StarGazingSiouxsie

Thanks Heather, I will be shopping elsewhere now, that's for sure. A shame as their website is great and their customer service is really faultless. Just a shame they can't provide one with unused goods.........

How are you liking your CPC 9.25? iI haven't tested one of those yet. Did you get the XLT or the HD Deluxe? Mine, Cubble, gives great views although is very ehavy. I have him set up on a Scope Buggy which means I can move him anywhere very easily and even have him semi permanently mounted. I used to live in Essex (near Chelmsford) when I lived in the UK but I wasn't observing back then. How do you find your local skies for observing? Do you get completely clear nights or do you have to cloud hop a little bit?

Hi, (I wasn’t sure which section to place this post in. It’s about buying a new telescope only to find that I have been sold a previously used one.) I wanted to share my experience – nightmare – as a way of getting the shock off of my chest and also to see if what happened to me has happened to others, too. I bought what was held out for sale as a brand new Celestron CPC1100 Deluxe HD. I thought it strange that this seller – a huge Photo & Video outlet in New York, USA – had this telescope in stock when all other sellers were out of stock. Plus, it was on ‘promotion’……… So, I bought the telescope and it arrived a few days later. Straight away I could see warning signs. The box itself looked very old and filthy. Half of the top was missing, and the inner carton had been opened with the official Celestron security tape having been cut open. I took photos and advised the seller straight away. As I unpacked the telescope, it became very apparent to me very quickly that the contents had been unpacked before. The telescope accessories were either already opened or just not packed as they would have been from the factory (I’ve had several Celestron scope before.) When I unpacked the OTA and mount, my suspicions were confirmed. The mirror clutches had all been left open, there was Velcro around the corrector plate cover to help keep it on, there were a couple of those little rubber bungs that are used to seal up electrical ports placed in the control panel ports – and, worst of all – a series of small but deep white scratches across the one side of the corrector plate. I was / am both shocked and totally disappointed. I know this stuff happens and that this is how the world turns round, but still……. I’d waited months and months for this telescope and then receive a previously used, damaged one. I requested an RMA and am due to return the telescope to them next week for a refund. I have had a few items from this seller before that have shown clear signs of previous use. I took it up with them and they flatly deny ever selling returns or previously used goods as new goods. My experience shows otherwise. So, has this ever happened to you? I suppose it would give me some comfort knowing I’m not the only to experience this! Thanks for reading. PS I have since asked a trusted but much smaller seller to order me another telescope and they have kindly agreed to inspect the scope for me before shipping it on to me. Siouxsie

You know it!!! haha

Thanks Ian. Niels Haagh from TTS contacted me and said the TTS-160 was not able to handle a C14 - but that a TTS 300 Mammoth mount (for a mammoth price ) could

I agree, Chris. The consensus from the CN post I linked to above seems to agree with you, an 11" OTA is really the max for the Orion Atlas

Interesting........ https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/663885-could-an-orion-atlas-handle-a-c14/

No, I wasn't - it was listed an EQ mount, as per my earlier link. Anyway, it's a moot point bcus, alas, the capaicity is still only 44lbs. In every other way its perfect

The capacity for the Orion Atlas is also listed as 44lbs https://optcorp.com/products/orion-atlas-pro-az-eq-g-computerized-goto-telescope-mount-10010?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4cOEBhDMARIsAA3XDRgiMTDJJtCzPMfy1JhPCK8U3I-HCQc50F3hLYzX5WrO7LEeYbkFG7kaAlCiEALw_wcB

Thanks, the link I looked at says (incorrectly) that it's a an EQ mount https://www.telescope.com/Orion-Atlas-EQ-G-Computerized-GoTo-Telescope-Mount/p/116277.uts

i think FLO have it wrong. I reseached a lot of older posts about this issue and the consensus is that FLO do have it wrong. Skywatcher say in their specs for this mount that the payload capacity is 44lbs / 20kg https://www.skywatcherusa.com/products/az-eq6-mount The Orion Atlas mount that you mentioned is a completely fifferent mount and an EQ one. Late edit - Although - because the mount in every other way fits my needs, I'm going to contact Skywatcher directly and ask them about this discrepancy and see what they say. Thanks for your initial pointer, Magnus

Hi Magnus & thanks for your reply & photo! When I saw your post, I thought yes!!! that's excatly what I need - until I read the weight capacity of the mount....... It's only rated for 44lbs max, my set up would be at least 50lbs plus. Your set up looks to be at least 22lbs over the max rated payload........

