SimM

C8 is a perfect choice! It has sufficient aperture whilst also being relatively portable. If you can get it or put it on a decent Equatorial GOTO mount - all the better for it. If you have a laptop you can connect it directly to a mount and control it, but also collect images as you take them, also guide the mount with the computer monitoring through a guide camera and keeping the main image on target (if that's going to be your thing). Who knows, you may even have to revisit some of what you originally said you wanted to do! The Evolution will be beneficial for some folks, but the WiFi won't mean much when you've connected your laptop with a cable and the built in battery won't power your camera and other equipment. Remembering too the 500's rule especially if you did go Alt/Az. Simon

Did you use his email address directly: juan_fierros@yahoo.co.uk

I had the same dilemma. It seemed that every day I clearly knew what I would buy and the next day it was completely different. If you haven't watched Slymin on Youtube - he clearly likes Celestron but he is also quick to tell you what he doesn't like e.g. after 4 years with an SE some of the bits that come with it are not to his liking and he doesn't think much of the Celestron EP sets/filters as value for money. If nothing else he does (I think) help someone reach a better understanding of what stuff is going to do for them. The C6 OTA is available in three colours: dark blue (C6 OTA), grey (Evolution) and orange (SE) - it's important to realise they are all exactly the same. To get better you have to move to the EdgeHD. SE is an Alt/Az tripod - compared to the C6 OTA you pay about £250 to include the tripod. Evolution is also an Alt/Az tripod. It includes three extras: WiFi with SkyPortal? (cut down version of Safari 6 Plus currently £5 and a far better version), lithium battery and slightly improved mount (more stable) and with clutches. Considering that the Evolution is more expensive, it can be used with a wedge that's designed for it but it lacks a guide port? PEC? AVX is an Equatorial Mount and available with a range of scopes including C6 OTA either together or bought separately. You can use it with a Refractor or a bigger OTA. If you are considering the AVX then the mount is really separate e.g. a SkyWatcher or Celestron are mostly the same. Some folks will tell you that SkyWatcher has better mechanics on their mounts and others that the Celestron HC is easier to use. Most people won't have used both so they clearly have a bias (or hate) for what they have. Your £800 budget won't quite buy the 6 SE, it certainly won't buy the Evolution and clearly not the AVX version. One advantage of the least expensive option is that if you decide it's not for you you haven't committed too much money and you will likely be able to sell it on. Spending 10x as much won't ensure you settle with the hobby either. Only you can put a price on the advantages of the Evolution - if you used a computer then you might be better off with a low cost lead, if you powered other equipment e.g. a camera and/or a dew shield would the PSU in the Evolution buy you anything, how often would you use the clutches. If you bought the Evolution and bought a wedge, would it cost more than the versatile AVX package? If you were buying an AVX would a C5 save you much money or a C8 cost much more (at FLO it currently wouldn't and they give you a camera too). Simon

HEQ5 Pro is a very good choice but it also uses most (all) of the £800 budget. 6SE is a package, if you manage to upgrade it then you will have replaced the scope and the mount - what’s left? Add a wedge and you’ve spent a good bit more money. A S/H AVX Mount (they seem to be “unloved” at the moment)? An AVX Mount with a Starter scope (not much more than the Mount itself)? A manual non-GOTO Mount and/or package (upgrade it later)? Aperture fever also extends to the mount. Too big and you won’t get it out again? Simon

Reaching the Zenith is OK. There is in front and behind the EW line too. How will you be PA on the wedge and “travelling” back along the Meridian to face due South? With a wedge you now have to rotate the diagonal as you move in RA to keep the EP “up” without hitting the single arm. Simon

Unlikely to get a circuit diagram. If you can ask someone to take a colour photo of a working circuit board then the resistor values can be worked out. There are 3/4/5 color bands. Ordinary diodes are not too critical, they have a marking for the cathode. You could just take out the charging (or that part of the) board and use an external semi-intelligent charger - about £10 from Aldi/Lidl. It’s probably the wrong thing to say, but you could guess the wattage (not too big they burnt out) and not too big a resistance (sufficient current to burn them out). The charging circuits are not that sophisticated e.g. the “Designer” has to solve the “problem” for only a few Cents. I noticed they leave a high voltage across the lead acid battery when it’s charged. This quickly wrecks the battery. Really nasty chargers have a half wave (2 diodes) or full wave (4 diodes) circuit - nothing else. Even a limiting resistor e.g. 1 ohm 2W or 0.47 ohm 2W is seen as too luxurious. So, any semi-intelligent charger will cut the voltage when it’s charged and is a good “investment” considering the cost of the battery. Simon

