Bad news first.
First off, I admit I should have done more research before I ordered it, but since everyone was recommending it, I thought it was the one to get..
From pictures I thought it had full rotation an both alt and azimuth rotation axes, but it does not.
We already know the rail mount knob is too big so if you mount the Seestar unit on top, the knob interferes with the base. Have to replace with smaller knob or add a spacer. The altitude knob has 1/4 turn of gear lash and not that it needs to unless you're on the north or south pole, but it can't point straight up. The azimuth screws are really klunky (loosen both to adjust one, and then the whole thing rattles around on its base) and only gives you a few degrees of rotation. Clearly the assumption is that you'll mount on a regular tripod, and rotate it by hand and fine tune with the az screws. But the Seestar tripod has no ability to rotate so it just won't work there.
To add insult to injury, waited nearly 2 months for this mount, and not even available for order now (probably for the best)
So the good news..
There's a better EQ wedge/mount option.
When I first saw Sky Water mount order was delayed I ordered this one and have been using it for a while.
On Amazon it's listed as "Geared Tripod Head" from VERTECFOTO
There may be other equivalent mounts.
It's another alt/az mount but has full rotation on both axes.
Can point straight up, and has continuous rotation on azimuth. Including lock/unlock knobs which let you move each axes quickly by hand for large adjustments, and then lock em down and use the continuous rotation fine tuning knobs. Pictures below..
I already had the leveling base on the Seestar tripod, and I find that a bubble level before I get polar offsets gives me better results than ignoring the level. YMMV. I added the rail (LEFTFOTO 300mm Dovetail Slide Rail - Arc Type) with 3/8" screw and a (Manfrotto 120- 38) 3/8" to 3/8" spacer, which lets me slide the S50 forward enough to keep it centered over the tripod when tilted back. I've seen an alternate method where you add a rail mount to the tripod and slide the EQ wedge forward, with the S50 tilted back on top of that. That keeps the CG a little lower, but I've had no issues doing it this my way.
I think the spacer is needed either way (rail knob is pretty close to the base), but maybe if you could find a little taller Arca type rail it'd clear.
So why do you need the ability to make large azimuth adjustments anyway?
Well, Seestar added options in the latest update to let you choose what angle it starts looking for its 3 polar alignment calibration points.. (before it was always straight up). This let's you work off a balcony that is north or south facing, but if you're east or west facing and start with the tripod roughly aligned north, then it just won't work. Low in the north is still obstructed. I'm pretty sure you can start with it facing easterly or westerly, choose one of your low points, and get your polar alignment offsets and then make a large azimuth adjustment to bring it into polar alignment. So while I might normally see it only off by say 5-10 degrees, someone facing east would need to rotate 90 degrees. That's why having a mount that has continuous rotation on azimuth is useful, when it's sitting on a tripod that can't rotate like Seestar's own.
