered an M1V direct from SV this morning. Want to try it with my Mak 90 and ST80 to see how I get along without slo-mo. I'm still considering an M2C and eventually getting encoders, but I thought I'd dip my toe in the water first with an M1V. If it doesn't work out, I'd think it would be pretty easy to sell.

I didn't order the machining for a tiller / handle which might have been a mistake, but we shall see. So if it gets here in a week, the last half of July should be totally cloudy, right?

Congrats on the new acquisition!

Got a tracking number for the shipment already. Those guys are fast.

The M1 and M2 are both nice mounts.
Enjoy

2-day shipping from Cali to Chicago. Yowza!

After using locking levers on my TW1 axes, this is going to take a little time to get get used to.

Like it? Hate it? Wish you had bought the M2?

Enquirying minds want to know

I could see that on my photo tripod

Meh. Mixed feelings on it.

It's very well machined and constructed and it is compact and light. Nice wide dovetail clamp so you don't "mar your bar".

It's difficult to get good tension adjustment. It's either too tight so it jerks or it's too loose so it slips. If it's loose enough to glide, changing EPs can make it droop in altitude but tightening alt can knock the scope off target. Unlike the alt adjust, the az tension ring slips if overtightened so it never locks completely in az, although that's not a big deal IMO. There's a nylon washer bearing for az, so maybe there's a problem with that.

I noticed after buying it that Altair sells the same mount with a counterweight and an extension, so that might have been a better choice.

I was going to sell it, but I'm going to play with it a bit more; maybe I just need more finesse when using it and I do like the solid feel and compact size. I believe the M2C is manufactured by SV in the US, so I'm not sure the imported M1V is a good predictor of how an M2 might perform.

I went ahead and got the MV1 head. Nothing in a small package seemed as good for a grab'n'go setup. My 90mm weighs 8 pounds as shown. Worked good in the house. We will see this weekend.

Timely. I tried my M1V with my 90mm Mak this morning for some lunar observing. It might just be my fumble fingers, but I could not get the tension set correctly on either axis, although az was of course easier to use than alt. After spending some time with it, I took it off my tripod and put my SW AZ5 with slo-mo on. The SW is hardly top of the line, but it was a much better experience for me. I guess I'm just not a friction mount person.

I'm going to check the az washer again and maybe give it one more try, but I do think mine is destined for the classifieds. Dang shame since I do like the form and light weight. I hope yours works out for you and look forward to hearing about your experiences and any tips and tricks.

Movement action was kind of sticky, maybe grease the teflon?
Worked better than my attempts of a homemade head.
For the Jupiter, Saturn conjunction probably will use a larger
scope on the M2 mount, around 100x will be the max to get both planets in field.

I'm not sure grease would help, given how slick Teflon is to begin with. Although I wonder now if my az washer is out of true. If it's perfectly flat, maybe I could polish it a bit with a soft cloth.

I greased the altitude teflon after I dropped it on the floor. Looked like it had grease on it already. Used white lithium, kinda thin grease. Outside the movement action was improved. At 150x had no trouble keeping the planets in view.

Unscrew the tension knob all the way and there is a brass washer and 2 stainless washers sandwiching the washer with the roller bearing in it. All those looked dry so added some grease there also.

The horizontal movement is fine on mine. Might take it apart tomorrow just to see what's there, but maybe not, do not want to introduce a problem.

I took out the az washer and flipped it over. I can now lock down the az completely. It did have a very thin coating of lube on it.

Annnnddd... I sold it. Didn't care for the Nudge-nudge-nudge I overshot it!

It is a nice little mount, just not for me.

pakarinen wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 2:35 pm Annnnddd... I sold it. Didn't care for the Nudge-nudge-nudge I overshot it!

It is a nice little mount, just not for me.

Thanks for the feedback. I recently tried a 3 axis video head with the Meade AS80, and came to the same conclusion. I need slow-mos.

Do you still have the AZ5 ? How does it compare to the TW1 ?

I still have the SW AZ5 https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-wa ... mount.html

It's a bit lighter and more compact than the Twilight. There's a slight kickback when using the az slo-mo at higher powers with my ST120. Not enough to throw a target out of the field, but enough to move it slightly off-center in the FOV. Maybe the worm needs an adjustment, not sure. OTOH, it's really not that big a annoyance to me.

I think the AZ5 is a bit more stable b/c it has a shorter arm, but I've not done a side-by-side comparison. The TW might be better on its native tripod than on my Manfrotto. The Manfrotto is lighter and more portable though.

I have mixed feelings about the encoders on the TW1. They work well, but a Wixey plus sweeping in az is working pretty well for finding targets with the AZ5.

pakarinen wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:05 pm 2-day shipping from Cali to Chicago. Yowza!

After using locking levers on my TW1 axes, this is going to take a little time to get get used to.

Hi Parkarinen,

I definitely did not ship this to you.
Check to see if you can hear any ticking.

Joe Cali

Side-by-side, not leveled or at exactly the same height, but you can get an idea of relative sizes. I'd try the AZ5 on the TW tripod, but there's a about a 1-inch nub that would have to be ground off the tripod plate.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 7:19 pm The M1 and M2 are both nice mounts.
Enjoy

I have a m1 . One of the originals , planning on keeping it and ordering a m2 for the new 102ed scope that's on the way. Hoping the older m1 will hold the new scope until the m2 is in stock again.