Considering this for my current rig to save me setup time. Wanted to know if anyone out there had any experience with the product or the company? It would be a major purchase and I can't find much about it in terms of reviews. I know it's supported by Nina's three point alignment. Company states it will get me close to perfect alignment in about 2 minutes.
Avalon Universal Polar Alignment System
This certainly looks cool but at that price I'll gladly spend an extra 5 min. doing it manually.
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Not sure why you'd need this device for polar alignment, since you mentioned an alternative that is free and gets you the same result (NINA). Above a certain point any increase in accuracy of polar alignment has such a miniscule effect that its just not worth the headache. I would say anything better than 1 arc minute is arbitrarily close to perfect, and this is very easy to do in NINA.
Another option is Sharpcap pro polar alignment. It also uses plate solving to do its thing and is very fast. I prefer the Sharpcap tool, so i use that. I can get my polar alignment to less than half an arc minute in about 2 minutes if i work fast. Spending more than 5 minutes would be very difficult, since the tool just tells you the direction you need to adjust and by how much so there is no way to do it wrong.
Another option is Sharpcap pro polar alignment. It also uses plate solving to do its thing and is very fast. I prefer the Sharpcap tool, so i use that. I can get my polar alignment to less than half an arc minute in about 2 minutes if i work fast. Spending more than 5 minutes would be very difficult, since the tool just tells you the direction you need to adjust and by how much so there is no way to do it wrong.
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Isbeorn, the developer of NINA, uses this, and has built a NINA plug in for it, to completely automate its uses in your sequence. I would ask him on the NINA discord. For mobile use, if the cost is not a burden, this seems like a nice convenience to have. For a fixed installation, I think it would not be ideal or needed.
I'm going to be SO real about this… I have an Avalon Instruments mount, it is one of the most beautifully crafted things I've ever owned in my life - and I imagine the UPAS is exactly the same as far as build quality…
If your telescope is in a hard to get to location (roof mounted observatory) or at a remote site where you might only need to adjust PA 2 or 3 times a year, but you're a few hundred miles from the observatory, then sure, this would be worth it…
if you're moving your scope in and out from the house every time you use it, I honestly think I could get my polar alignment sorted from raw setup of the mount, to within 30 arcsec (which is MORE than good enough for nearly any rig) in maybe 3 or 4 minutes.
I guarantee you, you have something more important you could spend the money on that would provide tangible benefits to your astrophotography, where as this unit will litterally only save you a couple of minutes. You'll never get noticably better images as a result, you'll never have better data as a result, or neater cable management as a result…
If your telescope is in a hard to get to location (roof mounted observatory) or at a remote site where you might only need to adjust PA 2 or 3 times a year, but you're a few hundred miles from the observatory, then sure, this would be worth it…
if you're moving your scope in and out from the house every time you use it, I honestly think I could get my polar alignment sorted from raw setup of the mount, to within 30 arcsec (which is MORE than good enough for nearly any rig) in maybe 3 or 4 minutes.
I guarantee you, you have something more important you could spend the money on that would provide tangible benefits to your astrophotography, where as this unit will litterally only save you a couple of minutes. You'll never get noticably better images as a result, you'll never have better data as a result, or neater cable management as a result…
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I appreciate the input from all. To add a bit more to my reasoning to possibly purchase such a device is twofold.
Current situation is that I am, like most, doing setups and tear downs and trying to save time in the final setup. On some nights with my 1000mm focal length scope I get lucky and have it done in a few minutes. Other nights it can take me 15-20. I totally think this is my problem rather than a problem with my equipment. I've been active in the hobby for about 4 years now, maybe I've yet to develop a golden touch.
Future state is that in the next two years I plan to rent a pier in an external site and send one full rig to that site. My current sky conditions are only getting worse and I have limited views of the southern sky. I know most places I can rent out a pier will help with adjustments etc and those adjustments should be rare but I like having control over my own equipment even if it's not far away.
I consider this a long term investment that I'm expecting to last 10+ years to be worth it. That's why I'm curious about the quality of the build and reputation of the company.
Thanks again.
Current situation is that I am, like most, doing setups and tear downs and trying to save time in the final setup. On some nights with my 1000mm focal length scope I get lucky and have it done in a few minutes. Other nights it can take me 15-20. I totally think this is my problem rather than a problem with my equipment. I've been active in the hobby for about 4 years now, maybe I've yet to develop a golden touch.
Future state is that in the next two years I plan to rent a pier in an external site and send one full rig to that site. My current sky conditions are only getting worse and I have limited views of the southern sky. I know most places I can rent out a pier will help with adjustments etc and those adjustments should be rare but I like having control over my own equipment even if it's not far away.
I consider this a long term investment that I'm expecting to last 10+ years to be worth it. That's why I'm curious about the quality of the build and reputation of the company.
Thanks again.
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The reputation of the company is undoubted and whatever they craft is certainly up to specs. The utility of it is however highly in doubt. It's a solution for a problem that does not exist, imo.
In Minnesota in the Winter, any amount of time polar aligning with TPPA seems eternal due to the frigid temperatures. This seems like it would be very useful. Can anyone report how precise and reliable the unit is?
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I’ve been using the Avalon UPAS for about six months with two different setups — an FF130 and a Radian 75 — and it has become a reliable part of my imaging workflow.
Initial setup requires the mount to be within roughly six degrees of true alignment. I typically get close enough using a simple compass, and from there NINA’s Three‑Point Polar Alignment takes over. I set my tolerance to anything under one arc‑minute, which the UPAS consistently achieves. Users running extremely long focal lengths may want to fine‑tune those tolerances, but for my refractors the default approach has worked well.
The alignment process itself can take a few minutes as the UPAS gradually refines its position. In my experience, it usually completes within 5–7 minutes. I actually appreciate this, because it gives me time to take care of other setup tasks — and I can do that from inside the house while the UPAS works autonomously.
One feature I would love to see added in the future is a “return to zero” or “home” function. At the end of an imaging session, the mount needs to be manually brought back to its starting position. It’s not a major inconvenience, but it would be a welcome quality‑of‑life improvement.
Aside from my first unit arriving damaged in shipping (which was resolved), the UPAS has been a solid performer. It genuinely streamlines my setup routine, reduces the friction of getting started, and ultimately helps me spend more nights actually imaging — which is exactly what I want from a tool like this.
Hope that helps.
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