In early 2024, after I donated my Z61 to Reach for the Stars, I needed a new wide-field rig that could also be portable. I didn't want to spend a large amount of cash on a Takahashi or TEC, so I looked into the Redcat 71 WIFD Petzval quadruplet. It seemed to suit my purposes. And that supposition has borne out. It has been an outstanding piece of kit, delivering great star color and shape all the way to the corners. To go with it, I went for iOptron's new, smaller hybrid harmonic mount, the HEM27-EC. Although it uses a worm gear for Dec, it delivers great harmonic performance in right ascension and relives me of having to deal with a counterweight. I couldn't be happier with it.

It employs all the usual suspects—a William Optics 50mm Guide Scope with ZWO ASI174MM-Mini guide camera, ZWO EAF focuser, Pegasus Falcon v1 rotator, and ZWO ASI6200MM camera with ZWO EFW and Chroma filters. With it, I've been going for minimum integration times of at least 100 hours. Unfortunately, the camera began to have issues last fall, and as of this writing, I have yet to put it back in service after having it repaired. My desire for using it in the side yard has waned because of anxiety over weather. It's a luxury I'm experiencing because I have three scopes in a remote observatory near Santa Fe under a weather-controlled roof.