HEQ5 and ED80 first light

[Andrew*]

Since this was an equipment-learning session more than an observing session, I've posted it here.

I nabbed a jump-starter power pack from the garage to power the mount with, I brought along a cigarette lighter lead which I got with a digital camera or something. No Idea if it would work, but it did! It was exactly right for the HEQ5

The sky was mainly clear but parts were blocked up with annoying veil clouds.

So I plonked it down in Polaris' direction (couldn't see a thing through the polar scope <slaps forehead> just realised why - the dec axis wasn't aligned so I could see through! Doh!) and powered it up. First I popped on the ED100 and checked out the double double at 150x (6mm ortho). SPLIT FIRST TIME!! At least I could tell there were 4 stars rather than 2 long stars. The mount was p*ssing me off here. Firstly the legs aren't very long at all. I really must sit it on CG5's legs. I was squatting right down (almost sitting on the ground!) to see in the finder and the EP. 2ndly It didn't work at 16x slew, and at 4x (next down) it was reeeaaally slow and noisy. At 150x the stars were flying across the view. It didn't help either that I wasn't used to the axis locking clamps and fumbled around, and unlocked them rather than locked them, naturally sending the object way off when swapping EPs. All this was really getting on my mammaries.

Later I worked out that the mount was set on south <slaps forehead again!> and then 16x worked perfectly and silently! I swapped the ED100 for the 200mm newt and also got out the ED80 on the CG5. I didn't take as long a look through the ED80 as I would have liked, but what I did see looked good 8) Pinpoint colour-free stars and a lovely WIDE view. Double double wasn't split in this scope though - only 100x.

In the 200mm newt, the stars were much less resolved and the double double looked even worse than through the ED80. For some reason collimation seemed appalling, which was strange as I thought I had recently collimated it :?

However, the real reason I had brought out the newt was to try M51. I didn't find it, but if I had, I imagine it wouldn't have looked like anything. Veil cloud and still light (9pm).

By this time the veil cloud had covered most of the sky, and Gabriele came along. She's been naked-eye stargazing for decades, and she asked what I was looking at. The newt was pointing at the double double, but I didn't bother explaining all that. I just said "nothing - too much cloud!". She said "oh, look. There's sirius" I said, "no, sirius doens't come up until morning, or november" and we looked at the star chart inside, thereby ruining my night vision. I worked out that it was arcturus. She took the planisphere and said it was Aldebaran. She thought she'd won but when I re-checked she was so obviously wrong. It was arcturus! Sirius. Pah! "It's the only star that changes colour" she says.

Anyway, the point about this whole conversation is when I got back to my eyepiece pointing at the double double at 166x, both stars were still well in the FOV!! The mount was tracking perfectly after the fastest polar alignment ever! Man, that was a boost for me!

Well, that was a bit of a ramble, but the outcome:

- the mount is lovely and works fine except in S mode!

- the ED80 seems great.

- I need more time to get accustomed to my set-up but it seems to be very pleasing when it comes together.

- I'll hold on to everything for the time being. Two mounts side by side will be ideal for group viewing, ED100 resolves fantastically, the newt's not going anywhere!! ED80 will make a nice light imaging scope.

It's all good. What's more is I got home before the girl was asleep!

Andrew

[dweller25]

Hello Andrew,

Just for info - my HEQ5 is also noisy at 8x and silent at 16x.

It did improve slightly when I put a little more lithium grease on the brass gears.

BTW - initially my mount oscillated at high magnification due to the motors. I noticed that the brass gears were meshing very tightly together, so I just backed them off slightly and the problem disappeared.

I also put the HEQ5 on the 2" legs that came with my CG5 for better stability.

I am very happy with the HEQ5, it has nice build quality for a very reasonable price.

I have not had my kit long so am also still learning in preparation for Mars in December. Once that is done I am planning to do some basic planetary imaging too.

Best of luck.

[Whippy]

Nice one Andrew, so they're all keepers then . New gear is always a mixture of pleasure and pain!

Tony..