Simply level the tripod (near enough is good enough) and point your solar telescope anywhere to the left of the sun, Sky-Watcher's HelioFind™ Solar Alignment Technology will do the rest!
Built-in GPS automatically enters date, time and location then calculates the altitude and azimuth of the sun. The mount then points the telescope to the correct altitude and slews clockwise, hunting for the sun. When the Solar Sensor (photo diodes) detect the sun the mount lock onto it then silently tracks it, keeping it within the eyepiece's field of view.
Can be used by educational establishments, beginners and experienced observers alike.
The saddle can be removed, offset 90 degrees then refitted making it suitable for use with Skywatcher's L-Bracket (available separately).
Average Rating (15 Reviews): | |
Monday, 21 February 2022 | Jeffrey
So simple to set up! After centering tracks perfectly. FLO set the standard for customer service
Friday, 21 January 2022 | Leigh
I received the SW Solar Quest on the Tuesday, and the clouds came with it! There was an hours break on the Thursday and there wasn't time to think. The Quest, the mount (got it with the mount - light and sturdy) my solarscope, plus battery were loaded into the car and I drove to a clearer area.
Quickly set up in minutes and plugged into my battery (comes with 12v dc socket and AA battery options). Powered up and after a small tweak to centre the sun, was imaging soon after.
So easy and very accurate! The sun was low, so seeing wasn't perfect, but as the tracking was spot-on, my image was pretty good! IMO .. 😉.
Superb addition to my kit.
Thursday, 30 December 2021 | Everett
This is the perfect mount for a lightweight, portable, solar setup. It takes all the work out of finding the sun and without the need for a traditional "solar finder" mounted on your scope. My primary purpose for buying is for traveling to image solar eclipses but it would be great for any solar imaging rig as long as it wasn't too heavy. Skywatcher says 11lbs max but I plan to be in the 7-8 range to be safe.
Saturday, 3 July 2021 | David
The other reports, and Skywatcher instructions about 'put on floor, point and use' are all valid.
You place the mount, power up then while assembling and generally sorting the scope, the mount gets its act together.
I have often left the mount running all day tracking the sun, returning to the scope at intervals. Hands and brain are fully free to handle the scope.
I am using a Lunt LS60, sometimes double stack, sometimes visual ,sometimes a camera.
This heavy assembly is handled by the mount, provided it is kept well balanced.
It is though important to check new configurations for balance on another mount that has clutches.
Any low cost (tatty and wobbly) mount with a dovetail fixing is good enough. You are only looking to identify the pivot point.
I have marks on the dovetail for the different configurations so the 'other mount' balance is a once only excersize.
Small balance changes for eyepieces and the like don't matter.
Power consumption is low. So AA cells won't break the bank, and will avoid a trailing cable.
I did run (for while) from an external 12V supply. The supplied DC lead is (like most supplied for scopes) the usual 'desined soon for landfill' quality.
Tuesday, 22 June 2021 | Hans
I ordered my SolarQuest from FLO on Monday. It arrived in Norway the following Friday. This was seriously impressive, I think (is it DHL I should praise?). Prior to purchase, FLO responded promptly to my queries, so doing business with them was a breeze. A strong contender for my next purchase.
Excellent tracker and superb service Friday, 9 April 2021 | Michael
This tracking mount was ordered one day and delivered two days later - superb service! The mount was straightforward to fit on the tripod with an extension (advisable to avoid bending one's back too often). Of course I did not initially follow the instructions carefully enough and lined up the sun manually but the tracker immediately locked on to the sun and held it centrally in my Solarscope for the duration of the session. It also tracked silently. If you follow the instructions and just point it east of the sun it will automatically find the sun and lock on. Makes life much easier instead of having continually to realign the scope. Buy one! And buy it from First Light Optics for superb service. Also, when I had a query about my my camera (nothing to do with the purchase) I had a reply first thing the next working day. You can't beat this. Thank you FLO.
Wednesday, 6 January 2021 | Lilian
This mount is a little gem! I purchased the package with the tripod and extender which means it is at a perfect height for me. I attached my SolarScout DS60 pointed it to the left of the sun and gave it power. Waited a minute, looked in the eyepiece and there was the sun. Absolutely delighted and it arrived very quickly so well done FLO for fast delivery.
Friday, 11 December 2020 | Brian
Bought it to use with my Coronado PST for solar imaging / viewing. Very easy to set up (with the PST on a dovetail plate) and finds and centres the sun perfectly and keeps it there - a marked improvement over constantly manually re-adjusting the view when mounted onto a camera tripod (my previous set-up).
With my imaging train being a ZWO174MM and attached x2 Barlow cell the solar disc fills the sensor, so initial positioning takes a couple of minutes (as the margin of error between complete disc and clipping top or bottom off is so small) but is well worth the effort - and may well not be as fiddly with a different camera. The SolarQuest allows for setting an offset for your specific set-up, so once you’ve managed that initial tweak to the positioning of the image the mount applies automatically in subsequent sessions.
Monday, 8 June 2020 | Steven
Ordered for a used Lunt I recently acquired. Head arrived the next day, along with non-stop cloud coverage after 3 solid weeks of clear skies. Haven't been able to test it yet. Even with the cloud, I wouldn't spend my money anywhere else.
Peerless customer service, every time.
Thursday, 4 June 2020 | Nicholas
How refreshing to have a product out of the box that simply just works with the press of a button. No more manually tracking and tweaking with an EQ mount. And it tracks the sun for hours still being centred after that time. A fantastic purchase for solar observers.
Read all 15 customer reviews...