Celestron CG-5 GT GOTO

[Rustmonkey]

Has anybody had one of these?

Reason I ask is because my Eq3/2 struggles under the weight of my Sw150pl so would like to upgrade but the HEq5 is a tad over expensive. Would the celestron handle my scope with camera and Telrad fitted or do I really have to bite the bullet. Would it even fit....I assume so because they are virtually the same company!!!

apparently the legs are sturdier and the handset is much better.

Thoughts????

[nmoushon]

If its for imaging then I would suggest the HEQ5. It will really improve your imaging capabilities. Have you tried looking for one second hand? They are usually about the same price of a CG-5 brand new.

[The Sailor]

I had my CG-5 GT stached away the last couple of years and only got it out again last week, first thing, compared to my NEQ6 Pro it is noisy as hell, but what you are more interested in is the weight, now I got it with a 6" SCT and that was no problem but I put a SW 200 on it and it groaned in agony, suffice to say I have taken it off, just my input, otherwise it is a good mount .

Jm

[glowjet]

I think this is the model with 2" legs they nicknamed the coffee grinder well ok for your 150 as it will carry I believe in the order of 12 Kilos, could affect your neighbours sleep patterns though

John.

[Alan_B]

I have one that came with my C8 which weighs 12.5 lb (or 5.67 kg if you prefer) and it handles it fine although I should add I dont do deep sky imaging - only visual or webcam, if I do venture down that path then it's an NEQ6 for me

It can be a tad noisy when slewing but is quiet when tracking - of course I may have a quiet one as I've not heard any others to compare it with

[Alan_B]

Dont what happened to the font then - I post again for those with normal eyesight

I have one that came with my C8 which weighs 12.5 lb (or 5.67 kg if you prefer) and it handles it fine although I should add I dont do deep sky imaging - only visual or webcam, if I do venture down that path then it's an NEQ6 for me

It can be a tad noisy when slewing but is quiet when tracking - of course I may have a quiet one as I've not heard any others to compare it with

[Stargazer33]

I bought a CG5 GT second hand just recently to mount my C8 SCT and it seems to handle it okay. Tracking isn't that accurate but that may just be me not setting it up properly. There are loads of extra things you can do to improve the tracking accuracy however if you want to take the time.

As others have said above, it is quite noisy when slewing to targets. I sometimes move as close as I can manually at a rate of say 7 (it slews at 9) which is a lot quieter, but obviously takes longer. I then let the mount take over for the last little bit so it is noisy for less time. Depends how much you worry about disturbing your neighbours!

One day I may do a full strip down and re-lubricate...one day when I pluck up enough courage to take apart something that is working that is!

HTH

Bryan

[x6gas]

Great mount in my opinion.

The newer examples are better and much less noisy in my experience. It will easily take a 150 newt tube and imaging gear for guided DSO imaging and the ST4 port makes guiding easy.

A really under-rated mount me thinks and if you hypertune it you can get some really excellent results.

[MJWales]

The payload weight of the CG-5 is stated as 35 pounds, ~15 kilos. Shown here:-http://www.celestron.com/c3/support3/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&nav=0&kbarticleid=2400

I agree about it being a bit noisy when slewing, but it's silent while tracking. Goto works well, and tracking is good as long as you go through the polar alignment routine from the handset.

Mine carries my 8" reflector (SW 200PDS) or 6" refractor (SW Evostar 150) no problem.

Incidentally, F.L.O. are selling some at £50 off at the moment! http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/161600-clearance-celestron-cg5-gt-mount-reduced/

[astrofox]

Had a CG5 goto till my daughter decided she liked it more. I think the comments about noise are a tad over the top. Its not that noisy.

[x6gas]

Mal - where did you get your cloud magnet from?

Mine failed for a few nights last week and while it's working again now my wife is supportive of me getting a back-up just in case....

[MJWales]

Mal - where did you get your cloud magnet from?

I seem to get a new one every time I make an Astro-related purchase! I mean, I must be attracting all these clouds somehow, right?

[spectre]

I deforked my C-8 and mounted it on a CG5 and I have no problems doing AP(see the attached M-27). I've got the C-8, a metal dew shield, a DSLR, and an autoguider on the mount and it tracks quite well. It is a tad noisy when slewing but I don't think it bothers my neighbors at all, never had any complaints.

[Rustmonkey]

Thnx for all the replies.....may have to ave a serious look at this.