Clear Skies!

I have been looking for a Dobson scope, and I've found, that Orion scopes are really cheap and good in quality. Then I decided for Orion XT10 because I could see more details. I went on Orion XT10i because I am a starter (my previous scope: Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ - don't buy).

So I have been looking for good deals. But budget is crucial. I want something under 600 €. And then I found a deal on Amazon.de for 507.00 €.

I want to know if this is a good deal. Is this scope in nice condition? Does the "i" part of XT10i (i.e. the push-to control) actually work? Has it got good optics? Would it be better to buy new Orion XT8i scope? Size (for transport) doesn't matter.

And last, but not least: is this scope really good for all Messier objects and even more?

Clear skies!

On 11/02/2020 at 09:11, Geoff Barnes said:

Ha! Ha! I thought I'd mistakenly logged on to Cloudy Nights the way he was ranting on!

I was about to suggest to him that he was liable to get banned and "poof" he was gone!

I knew you were loitering behind the scenes @Stu.  

Easy question: What is the difference between Stargazer's lounge and Cloudy nights? (If we don't include different name, URL, background color, icon, initiator, ...)

On 11/02/2020 at 13:21, johninderby said:

Please, please erase this thread from my memory. 😬

Of course you can do this! https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B00006IFAQ/ref=lp_12896781_1_8?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1582223178&sr=1-8 (just you need to buy it ...)

On 10/02/2020 at 22:22, Science562h said:

Check this out. The AVX is better, at everything. 

 

Celestron Advanced VX (2013 Release)              vs.                 Skywatcher HEQ5 (2001 Release)  
All Star Polar Alignment: Yes                                                        No
Latitude Range: 7'-77' (Wider)                                                     10'-65' (Lower)
4' per sec (Faster)                                                                         3.4' per sec  (800x)
Nexstar+ (4+ Gen ahead)                                                           Synscan  
Integrated motors: Yes                                                                 No
Cable: USB                                                                                    Serial port RS-232
12 VDC, 3.5 A                                                                               11-15 VDC, 2 A
3 AUX ports                                                                                   NA
Dual saddle compatible                                                                NA
18 lbs. tripod, with 2" steel legs (Better)                                       12 lbs. & 1.75" steel legs (Lighter & smaller)
17 lbs. mount head                                                                        21 lbs. 
44"-64" height                                                                               38"-47" height or 40"-55" (Shorter)
Celestron Skysync GPS                                                                   Skywatcher GPS 
                        
                                                                                                                                Notes
1. 2001 (Fall): First version of HEQ5 released. Tracking motors only. Rated payload for the HEQ5 was 15kg. The specs above are for the newest ugraded HEQ5s.
2. Not even the HEQ5's tripod is heavier, sturdier. There is a 6 lbs. difference & the legs are 2 in vs. 1.75 in. The real & more capable workhorse is the AVX.  
3. The tracking issues were, with EQH5's first set of HCs.  

 

See, it's right there. During, that time, in 2001, I was working on the Orion Aircraft, made by Lockheed-Martin, as an aviation electrician. The Orion spaceshuttle was later renamed & built, also by Lockheed-Martin. that's, who the contract went to. It didn't go, to Space X. My instructors, back in 2001, were from NASA's flight control room. 
 

It seems like you are in job in Celestron ... I have pretty bad experiences with Celestron scopes, although they advertisement it, like it's the best scope in the world.

On 10/02/2020 at 19:31, Cornelius Varley said:

"The HEQ5 has cables all over the place" ? I think not. The mount has two cables connected to it. One for the handset and one for the power. The AVX seems to have an external cable running from the mcb to the dec drive. By contrast all the mcb to motor connections on the HEQ5 are all internal and the motors are nicely integrated into the mount., not just tacked on in plastic cases. I think you must be getting confused between the EQ5 Pro and the HEQ5 Pro which is a completely different mount.

 

I have also bad experience with mount Celestron EQ-2 (maybe EQ-3, I don't know). You can't even point the telescope in all directions, and you need to cheat, that you point the northern pole to the south. When you place the motor, it is always on the way of the weights. Motor is also bad, and the mount doesn't have included polar align scope. So I couldn't do so much. And how many Messier objects can you see with (old scope) 130 mm? How many with (new) 200 mm?

On 13/02/2020 at 08:16, Stu said:

@Bukko thank you for getting the thread back on track!

Hopefully @Clear Skies! will come out of hiding now 😉

I'm here! 🙈

On 13/02/2020 at 14:01, spillage said:

@Clear Skies! have you considered the second hand market?

Yes, but without success. I am now checking on Amazon, but is it normal, that they sell orion EQ-G mount for 300 €?

On 02/01/2020 at 16:51, happy-kat said:

Are you observing or intending to image with your telescope?

Maybe first observing, and then buying a new camera + astrophotography.

On 13/02/2020 at 08:16, Stu said:

@Bukko thank you for getting the thread back on track!

Hopefully @Clear Skies! will come out of hiding now 😉

Good morning everybody! I fell asleep a little and forgot to set my alarm clock. 🛌 ⏰ Sorry for waiting. 🥱

Now I will start my maraton on answering all the questions ...