There are at least two more alignment choices after 1,2 or 3 star alignment. HC controller can switch the Alt/Az and Eq mode and select if the mount uses digital setting circles (dual encoders) or only receives input from HC. A good PSU is also required. There’s a difference between slewing to the moon and GOTO the moon as the latter switches to lunar tracking and the former might still be on sidereal. If you find tracking in the menu it shows the current setting highlighted. Good balance and polar alignment with a reliable PSU (and a copy of the menu sheet) fix many issues! Simon

You might find this review of the Celestron 2” XLT Diagonal. Or search for Slymin and XLT on YouTube: https://youtu.be/twfgNDf1Qoo It’s worth looking at the whole thing because it shows the same SCT on an equatorial Mount. He then puts the diagonal on the Alt/Az and to see the “problem” and the ”solution” look at 6:15 thru’ 7:30. Notice that there is also clearance to the focuser and your face is kept away from the SCT. The clearance with this diagonal is 1cm when looking at the zenith. There is also also a few words about why would you fit a guide port on an Alt/Az Mount. The Evolution scopes have a well engineered (and expensive) wedge that also fits the 8SE. But why? However, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. No one telescope or mount does it all. On the mount with the 8SE you couldn’t fit a bigger scope and you couldn’t use a Refractor whereas with an Equatorial all these things are possible. The wedge doesn’t make it perfect, only just about useable. Alt/Az has a simplicity, but an Equatorial with GOTO isn’t far behind and you don’t suffer field rotation (the 500’s rule). AVX Mount is about twice the cost of the wedge but significantly better and certainly good enough for visual use. There’s a second “follow on” review by Slymin on the 8SE. Worth a look because unlike many reviews (which are adverts for stuff they got free) he does say what’s good or bad after years of owning it. One thing that’s not mentioned is any play in the gears. When any mount reverses the direction, it takes some time to switch direction. When an Equatorial Mount is balanced, the RA is always driven so any slight play or backlash is always taken up. If you were guiding, then movements in Decl. are +/- to make corrections compared to + or stop or 2x plus etc. in RA. With Alt/Az the Mount is never stationary in both directions e.g. always stepping up and across. So in both axis it’s like RA on Equatorial and the tolerances on the Alt/Az do not need to be perfect. Adding a wedge to an Alt/Az probably exposes you to all these issues and for AP all these things become more critical. So using the wedge (£400) isn’t a good idea IMHO. Also, not all Equatorial Mounts are designed for AP, some are just good enough for visual. So like all purchases, you have to know your eventual goal to not make too many costly mistakes along the way. Simon

Doesn't the EQ6-R Pro need a PSU with much more current than the HEQ5 Pro e.g. one says 2.5A @ 12V and the second 4A @11V or 2.5A at 16V? Simon

I have something similar to a 17AH PowerTank for another non-astro use. They use a lead acid 12V battery. The problem with this is that the voltage drops very quickly under load. Simon

I went with The Deep-sky imaging Primer, Second Edition by Charles Bracken. It arrived today from Amazon. It's very informative (to me) and you can't really go wrong with a good book. One interesting fact, they print the book "on demand". So it has "Printed in UK by Amazon" inside the back cover. Simon

When you have a moon filter you are a real enthusiast. When you have a copy of Turn Left at Orion you have an appreciation for faint smudges. Wiltshire seems to have more than its fair share of astronomers. I'm on Wilts/Hants border. Postcode is Hampshire, but skies are definitely Wiltshire Bortle 4 e.g. pretty good - I'm not in a village/town/city/Las Vegas etc. Simon

As a bit of a luddite I like to get setup in advance... There is also a Zoom App for the iPad available. With the App, you can use Settings to turn off your microphone and inhibit your video (if you want) - I have, I may have a glass of wine - who knows! Although the meeting starts at 7:30pm, you can sign in early and wait for the organiser to start - I'm signed in. Simon

You can use this two ways: 1. Establish how high your prism is above the main sensor (using plate solving); 2. See if your OAG is compatible e.g. with your Reducer. Question: can you align the two sensors together? The prism has a bigger dimensions than most guide camera sensors. Some clearance has to be provided so that off-axis light e.g. from a Reducer is not to be cut-off (vignette) the main image. Like a cone of light F/4 or F/10, how much this affects the main sensor is also a function of how much back focus (BF) is behind the prism. In the example shown, this shows two sensors. The prism on an OAG is usually square and bigger than the guide camera sensor. At 50mm (typically) in front of the guide camera, the prism appears at least 50% wider. So if the sensor was aligned as shown, the “shadow” of the prism would be much bigger even before you consider how it looks off-axis. In the diagram, if both sensors were rotated 90 degrees, would that represent what the guide camera sees with a minimally acceptable separation from the main sensor? Simon

