The Strain Wave Telescope Mount REVOLUTION!

While it’s clear that the vast majority of the amateur astrophotography community has welcomed the ZWO AM5 with open arms, it is not the only strain wave or harmonic drive equatorial telescope mount on the market.

STRAIN WAVE MOUNTS:

Gear Used to Make This Video:

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[skye]

AM5 user here. It’s a game changer. My old SW mount was 40 lbs head plus 11 lb counter weights. Now it holds all my equipment (smaller wide field refractors with cameras etc), and the mount weighs 11 lbs with no counterweight. Being a female its completely made it the hobby more enjoyable over night.

[kaichwo]

My Wallet Trembles every time this guy uploads

[LogansAstro]

Had my AM5 for about 6 months and really enjoying having a light mount and telescope setup (Redcat 51) and have no problem getting up to 15 min exposures with 1 sec guide exposures. Nice to see more options entering the market.

[technocore]

I live in the city so when I need to shoot I gotta haul my gear to the park or a roof of a friend's apartment building. With my Advanced VX mount and tripod with 2" diameter steel legs, and counter weight, and 102mm refractor, it was a whole production getting the cart I needed to use packed up and ready to go. With my AM5, carbon fiber tripod and no counterweight, it's all different. I was coming home from work one night, saw that it was unexpectedly clear skies, ran up to my apt, and within 15 min I was back on the street with all my gear in my HANDS! Using no cart isn't ideal, but the fact it was possible was incredible. Combine it with the ease of setup with all ASI parts (Camera, focuser, guidescope), within 45 min of me getting home, I was on my friend's roof and all set up. Total game changer.

[astroimage]

Got into this hobby a few years ago and my first mount was a traditional EQ mount. My 2nd mount a year later was an AM5. Best decision I ever made. Will be looking at the SW strain wave mounts as I go to larger refractors moving forward

[alomgirmiah]

I have been using AM5 for almost a year now. I am mostly using it on Askar 103 APO and Edge HD 9.25. It tracks really well. It has not disappointed me so far.

[williamcecil]

Thanks Trevor for your videos.
Been in the ZWO environment for several years and when I heard about the AM5 it was a natural to add that to my gear. Being able to transport this mount compared to my EQ6 is night and day. It is compact, lightweight, accurate, and works seamlessly with the ZWO program. Using the ZWO stacking on deep sky objects is perfect for those outreach events. I highly recommend this to beginner and advanced astronomers.

[-Gothicgirl-]

I use the Zeiss Jena C 63 / 840 Telementor tracking mount. Its manual with 2 screws to use. And the stand is wood.
And works fine with the refractor telescope

[perry]

Hi Trevor and thanks. Happy to see other manufacturers jumping on the strain wave bus. Now we'll see some innovation

[dustinballinger]

I switched to strainwave and can’t see ever going back. I have two, the Rainbow Astro RST135e with encoders and the Rainbow Astro RST300. The 135e tracking is unreal and can do 13.5kg or 18kg with counter weight. Mainly I use this mount with RASA8, Radian Raptor or Solar Lunt 60MT. The RST300 can do 30kg and 50kg (110lbs) with a counter weight… it’s for my Edge HD11. I think the key to these mounts is the tripod below them. I have a light weight carbon fiber for the smaller mount and find myself hanging either my backpack under it or a cider block just to keep the tripod firmly planted on the ground. For the larger mount I got the Supermount which is a beefy carbon fiber tripod with an adjustable pier. I don’t feel the need to hang something off that mount when the legs are extended but last night while testing new drivers had the legs not extended and slowly watch the mount and HD11 tip over on to the floor 😮😢. In slow motion and sadness. So make sure your tripod is grounded! To finish on a high note, the speed at which I can get going when I leave the mount polar aligned during streaks of clear sky’s is fantastic. Send both mounts to home, power in gear, pick target and go… no sky alignment needed like my old Celestron CGX.

[simonmoore]

I have only managed to use my new AM3 once due to constant rain in Aus. I did a rough alignment just using my phone and it tracked at .5 to .6 error al night. So far I am very impressed!

[Si-fpij]

I’ve had my AM5 since November 23 and bought an Askar 120 APO at 840mm focal length at Christmas and I’m so pleased with my setup. The PA and guiding is so easy and quick to get setup so there’s more time for imaging.
Portability is great too 🌌🔭
Cheers Simon

[variousme]

i would love to see a mini drive for super compact setups

[stevensiwinski]

Really excited to see some reviews of the wave 150i. I'm curious how the real world payload capacity compares to the AM5.

[kylezeringue]

Trevor, thanks for the overview. I was looking athe the AM5 but may consider the new sky-watcher 150. Great video ascalways.

[ian]

I feel like this is a great time to be involved in astronomy. So many new devices and improvements in technology make it possible to get started and be successful quickly. I put the AM5 and AM3 in that category.

[psuaero]

Love my AM5... one year with it carrying a Redcat51, Esprit100, and just last week I got an 8"EdgeHD. No problems guiding the first two nights. In fact, the EdgeHD isn't any heavier than my fully loaded Esprit100 with EAF, EFW, and 294MM. Guiding is awesome. Also, it's so easy to take outside when it's clear to grab some Sun in Ha with a Lunt scope. Simple and smooth and for that I usually just use the hand controller and Am5 phone app.

[Adrian_Astro]

Can’t believe Sky-Watcher finally released their own Harmonic drive mount! It’s been long waited

[bfgmetalworks]

I switched from the EQ6R-Pro to the AM5, mostly because of what you stated in your video, Portability and quick setup. Even though the EQ6R-Pro Tracked just as well as my AM5. Currently I am running the Celestron Edge HD 8 inch with my AM5, and Have gotten very good tracking, some night averaging .4 with the OAG. Like I stated to you when I meet you at NEAF, Because of you and your channel, my poor bank account suffers.. lol Thank you again for your help to me with your videos and helping me stay inspired with Astrophotography. Clear sky's !

[seemantadutta]

I have an EQ6R-Pro. But I will get an AM3 for taking on trips. Having a travel friendly setup will just help me get to darker skies with less hassle.