My Skywatcher 200pds will very shake on EQ5, but what if I add some very heavy weights?

On 31/12/2019 at 14:07, johninderby said:

The HEQ5 is a much heavier duty mount than any of the others and you can allways do the Rowan drive belt mod to upgrade it later on if you wish.

What is Rowan drive belt mod?

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

The HEQ5 is a much heavier duty mount than any of the others and you can allways do the Rowan drive belt mod to upgrade it later on if you wish.

But where can I buy some cheaper versions? Also, check this at the bottom (about Bresser): https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/591655-explore-scientific-exos-2-goto-eq-mount/.

I want to know how are comparised mounts in weight capacity and quality:

• Skywatcher Mount EQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo

• Skywatcher Mount HEQ-5 Pro SynScan GoTo

• Celestron Mount Advanced VX AVX GoTo

• Bresser Mount Messier EXOS-2/EQ-5 (And where can I buy a mount with supplied GoTo? This one is without GoTo.)

And what do you think about these three mounts? Which is the best in high quality and cheap prise?

Clear skies!

Edit: I have changed my choice: Now they are:

• HEQ5
• EQ6
• Orion EQ-G

On 27/11/2019 at 18:23, alacant said:

Hi

That's more like it.

Now simply take your choice of any aforementioned telescope and we promise not to advise otherwise!

Cheers and clear skies.

What about a compromise - Celestron VX? Has it got a good polar alignment, or better EQ5? Has Celestron got good GoTo (I mean GoTo with polar alignment with three stars, to which you have to align telescope)?

51 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Not too surprised. Many red giants are semi-regular long period variable stars. Not likely to be the the herald of anything spectacular

I agree.

If you doubt: Wikipedia. Look on the right in the Starbox. Find "Variable star type". It says: SRC. Click on it. You will come to page Semiregular variable star.

Clear skies

On 16/12/2019 at 17:24, wimvb said:

From what I could find, the Orion has a small sensor with large pixels. With your 200pds you are undersampled at roughly 1.7 arcsecs/pixel. Ok for nebulae, but imo too course for galaxies. At the same time, you probably won't fit nebulae on that small sensor.

What ZWO camera are you considering? On my wish list it would be

1. ZWO cooled

2. DSLR (new or second hand) 

3. ORION G4

But as @Skipper Billy wrote: use a field of view calculator when evaluating various candidates.

I use Stellarium software for that.

Thank you for your opinion.

On 15/12/2019 at 14:29, johninderby said:

ZWO is very well supported but with Orion I would check first to see if it will work with the capture software you might want to use.

Yes, it is supported; I have Windows 7 64-bit.

22 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

on an EQ5 is going to wobble like a jelly

What do you mean by this? Will it collapse? Break down? Destroy?

How much does it affect on photo quality?

Clear skies!

And what about 150p? I have Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ already.

1 hour ago, Skipper Billy said:

I would suggest that before you go any further I would have a long hard think about this.

I dont want to seem negative but a 200mm scope on an EQ5 is going to wobble like a jelly and the merest breeze will wreck any subs.

I would suggest a much smaller scope and a bigger mount before going any further - something like an ED80 on a HEQ5 seems to be a good starting point. Maybe with a DSLR to start with.

I would also suggest reading this book.

To answer your question - you can see how something will appear using any scope camera combo by using this calculator.

Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear but I am genuinely trying to point you in the right direction.

What about Sky-watcher 150p on EQ5? I have a bit small budget - under 450 € for the mount.

14 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Are you also going to do visual with that telescope?

Yes.

Hi everybody!

I recently decided which telescope to buy, but now I need to know which camera is better: Orion or ZWO.

I saw Orion G4 camera and some ZWO cameras, for example that on the link.

I have read that Orion G4 camera and all cheap cameras have very small sensor, so they are good just for planetary imaging, but I can stack these image together in ICE (Image Composite Editor).

I want to know, too: CCD or DSLR. (Cooled Orion G4 vs. Nikon D5300)

I will have Sky-watcher 200p-DS and EQ5 mount.

Which camera do you think is better?

And also, which filters under 100 € do you preffer?

Thanks!

P.S. I have DSLR (Canon PowerShot SX130), too, but it isn't useful because the lens can't be removed.

On 26/11/2019 at 21:10, joe aguiar said:

have u looked on the used site astro buy and sell UK?
joejaguar

Yes, but I didn't find any useful ideas.

My lowest price that I found is £569.00 (667.00 €). (https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/skywatcher-eq5-synscan-goto-equatorial-mount--tripod.html)

Clear skies

18 hours ago, knobby said:

I wouldn't put the 200 on an EQ5 for imaging, I'd go for a 130pds

But why not?

The larger size is maybe a little bit better than some vibrations.

What about NEQ6 pro?

I am going to buy Skywatcher EQ5 Pro Go-To mount. But, unfortunately, I am low on budget.

So, does someone know where can I buy the cheapest EQ5 pro mount?

Yesterday there was a low price for it (350 €), but they changed it.

Thank you for your time!