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Looking for some advice regards a new mount

alan potts

By alan potts
in Discussions - Mounts

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alan potts

alan potts

Posted
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Right I have some money to spend on a new mount.

The main considerations are to hold the 190mm M/N more stable than now, and to carry a 13 -14kg APO that has still to be bought.

Now I know Astro Physics and 10 Micron and the like are wonderful mounts but for mainly visual they will most likely be very expensive for the job but I accept imaging is another matter and for this they are great.

I was looking at a Losmandy G11, Teleskop Services offer 3, the Gemini Goto and 2 others, I don't know what they do but sound as if they have different drive systems on them and are cheaper.

The Ioptron 45, looked to tick the right boxes but Olly put me off this some time back and he had one and advised it was no good for the M/N 190mm.

Sky-watcher. Have the new EQ8 but as much as I think this will be very good it will be heavy, though I am no weakling.  This could hold a few scopes in the observatory at a cost including the LX 12 inch but then mount a M/N 190mm with it, I'm not sure.

Heq 6 pro, I have the Heq 5 Pro and have not been over happy with it but it is working better now I have changed all the cables. The one thing you can say when working well it is a lot for the money

The new Sky-Watcher AZ Eq 6, Food for though and will not break the bank, but like the EQ 8 very new and I have not seen any on site.

Thoughts please and feel free to add any I may have over looked.

Alan. 

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carastro

carastro

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Not quite clear whether you are planning to do imaging.  I think this is what you are referring to.

I have both the NEQ6 and an HEQ5 for astro camps and find both are great for imaging.  

I have heard that the Sky-Watcher AZ Eq 6 is good but am not sure of the payload, as it has the EQ6 name I am presuming the same as the NEQ6. 

Personally I think an EQ8 is a pricey and heavy overkill.  

Carole 

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jambouk

jambouk

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I have the azeq6 and it is lovely. Easily portable if you are in reasonable health. Easy to set up. Easy to use. Sturdy ++

You would be more than welcome to come and look at it and take it apart and assemble it if you were near nottingham.

Apart from having belts, and better azimuth and altitude mechanisms, i'm not sure it is greatly different from the neq6, which second hand will be significantly cheaper.

I know nothing about the other mounts.

James

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Owmuchonomy

Owmuchonomy

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I'm not an expert at all but I was dreaming of switching my HEQ5 pro for the Avalon Linear Fast reverse for when I build my Obsy this Autumn. Olly has just reviewed it. I know it's expensive but what REALLY appeals is (apart from its obvious tracking qualities) is that it bolts down from the top! I'll keep dreaming.

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alan potts

alan potts

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Carole,

I am mainly visual but do have a number of pieces of minor imaging kit and a modded 40D, all of which have never really been used but you never know.

James,

Thank for that, secondhand is not an option here it would be new unless I was very luck and got one on the local market, I will not hold my breath.

Mark,

Sounds like the new SW is a good piece of gear and much cheaper than the Losmandy which I have always wanted ( I don't know why)

Chris,

I have never heard of them but will look into it, Olly knows his mounts.

Alan

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pete_l

pete_l

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The main considerations are to hold the 190mm M/N more stable than now, and to carry a 13 -14kg APO that has still to be bought.

You say the mount is for an MN190 AND an APO. Do you mean both, together or do you mean either one separately.

People successfully have a 10kg MN190 on an NEQ6 - both for visual and imaging work. That same mount would also carry a 14kg scope for visual use, but might be marginal (NEQ6 quoted payload: 20kg) for imaging with it: depending on too many factors to give a simple reply.

For one or t'other a CEM60 would also be on the list.

For both together, how about a Mesu, CGE Pro or a GM1000?

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alan potts

alan potts

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Pete,

No the mount would be another move about mount and I would only use one scope at a time, I still would keep the HEQ 5P for the 180mm Mak and my other APO's

Imaging is not a major consideration, if so then I would be looking at larger toys that would be observatory based. I only made the point that if I bought a mount like the EQ8 it would be really a fixed thing, Looking at it, it don't look like something you could move about easily on your own. However if it can be done a battery of scopes in the obsey has its appeal.

Alan.

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Druid

Druid

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Another AZEQ6GT user here. Haven't had any quality problems with it at all and I got mine when they were just out. 18 months?

Can take my C11 quite happily for visual. Never tried imaging with that scope.

I had a little dabble with my refractor and a DSLR and a more experienced friend reckoned I was getting significantly better exposure times than his older EQ6 can manage.

