Vixen APZ Mount Review

Alt-az mounts seem to fall into two main categories – push-pull only, ideal for visual at moderate powers; or goto/tracking.

I prefer a simple push-pull mount for visual use, but with slo-mo controls for manual tracking at high powers. The Porta works like this, but it is only properly stable at high powers with the lightest scopes (refractors up to ~3”). Enter the APZ – an alt-az that works like the Porta, but built more like other push-pull mounts and capable of supporting medium sized scopes.

I’ve owned several Vixen mounts – including the GP, SX2, Porta and Mobile Porta. I’ve been very impressed by all of them, except for the Mobile Porta, so I hoped the APZ might work well with my AP Stowaway for travel.

The APZ also has some unusual design features that differentiate it from most alt-az mounts, as we will see.

At A Glance

Mount

Vixen APZ

Weight

2.2 Kg mount + 1.65 Kg conical weight + ~ 3 Kg tripod

Capacity

~8 Kg

 Data from Vixen.

What’s in the Box?

The APZ comes in the usual thick vixen crate with polystyrene inserts. All you get is the mount head, counterweight and slo-mo knobs.

Design and Build

If the APZ looks strangely familiar, that’s because it’s essentially the declination axis for an AP equatorial mount. Indeed, by buying some accessories you can convert it into an AP - a really useful feature for saving both storage space and cost (see the accessories section for details).

Otherwise, the APZ appears similar to many Giro-type push-pull mounts and works much the same. You can just push it around the sky, but it has those slo-mo controls on both axes for fine control as well.

Build quality is typical of Vixen’s equatorial mounts, which is to say excellent. It may use castings rather than CNC components, but these are finely fabricated and solid, that white powder coat very durable (as I know from many years of using my SX2).

Mount Head

The T-pattern APZ mount head looks like a lot of Giro-type mounts from various makers, but has some unique features.

The APZ comes with a 1.65 Kg counterweight, screwed into the coarse thread for the AP counterweight bar. The weight is conical, fits flush and makes storage and set up unusually easy, as well as looking compact and neat. The weight appears integral, but it is not - it can be unscrewed for really light loads, or you could thread in a short bar and standard Vixen weight to balance heavier ones. For scopes up to about 5 Kg (e.g. a 4” refractor + accs), it’s ideal as it is.

As you would expect, the APZ has a built-in Vixen-fit dovetail with both main and safety set screws.

The axes run in ball bearings and so move with a very fluid action, without the stiction you get with so many. Like the Porta’s, the slo-mo knobs push on to brass axles with flats, but are made from a more durable plastic than the flimsy ones on the Porta and its derivatives.

Tripod

The APZ ships without a tripod, so you can choose from a range of Vixen ones. It is probably intended for use with the medium-duty APP-TL130 tripod you see in the photos here and that weighs about 3 Kg. You could also use the ubiquitous, but heavier, HAL-130. Another option would be any Berlebach wooden tripod, for which they make a Vixen adapter.

In some of the photos here, I’m using the heavy-duty Vixen ASG-CB90 carbon fibre tripod – light at 3.5 Kg and intended for the larger AXJ mount, so very solid. The ASG-CB90 is very simple to use too, with just one set of leg extensions locked by big twist-lock clamps (super convenient in the dark with gloved or cold hands). However, the ASG-CB90 is quite short and so wouldn’t be ideal for longer OTAs where the eyepiece would be too low with the scope set near the zenith.

In all cases, you have to remove the tripod’s post for the AP equatorial/SX mount before fitting the APZ head. The post just screws into the bottom of the centre post for storage – another thoughtful design feature.

The mount head then slots into a circular dovetail recess on top of the tripod, so fitting is quick and easy, even in the dark.

Finally, you just twist the tripod’s centre pole to tighten the thread into the mount head – the thread is much coarser and so more fool-proof than a ¼-20” or 3.8” photo tripod thread.

APP-TL130 and ASG-CB90 tripods.

On all Vixen tripods, first remove and stow the azimuth adjuster post for equatorial mounts.

Tripod is secured by twisting the centre post.