For now, I have my CPC1100 mounted on a Scope Buggy, which I cannot rcommend highly enough. Hand made, great personal service and works fantastically. So my 14" OTA rig will go on a Scope Buggy, too, until such time that I build my own observatory. So to answer your Q it has to be semi portable for now. Picture shows Cubble on his Scope Buggy with Celeste beside him

Hi, Just wanted to say 'thanks' to everyone who replied to this thread. I'm going to read through your replies and then follow up with any questions / comments. Thanks

Hi, Background - I currently have a Celestron CPC1100 and I love it but I now want to upgrade to a 14" OTA. I don't want an equatorial mount, I want to stick with alt az. I don't do any long exposure astrophotograpjy, just short exposure with a focal reducer. I would love it if Celestron made a CPC1400 (or 1600 - (don't laugh, Meade make them!! But I want to stick with Celestron) but since they don't, I wanted to see if I can create my own alt az 14 inch observing system by purchasing a 14" OTA and an alt az mount separately. Question - Does anyone know of a GOTO alt az mount & tripod out there capable of mounting a Celestron 14" Edge OTA & accessories? The OTA weighs appx 46lbs. There wouldn't be a lot of other equipment on the OTA - just a Star Sense camera, Baader click lock prism, Telrad & a focal reducer - but I feel a mount capacity of at least 50lbs+ would be desirable? Does such a thing exist? Thanks for any information, thoughts, advice or general comments. Clear skies and steady seeing!! Siouxsie

Hi, Can you help me solve this mystery, please? I have a 2020 Celestron 8" Edge Evolution Ltd Edition 60 Anniversary model. The OTA is carbon fibre and some of the artwork is different but for in tents & purposes it's a standard 8" Edge Evolution The Problem The problem is, when the mount is switched off. the telescope will not maintain its calibration between Star Sense (SS) camera and the OTA. Please not I am not talking a SS alignment here - I'm talking about the calibration between the SS camera and OTA. This is what happens - I will do a SS Auto Alignment and the goto will be out by some margin IE. way outside of a 25mm eyepiece. So, I then calibrate the SS camera to the OTA, re-align, and everything is working perfectly. The goto is more or less in the middle of a 12mm eyepiece. Next time I reboot the mount, I do my SS Auto alignment and the goto is way off again and I have re calibrate the SS camera to the OTA. Once I do that, everything works fine again. And so the cycle continues. Have you experienced this problem yourself or do you have an idea of what may be happening? Before you offer your suggestions, please read this list as what I have done to try and solve this issue: 1. The tripod and OTA are absolutely level before booting up the mount. 2. Once I have booted up the mount, I enter time and my location, using GPS co-ordinates. I am extremely precise about this and am entering the correct time (and daylight saving as needed) to within 2 seconds. The GPS co-ordinates of my location as absolutely spot on as well - they are the same co-ordinates I use for all my telescopes and they are working perfectly. So this is defs not a time, date or location issue. 3. The SS camera is mounted perfectly It does not move at all. I have the calibration problem even after rebooting without moving the telescope's position at all. 4. I have even tried a new SS camera and handset. Exactly the same issue persists. 5. The handcontroller, mount and camera have all the latest updates. 6. The battery is working fine and holding it's charge perfectly. As I mentioned earlier, once the SS camera is re calibrated, everything works fine and the goto is accurate. The problem only arises after rebooting the mount. Any ideas, suggestions or sharing of similar experiences gladly welcomed, thank you. Siouxsie

Hi, I would like to ask you if you have any advice, comments or thoughts on my storage proceedure that I propose to use for Cubble, my CPC1100. My overall golden rule, and I think it is for most telescope owners, is to try and avoid large shifts between OTA (although being a CPC it's OTA + double fork arm assembly + motors) temperature and that of the ambient / outdoor temperature. This applies especially in the summer, avoiding bringing the OTA from an air conditioned house (EG ~ 70f ) to the outdoors where it can be 85f - 100f where I live. That amount of temperature shift is enough to cause condensation on the mirrors - ask me how I know In the winter, it's the way around, where you ideally want to avoid bringing a very cold OTA (EG 45f) into a house where it's 65f - 75f. So I am trying to apply the lessons I have learnt and formulate a storage procedure for Cubble. If the weather is set clear / dry for a few days, I will end my observing session by wrapping Cubble in an Arcturus waterproof / thermal sheet with another waterproof cover placed over that. This has worked very well thus far. I am lucky that I have an outside shed close to my observing location. The weather is getting cold enough now that I want to avoid bringing Cubble back into the relatively much warmer house. So he's going into the shed. For this, I have to remove his OTA / double forks from the tripod and then store that part separately in the shed. For ease of thinking, just assume that the shed temperature is very close to that of outdoor (+ / - 5f) So this is where my questions arise - I will be storing his OTA / fork / motor assembly (henceforth = OTA) on a sturdy table in the shed. 1. Is there a best position for this? I.E. should I have the primary mirror facing down toward the corrector plate or the other way around? I've had a look online and opinion seems split on this. Note - in the hot summer months I will will store his OTA in either the horizontal position (I.E. perpendicular to the azimuth clutch) to avoid the scary possibility of grease dripping the primary to the secondary. 2. Is there any reason - aside from stability - why I shouldn't store his OTA in the horizontal / perpendicular position? His OTA is balanced well enough for me to put the OTA in that position with the altitude clutch very loose without the OTA moving. 3. Talking of clutches - irrespective of which way I store the OTA, does having the clutches loose or snugged tight make any real difference? Some people say it puts strain on the motors doing that - but how is that any different to an observing session?? Because in an observing the motors have a chance to move around? The CPC owners manual isn't much help, it just mentions to leave the clutches loose when transporting the OTA. 4. Do the answers to the above questions depend on how long he would be stored for? I anticipate not having him in the shed for more than a week at a time before bringing him out for use. Note - One position that has been suggested by some people is to lay the OTA on its side.. I want to try and avoid this if possible and also avoid the use of storage case. For my purposes, please just assume the double forks will be upright and the only thing left to decide is whether to have the OTA perpendicular to the azimuth clutch, facing the clutch with secondary mirror or have the primary mirror end facing the azimuth clutch. Thanks for any advice / thoughts / comments. All are graciously welcomed. Siouxsie