+1 for HOWTO filter e.g. using an App like Sky Safari or Cartes du Ciel etc. and also how to see how long an object is at a “high enough” altitude for a “reasonable time” in the evening - like the charts in in C. Bracken’s Astrophotography Planner (more useful for 30 than 51-2 degrees latitude here in the UK). For HOWTOs Any topic that’s “practical” for good results. Simon

A wider question is will stuff be compatible? There seems to be sleight of hand when vendors describe equipment and it’s easy to be fooled by inadequate spec’d products and over optimistic claims. Hence (I’m learning to my cost) it’s best to look around on SGL or CN to see what works best. There are some flimsy (popular) “plasticky” camera brackets out there... Simon PS last week’s talk was truly excellent but I couldn’t help noticing that many of us (men) will suffer extreme hair loss e.g. going bald when pursuing this “fickle” hobby. The speaker was one of many (could have been the only) face/head needed.

Thanks Merlin, I hadn’t considered the 5m remote control aspect. A HC has a simplicity that extra cable length would help. My frustration with the telephone style coiled cable was that it doesn’t solve any problems. For its length it is only half the length before it starts to tug at the mount and there is a choke on one end that’s inconvenient. My worry was that an Ethernet cable was not designed for the Astro market e.g. thin conductors, however I realised that the 12V PSU connects to the mount and regulated power is fed indirectly to the HC. FWIW my only CAT6 cable is thicker/stiffer than CAT5 one (sample of 3) so I’m comfortable with the idea of using the thinner one. One idea I had was to loop the cable through an EP hole on the stretcher plate on the tripod so that tugging the lead exerts a downward force and stops vibration whilst allowing free movement as the mount moves (cable management for dummies). Simon

Is there anything wrong with using an Ethernet cable (CAT5) cable between a Hand Controller and a SkyWatcher Mount? I have a cable that is like an old fashioned telephone cable. It seems like the wrong choice e.g. a lightweight Ethernet cable that’s not too long/short too stiff would hang freely and not tug at the scope when I use the HC e.g. cause the image to dance about. Am I missing something? Simon

You mentioned a few things: no car, portable, In the garden, SW 130pds etc. Have you thought about either building a pier in the garden (two dense hollow concrete blocks) so that you don’t have to lug a tripod outside. Only carry the mount outside? Cover it over and leave mount attached outside? Keep stuff in a shed? Give up on going somewhere else? Anything if it gets you using it more often... I would agree that weight and size is a problem. What’s too cumbersome won’t get used after awhile. Simon

An M10 Allen bolt would be a good solution. No need to use a spanner for adjustment which is not so easy at night. Ball bar Allen keys allow access in tight spots. I bought my HEQ5 from RVO. The instructions didn’t say if the longer bolt goes above/below the mount. That is because it depends upon your latitude. RVO looked at their showroom model and gave advice. It was the opposite of what you need to do because the longer bolt goes in further so looks shorter! The type of handle is called a Bristol handle. They are used on machinery. Examples are available from Axminster for a few quid. The bolt lengths do need to be considered. If anyone has a bolt that needs to be shortened, they can be cut with a hacksaw e.g. put a nut over the thread, cut the bolt and clean up the end with a file, finally undo the nut to cleanup the thread. Simon

Did you ask the manufacturer for more guidance on what is the optimum tension (how to get it right)? Was it replaced under the guarantee? Is it the same as the original or OEM? Is the toothed belt marked with a part number e.g. can it be bought elsewhere such as a motorcycle parts supplier with different qualities available? Did the failing axis have a “wobble” on the spindle? Did you fix this? Are the new spindles the same e.g. swapping them may result in a better fit on one - so less future issues? Simon

I get the impression that Sky Safari with a Celestron WiFi dongle works “better” than the SkyWatcher equivalent. My understanding is that a mount and Hand Controller separate the operation into driving motors (mount electronics) which receives “guidance” from the “intelligence” (Hand Controller). So the App replacing the HC is a critical part and if the phone running this App is closed, goes out of range or goes to sleep on an IOS device the alignment isn’t retained. These “issues” determine that IOS users can’t use the ScanApp first and later switch to Sky Safari App on the same device e.g. iPad. The explanation may be that IOS is not multitasking like Linux or Android. This is overcome by using an Android device with Sky Safari because it runs the second App. With Celestron, there is better integration because the SynApp isn’t needed. There doesn’t seem much incentive for this to change e.g. Celestron and tie up with Sky Portal.

How does it work (play) with just an iPad? Can you setup/align and then use an app e.g. Sky Safari to control scope? Or use HC and one App like Safari, all without a 2nd device?

Is the interface box just providing more ports because a Celestron Mount has 1/2 extra sockets compare to a Skywatcher?

If it's too bright, would a ND filter help reduce the glare? Anything that makes you a little uncomfortable can disturb your ability to resolve some of the details.