Sky-Watcher Wave 150i Pro Strain Wave Mount Kit with Carbon Fiber Tripod and Extension Tube

Product Overview

This is the carbon fiber configuration of the Wave 150i Pro kit: the Wave 150i GoTo strain wave head together with the carbon fiber tripod and the carbon fiber pier extension tube. The complete kit ships at 22.8 lb, of which the mount head itself accounts for 12.8 lb (5.8 kg), and it carries 33 pounds (15 kg) of payload with no counterweight anywhere in the system.

Strain wave gearing is what makes that ratio possible. The drive delivers high torque from a compact housing, so the mass that a conventional German equatorial spends on counterweights and a heavy head is simply absent. What remains is a mount that holds a serious imaging train and still travels. The optical tube is not included.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you image from more than one site — a dark-sky location an hour out, a driveway, a star party field — and you have been carrying a counterweighted German equatorial to do it. The carbon fiber kit is the lighter of the two Wave 150i tripod configurations, and the difference is felt on every trip from the car.

It also suits imagers running an automated session. Through-mount cabling, a powered hub in the saddle, and native compatibility with ASIAir, Eagle and StellarMate mean the mount is designed to be driven by software rather than watched. If your existing setup is a long triplet or a heavy astrograph, the 33 lb payload carries it, and the optional stainless-steel counterweight kit raises that to 55 lb (25 kg) when the tube outgrows the base rating.

Key Features & Design

• Strain wave drive technology: high torque from a compact gearbox, delivering smooth precise tracking without bulky counterweights, and it is the reason a 12.8 lb head handles 33 lb of payload.
• 33-pound (15 kg) payload capacity: with no counterweight fitted. The optional stainless-steel counterweight kit takes it to 55 pounds (25 kg).
• Built-in cable management: through-mount cabling with a powered hub built into the saddle carrying an autoguiding port, a Dec USB port and two Dec outputs. The RA hub sits at the back of the mount and never moves, so cables do not track with the tube and do not snag.
• OTA balancing on both axes: the Wave 150i can be balanced on RA and Dec, which is unusual among strain wave mounts and directly affects how the drive behaves under an off-centre load.
• Fast slewing at 7.5 degrees per second: quick enough for satellite and space station work using the downloadable Satellite Tracker application for Windows PC on Sky-Watcher's International Support site.
• EQ and AZ modes with RA and Dec home positions: the same head works equatorially for imaging and in altazimuth for visual sessions, and the home position functions give a repeatable starting point.
• Single D/V hybrid saddle: accepts both Vixen and Losmandy dovetails without changing hardware.
• 0° to 90° latitude range: usable from the equator to the pole, with a red LED backlit latitude scale and bubble level for setup after dark.
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: wireless control from a phone or tablet through the SynScan app, alongside the SynScan hand controller.
• RA power-off braking: the RA axis brakes when power is removed rather than swinging free.
• ASIAir compatible with the USB-B cable included: the cable that connects the mount to an ASIAir ships in the box.
• Carbon fiber tripod and pier extension included: the lighter of the two tripod options Sky-Watcher offers for this kit.

Optical / Mechanical Design

A conventional German equatorial balances the telescope against a counterweight on the opposite side of the RA axis, and the counterweights alone often approach the weight of the optical tube. Strain wave gearing removes that requirement. The reduction ratio and torque available from the drive let the Wave 150i hold 33 lb entirely on one side of the axis, which is why the kit as a whole ships at 22.8 lb rather than the 45 lb a comparably rated equatorial and its weights would total.

The 150i is the larger of the two Wave heads and it is the one that carries the design features that matter for long imaging runs. OTA balancing on both RA and Dec is available here and not on the smaller head — balancing an off-centre imaging train reduces the load the drive has to hold statically, which is the difference between a mount that is working and one that is coasting. The cable architecture follows the same logic: the powered saddle hub means the guide camera, the Dec cabling and the USB feed all terminate at the moving end of the mount instead of running the length of the tube, while the RA hub stays fixed at the back where nothing rotates past it.

