Celestron CG-5 GT GOTO

[M4lcs67]

Hi all,

Am going to be getting the above mount with a C9.25 sct in the next few days, but I did have a question regarding the mount. I am told that the CG-5 has a built in polar alignment system, but I also see that you can purchase a polarscope for it.

For those of you who have this mount, is the built-in alignment routine ok or would I be better getting a polarscope to go with it?

Thanks

[mallorcasaint]

I have this mount and I also have the Polar scope. It does have the AllStar alignment routine but to be honest I've only tried it once and it seemed to work ok. It's a bit like drift alignment. The Polar scope is a very useful piece of kit so if i was you I would get one.

[glowjet]

Hi Malc, that is one very nice scope you are going to invest in, I am sure you will have looked into the pros and cons of the CG5 GT mount, but as far as I am aware it its total carrying capacity is only around 12 Kg, your basic scope OTA also weighs in at just over 9 Kg which does not leave a lot of room to manoeuvre for extras, There are a number who use this arrangement for visual only, but I have read it does have its limitations, the HEQ5 I gather is better with the HEQ6 as the best, to handle everything if you want to expand into AP in the future. I hope you do not mind me pointing this out, and you may have already covered it, but it is a lot of your hard earned cash you are going to spend, which you may find after a bit, that you wish you had invested in a bigger capacity mount

John.

[M4lcs67]

Thanks for your info guys. Much appreciated.

John,

Thanks for additional information. To be perfectly honest I hadn't really thought of the compatability issues with the mount, ota and any extras that I might add. But now you have highlighted it, yeah you are right. On the face of it there doesn't seem to be much "wiggle" room. Only about 3kg. I have my barlow and a couple of Hyperions (which are quite chunky eyepieces. Don't know what the weight of the polarscope would be, but I suppose I will have to be careful not to overload the mount with additional gear. There is also the finderscope to consider, but I think I will use my Baader rdf as I like them and have become accustomed to them over standard finderscopes. It is also very lightweight.

[Odd Thomas]

Don't know what the weight of the polarscope would be, but I suppose I will have to be careful not to overload the mount with additional gear.

Malc, don't worry about the polarscope weight, once you've aligned, it removes for use.

[todd8137]

I have he same mount and scope I did get the polar scope wors well the software on the bandbox works a gret you do not need a polar scope the polar lign function is top banana and wors well I use this mount for imaging and the 9.25.

i also se a 127mmfrac as well also ad a 150p reflector

its a great cope and mount but it weighs a ton so if you have to move it far you will no you have I also got the plug in gps adget it's not needed but if you change sites and are out and about a lot ,then it's a great gadget makes setting and star align a lot quicker

are you keeping it in a obs or just be carting in and out

pat

[M4lcs67]

Hey Pat,

Cheers for that. It is always helpful when someone who owns the scope can pass on their knowledge. I will be taking into my garden each time I use it, set it up, do what I have to do and dismantle it and bring it back inside again. I will only have to carry the thing about 30 feet (obviously dismantled) and set it up. I used to play the drums in a band years ago, so I am more than used to setting up and dismantling gear. At least the scope is only going to be in my back garden.

[SteveNickolls]

Hi,

I have used my 9.25" SCT and Go-To CG5 mount for 6 years now and can vouch for it. The polar scope is not heavy and can be removed before attaching the OTA. I have managed to carry mine down from the bedroom to the yard (so far without incident!) making 4 trips (tripod and mount/counterweights/OTA and eyepiece collection, power supply etc). Cheaper than a gym workout too. Being retired means I can stretch out the trips to my own pace and have the tube nicely cooled for when it's needed. Hope you enjoy yours.

Cheers,

Steve

[M4lcs67]

Thanks Steve.

Just heard from Martin at FLO that the distributor is all out of stock now until July. Gutted. I was going to hit the buy button today as well as it is my birthday on Sunday and was going to treat myself:-(

[lucjam]

Hi Malc

I read a few of your posts when buying my 127 so i'm surprised you are upgrading so soon as you sounded like you were a real fan.

I take it there is nothing wrong with the 127 and that you just have the fever bad, real bad!

Good luck with the new scope.

[mallorcasaint]

As I said i have the CG5 and have a C6 and a WOZ66 dual mounted on a custom built, heavy plate. I also attach a qhy5 guide camera and an Atik 314L+ with USB filter wheel and the mount copes very well. The polar scope only weighs ounces anyway so that is not a problem. Yes of course the HEQ6 is a better and more capable mount, and I'll get one one day, but for now the CG5 serves my needs well.

[M4lcs67]

Hey lucjam.

I have had my 127 SLT for over a year now and it is a great piece of kit, but as you mentioned I have been bitten by apeture fever. I suppose it comes to us all at some point. I was thinking about selling my 127 SLT, but I may decide to keep it for times when I can't or don't have the time to set the big thing up.

