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EQ-5 Pro

JM1311

By JM1311
in Discussions - Mounts

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JM1311

JM1311

Posted
Posted

Hi

I currently have the SkyWatcher 200P on an EQ-5 mount which I am very pleased with overall. However, my time under the skies is fairly limited (not to mention the weather!) and I am now leaning towards a GO-TO mount to make the most of my time.

I have been looking at the upgrade kit for the EQ-5 which looks reasonably good value for money. This mount will be used only for visual observing and not astrophotography. My question is- would it be worth spending more and purchasing the HEQ-5 PRO mount? I do not intend / foresee getting into AP for quite a while yet, and wonder if the extra expense is worthwhile this time round.

Does anyone here have a 200P on an EQ-5 PRO mount, and if so how does it perform as the OTA/lens etc is close to the limit of the mount?

Cheers

JM

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brantuk

brantuk

Posted
Posted

Rather than upgrade an EQ5 I'd sell it and put the money towards a s/h HEQ5 Pro. The upgrade kit will cost circa £300 - which with your existing mount puts you in that territory anyway. The HEQ5 is much more stable for a tube the size of a 200P and has a lot more functionality. An all round better mount with higher weigth capacity for other ota's if you decide to experiment - you're allways better off with a mount that's well over the capacity of the ota. You'll get a very good one for circa £500'ish.

If you did decide to try imaging with a 200P then the NEQ6 Pro is your best option by far. I have both mounts and just sold my 200P ota with big reservations lol. :)

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aGreyarea

aGreyarea

Posted
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Hi, I have an eq5 with the syncs an goto upgrade and an Altair 8" F4 which I think is the same size as a 200p.

For me it's perfectly good for visual, I've been surprised how accurate it is, and actually quite good for imaging. I have never used either an heq5 or an eq6 so can't tell how much better or not they are.

I expect a lot will be to do with whether you need to move it much. An accurate goto needs setting up properly, and this sometimes takes time so if you can set it up and leave covered then great. Of course, if you need to hump it in and out every night, the HEQ5 might be too heavy.

Personally, I'd go straight to the heq5, just because then if I wanted to go to imaging I have a more accurate mount and if I want a bigger ota I have a stronger mount.

But then I just leave mine in the garden.

HTH and good luck.

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66mikeg

66mikeg

Posted
Posted

The HEQ5 is quite manageable without the tube and weights,and these only take a couple of minutes to attach, even with a lighter mount I wouldn't fancy carrying the complete setup very far. I don't have an NEQ6 but as you say you don't have ambitions to get into imaging the expense and extra weight don't seem justified.

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malc-c

malc-c

Posted
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Having used both the EQ5 and HEQ5 I would recommend the HEQ5 every time. It's still manageable to be used as a portable set up, but will future proof your needs should you want to dabble with imaging at a later stage. You can always sell the EQ5 to recover some of the costs, and if you have a laptop, opting for the HEQ5 Syntrek version of the mount and an EQDirect cable will give you goto and save you £100 in the process.

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Velvet

Velvet

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i have/had the exact same set up but with goto. If i were you, as i have done sell and upgrade the mount. if you can stretch to it go for the NEQ6 as I did and you will be well set for anything even AP. EQ5 is a little short on carrying capacity with a 200P, does not have much leeway for extra equipment.

Well thats they way I went and I am not regretting it one bit. Wish I had done this from the start though LOL but we all have to learn be experience

velvet

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Aenima

Aenima

Posted
Posted

Hi there folks,

I was reading this thread as I have the EQ5 and wanted to try some basic AP and was advised to get an RA. drive as money is tight. So if my options were prettty much either the RA drive, dual axis drive or goto upgrade - would I be ok not getting into debt by sticking with a basic RA motor for tracking or is the EQ5 goto upgrade as good as, say, EQ5 pro that comes with goto?

Is an upgrade kit just as accurate as an EQ5 pro synscan?

I too am sorry to piggyback here but it was a relevent issue and I'm not really an expert on this stuff. :(

Many thanks to anyone who can help or advise me on this.

Regards

Aenima

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Sammyb

Sammyb

Posted
Posted

The EQ5 goto upgrade should be the same as the EQ pro Goto i would have thought but I'm happy to be corrected on that.

When you say "basic AP" it depends what you mean. EQ5 motorised or goto is fine for planetary/lunar etc. The EQ5 can produce "OK" images of DSOs as I have done... so its OK if thats what you would be happy with - but its limited. However, if you have a real interest and want to progress and take quality images the HEQ5, NEQ6 is recommended.

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malc-c

malc-c

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The dual axis drive is around £23 more expensive than the single RA axis drive option at £75, but would give you better option if you chose to use a manual system of guiding. There are no options to use any form of autoguiding with the EQ5 and Dual axis option without modifying the handset and using 3rd party / DIY interface between it and the PC. This would invalidate the warranty. Also note that the single and dual axis upgrade operate at 6v and NOT 12v so you would need to source a suitable mains power supply, or 6V battery packs to ensure decent steady running. The £300 goto option includes the synscan unit and handset, which runs off a 12v supply. I don't know if the kit use "better" stepper motors than the ones in the dual axis upgrade, or if they are the same ones. The Goto upgrade also gives you the option of auto-guiding via the ST4 port on the Synscan unit.