Accessories

Various accessories from Vixen are available for the basic APZ:

·       A stylish semi-rigid case with lots of pockets and pouches that’s a snug fit for either the APZ or AP, see below

·       Various tripods, see above

·       Motor drives to make the APZ a driven alt-az, <possibly> with app-based GOTO using the new WiFi adapter dongle

However, the accessories don’t stop there! The AP range is modular and you can create various other mounts from an APZ. This gets complicated, so sit up and pay attention (or just skip this section)!

To convert the APZ into an equatorial AP mount, you have the following options:

1)    Retain the manual slo-mo controls from the APZ (see below)

2)    A single RA drive motor for tracking using the Star Book One hand controller, retaining manual slo-mo for declination

3)    Motors for both axes, controlled with:

a.     Star Book One hand controller for manual-slewing only on both axes

b.    New WiFi wireless module and an app on your phone for full goto (this effectively replaces the old Star Book 10 goto controller)

The APZ->AP conversion parts are as follows:

·       Polar Axis unit – the essential component for the RA axis

·       Counterweight bar and weight(s) for all but the smallest OTAs

·       RA motor module set for simple tracking, which includes the basic StarBook One controller

·       A declination motor to make a fully motorised mount

·       A new WiFi adapter dongle that allows app-based GOTO

·       A polar finder

Note: If you go for either motor option, the battery holder and wiring are internal, so this end up as a very neat (if expensive) upgrade. Alternatively, you can power it from an external phone charger battery (the RA motor has a micro-USB 2.0 port).

(Further sets of parts replace the declination unit to create a lightweight driven platform for larger camera setups - functionally like a heavier duty Polarie - but by then there’s not much APZ left in the mix and it’s a whole other article!)

 

APZ plus the conversion kit to a manually driven AP equatorial.

Manual AP mount built from APZ with conversion kit (fully reversible!) with an AP Stowaway.

In Use – Daytime

The APZ is an astronomy mount, but you could certainly use it as a very stable scope-mount for birding or nature viewing.

In Use – Photography

I used the APZ as a platform for my AP Stowaway when imaging a recent occultation of Mars by the Moon: with low vibes, zero slop and backlash, it proved ideal for a situation where long exposures aren’t required.

In Use – The Night Sky

For loads of ~~5-7 Kg, the APZ proves truly excellent.

On the ASG-CB90 tripod, the APZ is essentially vibe-free with lighter refractors in the ~100mm class, even at very high magnification. I have now used it with the Stowaway, an FC-100DC and an FSQ-85, all of which would tax a Porta except at low powers. But with the APZ, even drumming on the focuser induces only the smallest and briefest vibes that damp after a second or so. This means it’s easy to get critical focus.

Pushing the scope around works very well: there is none of the stiction, backlash and droop you get with most photo heads. It just goes where you push it and stays there. If you have an unbalanced scope (heavy eyepiece, camera etc), you can alter the tension with an Allen key. This is progressive and you can get just the right level to hold the scope but still push it around.

The slo-mo controls are similarly good: precise and accurate, with no slop or backlash, allowing for perfect fine control even at 200x and more (I used it extensively for viewing Mars around the 2022 opposition).

Viewing Mars at opposition with the APZ and an FSQ-85.

Summary

I’m hugely impressed with the APZ and can’t find anything to criticise. It’s like a Porta, but much better. For small to medium scopes, performance is flawless, with none of the nasty droop, vagueness, vibes and backlash that plague many alt-az mounts at high powers.

I like the ability to use a range of tripods, depending on your needs. Sharing tripods with other Vixens is space and cost saving too (I use the ASG-CB90 for my SX2 mount as well). Fitting it on a tripod is rapid and fool-proof, thanks to thoughtful design.

The flexibility to convert it to an equatorial AP mount is a useful feature, as are the various options for counterweights.

The APZ is quite expensive, but you do get what you pay for here.

The Vixen APZ is a superb piece of kit that delivers a very stable and low-vibe platform for medium scopes, with slo-mo controls fine and precise enough for high powers. It gets my highest recommendation.

APZ is perfect with the Stowaway.

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