Samibotss

Hey all, I bought a power supply for the EQM35-PRO GoTo to test out the various functions of the mount, and I cannot get it to slew in the RA. DEC slewing seems fine, but everything I try to make it slew in RA doesn't seem to work. I checked my wiring, and it looks to be correct, at least according to the manual. I'm using a 12V 3A DC power supply, which If I'm not mistaken has a positive tip, you can find it here : https://www.distrelec.ch/en/output-plug-in-switched-mode-power-supply-12v-3a-mean-well-gst36e12-p1j/p/30042793 Any Ideas? Here's a video of the problem in question : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O82579Uc6lk5Dn5RPX525fhroqe1164j/view?usp=sharing (sorry for the poor quality of the recording)

Nice

Not really a tinkerer, so I'd avoid going with that option. In the end I settled on a SkyWatcher EQM-35 PRO, I was very hesitant between this and the EQ5 but the EQM35 seems like it will be a better fit for me. Thank you to everyone who has replied!

A nice setup no doubt, but I don't think it's what I'm looking for. Thanks for the input!

I'm definitely interested in the Star Adventurer, I'm wary of the payload capacity stated on it. 5kg is going to be very limiting I assume If I ever decide to change scope or add any sort of guiding and/or other equipement I'm soon going to be running into problems, although it's an option I'm considering. I'd definitely go with the EQ5 in that case, portability is not really something I consider for this setup. Light Pollution is not very high per se, I've done years of visual on this location and I could observe bright deep sky objects with no problem. The thing is, I only have access to the southern part of the sky, which means I would have to align without using the north star. One of the reasons for which I don't want to pursue a 720£ HEQ5 (= 1000$ with shipping and import fees) is that no matter how good my hardware is, I'm always going to be limited by the two factors I just stated (light pollution and access to only half the sky). I'm looking to get something good enough for widefield imaging with a scope and camera, but I'm not looking to do very long exposure on dim DSOs or anything like that.

I specifically wrote that a used HEQ-5 is not an option for me, as there are no listings for it in my country, and buying a used one overseas and importing is almost as expensive as buying a new one, which is out of my budget.

Current budget would be around 500£. Is the extra stability worth it over the less accurate tracking of the EQ-5? The EQM35 has a larger payload capacity and a modular design, so unless you're speaking from experience, it seems on paper the EQM-35 would be more stable? The iOptron CEM25P is very nice, but out of budget for me. In regards to the Star Adventurer/ AzGti, they don't seem to be geared to support an AP setup with an actual scope, and I doubt they would be as accurate as an EQ mount. Not to mention the 3KG capacity, which would be greatly limiting for any future autoguiding upgrades. Thank you for your input!

Hello everyone, I've been into visual astronomy for a very long time, but recently (now that I've gotten a job) I've been looking into Astrophotography. The complete setup I'm looking for is a goto EQ mount, SkyWatcher Evostar 72 as imaging scope and a canon dslr. The first purchase I'm going to make is the imaging mount, and that is where I hesitate the most. The thing is, the location from which I'll be doing most of my imaging ( = appartement balcony) is located near the city center with some considerable light pollution, and gives me access to the southern night sky, but not the northern. All these factors and the fact that I'm don't make a lot of money don't allow me to shell almost a grand on a brand new HEQ-5. I've looked at the secondhand market in my country, but the only listing for I could find is almost as expensive as buying it new. And so, I started looking at budget alternatives. The EQ3-PRO seems nice but doesn't have the best tracking and a small payload capacity, the iOptron Smart EQ is hard to find in stock and has mixed reviews, the explore scientific IEXOS-100 PMC8 seems too quirky and is controlled by an app on tablets only (Which I don't have), and all I'm left with is the EQM-35 PRO which apparently has tracking comparable to the HEQ-5 but a smaller payload capacity. What to do? I won't be putting too much weight anyways, so the EQ3 seems like nice option to save 100-200$ over the EQM-35, but the 180-tooth gear seems like a worthy upgrade. I'll be shopping on FLO, but since I live in Switzerland, I would probably have to pay an import fee which is also something to consider... Any Input is greatly appreciated!

100 pages and counting

So I've recently purchased this little gem. It is so good! Surprisingly showing me Venus and Mars in great detail. The scope boasts a 4" aperture with a 400mm focal length(quite short tbh) but gets the job done with messier objects. it has this beautiful red finish which I shouldn't include as a feature but it sure does look gorgeous. Unfortunately it has only seen the sky once due to the bad weather here but the views were worth it.