Got an Email from Agena Astro today.
The AM7 is coming out and they are taking pre-orders.
So if anyone is chomping at the bit to order….
Agena Astro announces AM7 pre-orders now available
Did anyone feel a little disappointed about it? I was expecting a higher payload capacity.
For people who have to be portable but with a heaver OTA this mount makes sense. At $3500 with a tripod though, there probably are better choices for everyone else.
The thing about strainwave gear mounts is that they scale up very easily. It’s really just a matter of larger capacity drives. That’s the main thing that limits payload. If you look at something like the newly released SAL-33 from MLAstro that carries up to 44 lbs for a little over $1000 you can see what’s possible. I think I even heard a reviewer mention that a remote polar alignment add-on is planned.
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Admittedly having never tested one myself, I’m still in a mixed bag about these.
I’m not convinced they can track as well as what I’ve got. 0.5 is the magic number, but I’m at 0.2’s and 0.3’s with my present mount. And happy.
But for those starting out…. might be a consideration. And I understand the lightweight for those that Star Party, or transport a lot for better-Bortle skies, the smaller mounts may be very attractive.
I’ve already got my “forever mount”.
Nicolas Molina · Jan 29, 2026, 11:56 AM
Did anyone feel a little disappointed about it? I was expecting a higher payload capacity.
Me… This was a wasted opportunity for ZWO.
There is already a bunch of options for mounts on the 20-30kg payload range. UMI20S, WarpAstron WD20, Pegasus NYX101 just to mention a few.
I was hoping for something that could cope with payloads 30kg and above without counterweighs (using counterweights takes out one of the best advantages of harmonic mounts).
Anyway… I’ll wait for ML Astro SAL-66…
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The AM7 mount
Got the email this morning. ZWO AM7 Review: Impressive Power Without a Counterweight
Pre-order availability for the AM7 mount the author reviewed.
Astro Panel X 2026??
this showed up in my news feed. Anyone have experience with it?
Author interested in new equipment announcements; telescope/mount pre-order news.
How to Make an good astronomical mount with the EQ8-R (or ORION HD110) using Shibumi Astro Kits (long post with photos)
Hi all, This is my first post here. I'm not an English speaker, so I apologize in advance if there are any language errors in the post. There's little practical information online about improving the quality of the Chinese-made EQ8-R. Or Orion HD110 ...
Discusses astronomical mounts relevant to equipment enthusiasts considering new purchases.
Robotic Polar Alignment -- gimmick or useful?
I have observed that some of the newer strain wave mounts are considering incorporating Robotic PA as a feature. ML Astro has a “SAL-66” strain wave gear mount that will support robotic PA with payloads of 30 kg. JTW Astronomy has announced a Strzyga...
Explores newer strain wave mounts with advanced features like robotic alignment.