As to the accuracy.... I think the consensus is that you'll get around 30s - 45s on average, assuming the mount is polar aligned correctly, and balanced well. I never tried guiding via the ST4 port on my EQ5, but my assumption would be that it would work given the resolution of the stepper motors, weight limits of the mount etc.... but if I had an non-powered EQ5 would I invest £300 for the upgrade just to be able to try imaging with the 200P.... answer is no. Neither would I spend £92 on the dual axis, unless I had the budget for an off-axis guiding eyepiece and was prepared to put the time and effort into doing manual guiding for 3 min exposures at a time. If you have a means of manual guiding, then £92 would be your cheapest option.

If you seriously want to get into imaging with your 200P then save your pennies and look out for a second hand HEQ5. It will just about cope with the additional weight of the commonly used ST80 guidescope and camera, and is a very accurate mount, especially if you later convert it to belt drive.

heq5.jpg

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Aenima

Aenima

Posted
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Thank you folks, and thanks again malc-c - some realistic options and outcomes, its extremely valuable to have this kind of info up front, in advance - in order to not regret the purchases later.

As is a common problem with many my budget is erratic and stretched too thin already, hence the juggling act with my options.

I would just get the RA/DEC. drives except I'm used to using goto to find and track objects on my 130p - also worried that the quality of the DIY kit would suffer (esp. if I do it myself).

I am going to have a look quickly at classifieds, apologies to original poster for thread highjacking.

Thanks again folks.

Regards

Aenima

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malc-c

malc-c

Posted
Posted

The thing is, everyone's circumstances are different, as are their opinions and experiences. Bottom line is only you (or the OP) can make the decision as to what option to buy and which direction to turn. I was fortunate that I was in a position to be able to take out a loan and build an observatory, and whilst doing so had the opportunity of picking up an HEQ5, QHY5 and ST80 second hand for a decent price. My current circumstances are such that I couldn't avail myself of that option if it had presented itself at this present moment.

There is a post on here by Quatermass where he has adapted an EQ5 / 200P with dual axis drive and is getting excellent results with a simple finder guider.... but it's taking a lot of effort, and (like all imaging sessions at time) has given him several headaches at times whilst getting results.

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Aenima

Aenima

Posted
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Yeah, looking at the images he's done it's literally an inspiration, also the same images suggest that all this trouble people are having trying to get those results from similar set-ups should be easily overcome, like 'I have that scope on that mount, so that means I'll get the same images!' but he makes it look way too easy. :) It takes a bit more than having the same equipment for someone to reproduce the same images, and the end result can be as unique as the individual who creates them.

Though, having said that, it's reassuring to see some great stuff being done with modest gear. There is still hope, for all of us. :)

I can believe a lot in the various fortunes, accidents and rabid D.I.Y binges involved in how our set-ups came to be. I have had a strange mixture of bad credit and well timed good advice, lucky coincidence and stubborn refusal to accept common limitations - "You cant do such-and-such with THAT ! " :) I was lucky to get a dSLR body as my uncle is a keen photographer who had an old 300d that no longer auto-focussed - it was the half-blank image, caused by the spring or clip not moving the auto focussing smaller mirror out of the sensor's way. He'd replaced the camera but said I could have it if I could make use of it, and with AP auto focus is unnecessary - so we stuck the small mirror up inside the larger one and ....yay :) - so thats great for what I want it for. So, even though it wont be amazingly good, it seems worth a go now.

I understand that goto is all about finding instead of tracking but - is goto as good as having dual axis motors or do they both perform seperate jobs regarding motorised movement?

I have a chance for a loan and, as it is a single event - 'in for a penny....' type thing, I figured I'd just limit myself to the two basic options {dual axis motors or goto kit upgrade} and now just want to work out which would go the furthest towards giving me a slightly better chance of improving my overall set-up. I could well be mistaken but I actually really miss goto, but dont see it being as sturdy nor accurate compared with the pro version that has inbuilt 'goto' already. (Theory only at this point) .

Many thanks for any and all advice, as learning from someone who has tried something for themselves and shared their experience is more valuable than 100 instruction manuals or advertising blurbs.

Regards

Aenima

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malc-c

malc-c

Posted
Posted

As I stated in my last post, everyone's circumstances are different and I can't make up your mind for you. I've covered my opinions on the pros and cons of each option, and what I would do if I was in a similar position and dead set on getting into imaging. I ended up selling the EQ5 pro goto mount when it was just over a year old with less than 30 uses. I lost over £200 compared to the current sale price, but at the original time of purchase my budget couldn't stretch to the HEQ5 goto / 200P combo, and I hadn't really thought seriously about imaging, so purchased the EQ5 goto option. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but in this case, having had the opportunity to compare both mounts with the same OTA I wish I had just stretched my original budget and purchased the HEQ5 in the first place.

As to the subject of go-to over non go-to mounts... there are stacks of threads discussing the virtues of both so I won't repeat what has already been said. Best do some searching and reading to make you mind up on that one.

I still class myself as a total novice when it comes to imaging. I use a Canon 400d dSLR, and webcams, no dedicated purpose built astro CCD in sight (yet), but I still get wowed when the first 5min sub appears on the screen, and having fun trying to improve my methods and post processing skills. - That's the bottom line... Having fun and getting enjoyment out of the hobby.

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