The carbon fiber tripod and extension tube complete the mechanical chain. Carbon fiber is the lighter material of the two options and the extension tube raises the mount head, which matters when a long tube on a German equatorial swings toward the legs near the meridian.

Recommended Uses

• Travel and remote-site deep-sky imaging: a 22.8 lb complete kit with a 33 lb payload is a genuinely portable imaging platform.
• Long-exposure astrophotography with heavy refractors and astrographs: the payload rating covers glass-heavy triplets and large-aperture imaging tubes.
• Automated and remote-controlled sessions: ASIAir, Eagle and StellarMate control gives plate solving and unattended imaging runs.
• Satellite and ISS tracking: 7.5 degrees per second with the Windows Satellite Tracker application.
• Altazimuth visual observing: AZ mode with a home position makes the same mount a straightforward visual platform.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The single D/V hybrid saddle takes Vixen and Losmandy dovetails as it stands, which covers essentially every optical tube Sky-Watcher, Celestron, William Optics and Takahashi ship with a rail.

Control has three routes: the SynScan hand controller, the SynScan app over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or a third-party platform such as ASIAir, Eagle or StellarMate. The ASIAir connection uses the USB-B cable supplied with the kit. Sky-Watcher publishes Wave firmware updates on their firmware and software page.

Power is 12V 2A and is not included. A regulated 12V supply or a lithium power pack of that rating runs the mount.

The stainless-steel counterweight kit, the pier adapter, and the steel tripod configuration are separate options in the Wave accessory range. If you are weighing this carbon fiber kit against the steel tripod version, or working out whether your tube needs the counterweight kit to sit inside the rating, send us the optical tube, camera and accessories you plan to run and we will work through the loaded weight with you.

Good to Know Before You Order

• This is the carbon fiber tripod configuration. The kit includes the carbon fiber tripod and the carbon fiber extension tube. The steel tripod version is a separate SKU with its own weight and price.
• The optical tube is not included. The kit supplies the mount head, tripod and extension tube only.
• 12V 2A power is not included. The mount needs a supply of that rating to run.
• 33 lb is the payload without a counterweight. Reaching 55 lb (25 kg) requires the optional stainless-steel counterweight kit, sold separately.
• 12.8 lb is the mount head alone. The 22.8 lb figure is the complete kit as it ships, tripod and extension tube included.
• The Satellite Tracker application is Windows PC only. It is downloaded from Sky-Watcher's International Support website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

The kit arrives as three pieces that go together in order: tripod, extension tube, mount head. There are no counterweights to thread onto a shaft and no shaft to install. The red LED latitude scale and bubble level are readable in the dark, and the 0° to 90° latitude range means the head is set once for your site. From there the SynScan app or an ASIAir takes over the alignment.

What is the difference between this kit and the steel tripod version?

The tripod and extension. This kit ships with the carbon fiber tripod and carbon fiber extension tube; the other ships with a 2-inch steel leg heavy-duty EQ6 tripod and an extension tube for the EQ6 tripod. The mount head is the same Wave 150i in both. This carbon fiber kit ships at 22.8 lb complete.

Does it need counterweights?

Not for the 33 lb (15 kg) rating — that figure is published with no counterweight fitted. The optional stainless-steel counterweight kit exists to extend the rating to 55 lb (25 kg).

Will it work with an ASIAir?

Yes, and the USB-B cable for that connection is included. Eagle and StellarMate are also supported, as are the SynScan hand controller and the SynScan app.

What dovetails does the saddle accept?

The single D/V hybrid saddle takes both Vixen and Losmandy dovetails.

Can it track satellites?

The slew rate is 7.5 degrees per second, and Sky-Watcher publishes a Satellite Tracker application for Windows PC on their International Support website for exactly that.

Bottom Line

A 33 lb payload on a 22.8 lb complete kit, with carbon fiber legs, an extension tube, through-mount cabling and native ASIAir support. This is the Wave 150i configured for imagers who move their gear, and it carries a full imaging train without a single counterweight.