I noticed on your signature that you have North Face parka. Are they any good???? I have always rated North Face gear (being a keen hill walker and mountainbiker), but my current Jack Wolfskin parka has given up the ghost. So was looking for a replacement. Is it the one with a furry hood????

Thanks for allaying my fears about the CG-5 mount, Mallorcasaint. You have some serious hardware in your set-up and if it is good for you then I think it should cover my basic needs. I did notice that Celestron are releasing a new 6mp camera that fits directly into the scope where the star diagonal would go, so if I decided to go down the astrophotography route then by removing the star diagonal and eyepiece and replacing with the camera the weight would even itself out at least, or the camera would be much lighter than the diagonal/ep combo.

[lucjam]

Hi Malc

Thought so. I'm really pleased with mine and the goto does suit my short observing times but I do do miss "the hunt" and may get an AZ3 mount for it so when I can spend more than a couple of hours outside I can get into some manual observing.

Re the North Face. Yes it is a great piece of kit. It has got a furry trim to the hood but both trim and hood are detatchable.

I bought it a couple of years ago as I spend most of the winter weekends watching my daughter play Hockey and QPR at Loftus Road. I always feel the cold but never when in the McMurdo, it's like wearing a feather down quilt (which is what it is I suppose!).

After getting into Astronomy around Xmas time it was worn during the winter months and I never felt that I needed to go inside to warm up.

Go Outdoors is usually the best price (around £230), you may even get a better deal this time of year but be carefull if you are looking on e bay as there are a lot of fakes.

Good luck

Kev

[sologuitarist61]

Yes I have this mount as well and there is a routine in the handbook to polar align without a polar scope, but to be honest I haven't tried it. Usually just point it north and go through the alignment process and that is more than good enough for visual. You only really need polar alignment if you intend to do astro imaging.

[M4lcs67]

Hey Kev, Thanks for the heads-up. There is a Go Outdoors about half ah hours drive from me in Pudsey. I have a trip over sometime.

Cheers for the additional info regaring the alignment, Richard. To begin with I will just be doing observing, but at some point I may take up imaging. The instructions for the 127 SLT are terrible. I hope the ones with the CG-5 are more easy to understand.

Thanks to you all once again.

[mallorcasaint]

Re the North Face question. Earlier this year I bought an all in one all weather suit for those cold nights. It is made by Klobba and is a angling suit. I have to say that it is ideal for astronomers and is both very warm and completely waterproof. The best bit is it only cost £29.99! I think the price has gone up a bit but still great value. Best bit of kit I ever bought!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KLOBBA-1-PIECE-LINED-THERMAL-SUIT-ALL-SIZES-AVAILABLE-/270861825199?pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Sports_Clothing_LE&var=&hash=item3f109f74af

[mallorcasaint]

Here is a pic of me in my suit!

[lucjam]

Here is a pic of me in my suit!

That's the night vision gone then!

[mallorcasaint]

Ha ha! I was just finishing then!

[M4lcs67]

Great little set up there. I trust you have a hip flask as well to warm you from the inside?????

Thats your baby connected to the laptop with the DSLR on the back of the ota?????

[mallorcasaint]

Great little set up there. I trust you have a hip flask as well to warm you from the inside?????

Thats your baby connected to the laptop with the DSLR on the back of the ota?????

That was just a quick session imaging M42 one night. I took the WOZ66 off the mount and I used my Canon 1000D, no guiding. I was also using my small jumpstarter psu to power the mount. Normally there would be 3 times the amount of kit and strictly no alcohol when imaging!

[spectre]

Malc,

I have this mount with the polar scope. I only use the polar scope for a very rough PA. The 2 star/4 star alignment and the hand control PA routine gets me a great polar alignment every time. This is a great mount for the money, you're going to really like it. If I had it to do over again I would save the money for the polar scope and use it for some other bit of kit. Just my 2 cents.

John

[Keener_7]

Some great info here for myself, since I am planning on upgrading my scope in the coming year and was considering the C9.25-SGT on the CG-5 mount. But I never really thought about the weight issue for AP(If I decide I want to get my feet wet).

I'm not intending to hijack this thread. But I just have a quick question.If I wanted to venture into AP in the future I would be better off getting the C8 on this mount instead? (my budget is aprox. $2000CAD for scope and mount) and how much difference would 1.25inch of aperture make when it comes to visual use for DSO's?

Also how does this mount preform in cold weather? Since it gets very cold durning the winter here in Alberta, Canada.

thank you

[mallorcasaint]

Well I can't answer about the cold I'm afraid but certainly for AP you don't need such a great dependence on aperature. Most of us at the NLO use C6 or C8 and either 66 or 72 APO's and have produced some amazing images (not me I must add! I'm just getting there!)