How should be the Eq3-2+Equinox 66 unguided performance

[Recife_Stargazer]

Hi there,

I have a equinox 66(400mm fd), and i want  use it with a eq3-2 (gift of a friend) as a grab'n go astrophotography's setup. What should i expect of its unguided performance? How much exposure time it's possible to get with it?  I'll use it with a flattener plus a DSLR camera, it's really lightweight...

kind regards

Carlos

[Alien 13]

Hi Carlos and welcome to the forum.

I have a similar scope and can get between 45 - 90 seconds provided it is accurately balanced and polar aligned, my scope with the FR/FF has an effective focal length of about 330mm so it might be a bit less with 400mm FL.

Make sure your batteries are in good condition too.

Alan

[Recife_Stargazer]

Hi Carlos and welcome to the forum.

I have a similar scope and can get between 45 - 90 seconds provided it is accurately balanced and polar aligned, my scope with the FR/FF has an effective focal length of about 330mm so it might be a bit less with 400mm FL.

Make sure your batteries are in good condition too.

Alan

Thank you só much, Allan!

So, this frames of 45-90 seconds, are they all usable? I guess i'll bring a small 6v, 4.5 ah battery with me...

[Alien 13]

Thank you só much, Allan!

So, this frames of 45-90 seconds, are they all usable? I guess i'll bring a small 6v, 4.5 ah battery with me...

At 90 seconds I loose about 1 in 10 but I have pushed to over 2 min subs and still got 40 to 60% usable.

Alan

[Chris]

Ways to get the most out of your eq3:

1) Use polar finder to accurately polar allign the mount

http://myastroimages.com/Polar_FinderScope_by_Jason_Dale/

2) Tune the backlash out of the gearing for the motors (Play in the gears will cause tracking errors). 

3) load the mount East heavy so the counter weight is slightly further down the shaft than needed to balance the RA axis. This will place a bit of tension on the gearing thus taking up any remaining slop in the gearing.

4) Find somewhere sheltered from the wind (the wind can mess exposures up more than you would think, especially with a light mount like the EQ3)

**you can fill the ali tripod with sand which will help stability**

5) Make sure there are no cables getting caught when the mounts tracking.

6) Choose your targets carefully - there are parts of the sky that are easier to track than others (I just can't remember which or why??)

Good luck, and enjoy

[Alien 13]

Ways to get the most out of your eq3:

1) Use polar finder to accurately polar allign the mount

http://myastroimages.com/Polar_FinderScope_by_Jason_Dale/

2) Tune the backlash out of the gearing for the motors (Play in the gears will cause tracking errors). 

3) load the mount East heavy so the counter weight is slightly further down the shaft than needed to balance the RA axis. This will place a bit of tension on the gearing thus taking up any remaining slop in the gearing.

4) Find somewhere sheltered from the wind (the wind can mess exposures up more than you would think, especially with a light mount like the EQ3)

**you can fill the ali tripod with sand which will help stability**

5) Make sure there are no cables getting caught when the mounts tracking.

6) Choose your targets carefully - there are parts of the sky that are easier to track than others (I just can't remember which or why??)

Good luck, and enjoy

Great advice.

One more remove the silver thumbscrew near the RA setting circle the design can cause uneven drag plus its much easier to balance.

Alan

[Chris]

Great advice.

One more remove the silver thumbscrew near the RA setting circle the design can cause uneven drag plus its much easier to balance.

Alan

That's a good bit of advice too. I've witnessed the effect of this with my CG4 mount, it's best just not to bother with the setting circles on these and similar mounts I feel.

[JamesF]

You can also stick a bit of weight in the accessory tray to stiffen up the tripod (and preferably don't extend the legs).

I did try imaging globs with a 127 Mak on my EQ3-2 and probably had to throw away 50% of the exposures once I got to 40 seconds, but that's a bit extreme for focal length.  I'd expect to do much better with the Equinox 66.

James

[Recife_Stargazer]

Thank you so much, guys!

To start, i'll rip apart the mount and clean/regrease it.