Proxisky UMi17S

Proxisky UMi17S

Changing the game!

The Proxisky UMi17S is an impressive strain-wave mount, offering a lightweight, high-capacity, and travel-friendly solution for astrophotographers. After spending some time with it, I’m thoroughly impressed.

Setup & Portability

Setting up the UMi17S on a tripod was hassle-free. I mounted the pier onto the tripod and packed it into a longer lighting tripod bag for easier transport. I did the same for my telescope, a William Optics ZenithStar 110 APO Triplet with a fully assembled weight just under 10kg, including:

• Losmandy plate and rings

• 240mm guidescope

• ASI1600GT (LRGBHa) / ASI2600MC Pro cameras

Having everything pre-assembled and well-packed made setup and teardown significantly faster and more efficient. For those who frequently travel with their gear to dark sites, this mount’s light weight is a major advantage over heavier alternatives like the Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro which weighs over 17kg plus you need to add the 10kg counterweights and 7.5kg tripod! I did not miss using counterweights at all and according to Proxisky the maximum counterweight needed if the rig was over 14kg or there was a lot of wind would be around 3.5kg anyway.

ASIAIR Integration & Firmware Adjustments

If you’re using an ASIAIR, there are some important settings to adjust:

  • Select ASIAir in the phone app

  • Enable “Super Home”

  • Anti-collision detection (Can be disabled if you are using a pier)

I had some initial issues rotating the mount for polar alignment and disabled the anti-collision system (ACS) as a workaround. Once the UMi17S firmware was updated, everything worked seamlessly. I was able to tune the sensitivity of the ACS and had no more problems.

Guiding & Calibration Tips

For those new to strain-wave mounts, guiding calibration requires adjustments:

• Guide camera exposure time: ≤1 second, depending on seeing conditions.

• Calibration step size: 700ms worked well, with 500ms for DEC and RA settings.

• Clear previous calibration settings when changing locations.

At first, I really struggled with guiding, with numbers exceeding 100! Once I cleared my guide settings completely, guiding stabilised at 0.6” RMS, even with a rough polar alignment. It was clear that the technology operates completely differently from traditional mounts.

Mechanical Build & Performance

The UMi17S excels in mechanical quality. The slewing is ultra-smooth and quiet, and I was amazed at how lightweight the mount is despite its impressive payload capacity. The titanium knobs offer an excellent feel, making precise polar alignment effortless.

The altitude and azimuth screws turn smoothly, allowing for fine adjustments with minimal effort. Even though I hadn’t used my ASIAIR in a while, I found that polar alignment was quick and accurate, and I expect future alignments to be even faster.

Customer Experience & Ordering Process

I was initially apprehensive about ordering directly from Proxisky’s website, as there were:

• No local retailers

• No in-person viewing options

• Customer support only available via Discord

However, my experience with Proxisky’s customer service was excellent. Support was provided by Nøkk, an astrophotographer himself, who was highly responsive, often answering questions late at night and on weekends. I was able to make changes to my order. There was a lot of well-written documentation available online and the Discord server was very active which was reassuring.

I was fortunate to be able to pick up a demo unit at an exhibition in Germany, while the rest of the accessories were shipped separately. To optimise my setup in the meantime, I had an adaptor 3D-printed for my Innorel RT90CG carbon fibre tripod, which worked perfectly until the Proxisky carbon-fibre tripod (CF40 Tripod) , hand controller (ST4 Hand Controller), counterweight bar (Counterweight Shaft) and pier (PE210 Pier Extension) arrived.

Final Verdict

The Proxisky UMi17S is a top-tier strain-wave mount that combines exceptional portability, smooth mechanics, and solid guiding performance. The overall experience has been fantastic.

Pros:

  • Lightweight yet high-capacity

  • Fast, smooth and silent slewing

  • Excellent build quality

  • Easy polar alignment with fine adjustments

  • Responsive customer support

  • Up to 14kg without counterweight. Adding a counterweight increases the maximum load to 21kg!

  • Anti-collision system is tuneable for best balance

Be aware:

  • (Minor) guiding setup tweaks required for ASIAIR Plus. Use my settings as a starting point.

If you’re looking for a powerful, travel-friendly mount with high payload capacity, the Proxisky UMi17S is an outstanding choice.