Hi, Just thought I'd share this in case you haven't seen it already. A recent (September 2020) article added to the Celestron 'Knowledge Base' on collimating SCTs. I don't claim to have seen all articles on collimation, but this is defs one of the best that I have seen. https://www.celestron.com/blogs/knowledgebase/sct-edgehd-collimation-guide Siouxsie

You can test / prove this is happening inside without having to align the telescope outside. Just power up the telescope indoors, and check that 'Cordwrap' is set to 'Off'. Level the OTA, point it to north (although you don't have to - the telescope just assumes you are pointing north for 'Quick Align' although the Star Sense manual does not tell you this) select 'Quick Align' and then you are aligned. Check 'Cordwrap' and you'll find it's been reset to 'On'.

No bugging here What seems to happen when using the Star Sense controller is this - you power up your mount, do your time / date / location checks and even check that 'Cordwrap' is set to 'Off'. After the alignment though, the hand controller gremlins reset 'Cordwrap' to 'On'. The good news is that when it's switched back to 'Off', it stays off, at least until the next alignment. I haven't yet checked to see if this issue also happens when adding an Alignment Reference (IE following the main alignment and having switched 'Cordwrap' to 'Off') I hope not, but I'll check next time I'm out.

Tbh, I know someone who has wrtitten a few books about Celestron telescopes and he's been bringing known faults to Celestron's attention for years now and has been largely ignored. Same with the Star Sense manual - people have been telling Celestron for years now that there are fundamental errors within it but Celestron have not updated the manual. Which makes their more recent update of the Star Sense hand controller to now include 'Peripherals' alll the more remarkable. For me, I'm just relieved that I now know why Cubs was taking the long route for so many gotos. It's just another step I'll build into the alignment routine - switch Cordwrap to 'Off' immediately following successful alignment.

The Cordwrap issue is nothing to do with changing hand controllers nor updating them I'm getting the issue with Cubble, my CPC1100 for which I never use the Nextsar handset. But I'm also getting the same issue with Celeste, the 8" Evolution when I use her Star Sense hand controller.

Oh, you have the 60th Anniversary limited edition, too?! I think it's the best looking, most elegant telescope every produced by anybody! I raised exactly the same issue with Celestron. In the end, I had to purchase a separate Nexstar hand controller (as it didn't come with one) just to be able to access the Peripherals menu. Well done for getting that done!!! I must have missed the 20244 update by literally days., I try and check for updates about once a month. Thanks to you, I've just updated both Celeste's and Cubs' hand controllers! It will be a lot easier now being able to check Celeste's power status without having to get the NexStar hand controller out. so thanks!

Oh yes, firmware updated and checked regularly. No, Cubs and Celeste have their own handcontrollers. This is defs not an issue restricted to my hand controller as Celeste's Star Sense hand controller does the same thing, plus Ian's post below. For a long while I just accepted it as an idiosyncrasy of the OTA but it's great now knowing what the real cause was. I estimate I may have wasted as much as half an hour each session in total time waiting for Cubs to take the long way home.

Hi, Now, I know that Cubble likes to keep fit. I try to keep all of my telescopes healthy and feed them only the best planets and DSOs. But - why is that Cubble just LOVES to go all around the houses on some of his GOTOs?! Talk about taking the long way home!!! I could have sworn that I had 'Cordwrap' set to 'Off'............. I have set Cubs up with a totally cordfree / wire free system and therefore find this going 340 degrees around to an object that is 10 degrees away incredibly annoying and time wasting. Well, I think I may have found the answer today. Some of you may already know this but for those that don't, I hope it helps relieve some of your frustration. What I disovered is that the Star Sense hand controller resets the Cordwrap setting (MENU>>>TELESCOPE>>>CORDWRAP) back to 'ON' each time a new alignment is completed. So, one can spend time seemingly making sure that it is set to 'OFF' (if that's the setting you want, of course) only to find that once you have completed an alignment, the hand controller defaults the Cordwrap setting back to 'ON'. So, if you don't want or need Cordwrap set to 'ON', make sure you change the setting after completing each new alignment. Siouxsie