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jambouk

jambouk

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If just visual, i'd got for a well looked after (and maybe belt modded) second hand neq6 over the azeq6; potential saving of severAl hundred pounds which could be used elsewhere. I've yet to use my azeq6 in alt-azi mode so that is largely a redundant feature for me.

James

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alan potts

alan potts

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The AZ EQ 6 is looking good as it allows you to move the scope without losing the set-up infomation, this would be useful to me.

From the imaging point of view if I were going to do this is would be with the 115mm which is about 9KG and maybe the 190mm M/N which is 10.4 so nothing to trouble that, infact for the 115mm I could still use the HEQ5 pro which allows 15kg max, the scope only has a short tube.

Alan 

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jambouk

jambouk

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The encoders which allow you to move the scope and retain your goto accuracy are ok, but again, i mostly have them turned off; they were an appealing selling point but in reality i seldom use them. In fact if they are turned on when setting up, they appear to introduce some problem and result in very poor goto accuracy; read the sky at night review about this mount, and the various threads about that problem. Also having the encoders on results in slightly poorer goto accuracy anyway for some engineering reason. As such i seldom use them as i have a long focal length and need my goto to be as good as possible as my knowledge of the sky is awful :)

It sounds like you like the azeq6. It is a lovely mount. I am just trying to save you a few hundred quid.

James

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perfrej

perfrej

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I would stay away from the Losmandy mounts. I had the 11 short-listed when I decided to move past he NEQ6 and it went off the list pretty quick when:

1) The Swedish representative couldn't even get a reply from Losmandy regarding delivery times

2)I read the manual for the goto system

3) I fiddled with a G8

People in the US do get very good support from Losmandy so I am pretty sure it is just a priority for them, but still... Not even a reply to phone messages and e-mails from the appointed rep (not myself)!

AZ-EQ6 seems OK. We have one in our Provence Observatory but I haven't played with it at all. Belt drive is good as are the clutches. It is like they figured they would correct everything marginal with the NEQ6 and just do away with the disadvantages.

Remember that the 190MN with all options is a lot more than 10 kg! More like 17...

/per

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alan potts

alan potts

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Jambouk and Per

Many thanks, to you both.

Oddly I once enquired about a Losmandy about 3 years ago and they took ages to get back then said 1 year, so maybe it is very well to avoid them. They just seem to be better quality in an area where there are no other mounts, 30KG load, There are plenty costing masses of wonga that you can mount your house on, but for the odd photo and 95+% visual it is not worth going to 6,000 Euros and more and also these are not really reasonabley easy to move which I would want. 

If the HEQ 6 does the job I may just get one of them, I know this is easy to move my friend has one and I should have got one in the first place. The Heq 5 Pro handles the M/N 190mm easy enough for visual as long as you balance it well but putting a camera of any kind on, even in the very still conditons we have here would be a waste of time and effort.

I still have not ruled out the EQ8 in the observatory with a few scopes on, I've never seen a SC 12 inch and M/N 190m mounted beside each other.  The only thing against that is I can't see everything from the site and being able to move around what is a very large area of land is a plus.

Again , thanks to all of you and buying the AZ would be a big saving over the Losmandy.

Alan 

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alan potts

alan potts

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Tony,

Being a fool as far as AP goes I guess what you say is very good. So far my AP was to place a Canon 40D, with 300mm F2.8 on a mount and open the shutter twice for about 2 minutes. Results were not that bad when I didn't spend any time setting polar alignment, still don't even know what the shot was of, somewhere near Deneb I recall, lots of stars though.

The down side of the EQ  8  is really the weight it would have to be in the observatory with the LX 12 inch on it and other things, I am not weak but dragging the thing out most nights is not really what it was made for.

I am sure it is a good mount though, looks very strong in the pictures.

Alan

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alan potts

alan potts

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A Losmandy G11 has come up Secondhand in Sofia, my friend in finding out more. There is no tripod but he tells me my Meade is the same mounting and it is the older Gemini Goto, it is priced around 1200 ish which for me sounds cheap, maybe too cheap.

Dave, I will give it a read, on the 45, Olly was specific, don't buy for a M/N 190mm

Alan.

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alan potts

alan potts

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I will have a look Dave, no point in rushing in it is not as if I need to have it tomorrow. It is just this time I want to get it right after making the mistake of seeing a M/N 190 on HEQ 5 pro, then without asking just bought one. SGL has its uses and then I was not a member.

The other thing if I want to go cheap I could just get a manual NEQ 6 as I have the handset already, bet it will be a different fitting now I have said that.

Alan

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