Ishan Mair

Imagine my horror when I got a new HEQ5 Pro, the altitude head adjustment wont work because it was too tight. I called my local dealer here in India and they said its "normal" its not supposed to move !! I thought how am I supposed to polar align this thing... I searched the web and found Astrobaby's guide and loosened those three hex bolts a little...Now I can adjust it fine. Its still a bit jerky with heavy gear on it but definitely not a problem. Needless to say, in the seven years that have followed, I've never thought about buying any item from that dealer.

Interesting. I took the mount apart 4 years ago. I think I did put the red washer back. Maybe I should take it apart once again and try adjusting things.

There is not undercut in HEQ5 brass worm wheel. I think I didn't put grease on the worm wheel. But it could be that I polished the worm wheel too smooth while cleaning it. So now the clutch doesn't hold it. But I was swinging the axis freely so clutch was unlocked. So it can't force the axis.

Of course, its not new anymore as that post was in 2014 My observation with my mount has been slightly different from almost everyone on this planet. I I notice that when I hand tighten the RA nut, the axis is way too smooth for clutch to hold it. With clutch locked with enough force (confirmed that it does not touch the stop), I can just pull a cable little bit and it would slip. Balancing is a nightmare. Now the interesting part. As I would gradually loosen the RA nut, the axis rotation becomes more and more dragged. Ultimately, when its too loose, lateral play shows up. I have tried setting the RA lock nut up in between too smooth and too dragged, but have been not been successful.

If the mount is under warranty, contact the seller. I've tried something. I wouldn't say I its sorted. Frankly, I know almost nothing about how the mechanism works. So I wouldn't like to suggest anything. I'm sorry I can not help. You could try starting a similar topic. Others with knowledge will give good advice.

Thanks Martin. It seems a little purple-ish. I tried a slightly more bluish one. Didn't like it as Ha regions were diminished in it.

Waiting to see the results and photos of image train.

Thanks MarsG76. Funny that isn't it ?

Thank you.

Thank you vindubs.

Thanks Shivam. I replied to your post on another forum as well. I ordered these from dealers like OPT or direct from ZWO website. We have to pay the usual customs and duties etc. My experience with dealers in our country has been average so far. Thank you.

Thanks Mark. That's what I thought as soon as I merged the L with RGB. The pink blobs of gas were sitting right there. Thanks again Ray. I have some of those lying around. I'll put those in the next time.

Thank you for the comments, Ray. Yes I agree corrector spacing is not right. I use a Baader MPCC and I used the image train arrangement as shown on ZWO website but couldn't get it right (55mm). Filter's thickness and refractive index play a role, don't they? Does the spacing need to be more or less? I have no idea.

Finally, this project is completed and so is this season (I hope not)... The LRGB version of M51 is here..Took me 5 nights (1 in April and 4 in May) to image the whole thing. And very long to process. Wish to add Ha but its been cloudy since a week and a storm expected this week. Here's the Astrobin link https://www.astrobin.com/k6o2c0 I have not been able to get the star cores and colors right. Tried using HSV Repair Script in PI but to no avail. Please help me out with that. L : 220 x 60s R : 90 x 60s G : 98 x 60s B : 120 x 60s All frames at Gain 0 & Temp. -5C..while ambient stayed above 33C entire nights. Equipment Camera : ZWO ASI1600mm Pro Telescope : Skywatcher 130PDS Mount : HEQ5Pro Guiding : Orion 50mm guidescope, Orion SSAG Camera Filters: Orion LRGB Other/Accessories : ZWO FW, Pegasus Dual Motor Focuser Location : Gujarat, India. (Bortle 5) Thanks for looking.

So that rules out 2 and 3 like I said. You may wish to reconsider your choice of putting the 8" f/6 tube on a mount for astrophotography. It will be a relatively more frustrating and costly way of doing it especially if its your first mount. I am not saying its impossible just quite difficult.