About to pull the trigger on a C8 + HEQ5 Pro. Need some advice!

[tingting44]

cant edit, must have been too long lol

gutted for you your bit on the weight was broken but like you say these things happen in transit and FLO are great, your have new bits before you know it, with a nice surprise haha

love the complete setup pic!!! i bet your mrs does not if she is like mine lol. mine never gets taken apart, it lives in the corner of the living room lool she has not seen anything yet tho look forward for ya getting first light with this elegant machine buddy

Martin

[Xiga]

cant edit, must have been too long lol

gutted for you your bit on the weight was broken but like you say these things happen in transit and FLO are great, your have new bits before you know it, with a nice surprise haha

love the complete setup pic!!! i bet your mrs does not if she is like mine lol. mine never gets taken apart, it lives in the corner of the living room lool she has not seen anything yet tho look forward for ya getting first light with this elegant machine buddy

Martin

Cheers tingting44! I'm not annoyed about the counterweight at all really, the replacement screw will make it right as rain, and it will get here long before the weather allows me to do anything. You're right about the Mrs though, there's no way she'll let me keep it fully assembled! Tbh though, living in a top floor apartment, storage is already an issue so I'll have to keep it packaged up anyway.

I'm really impressed with the size & weight of the C8. It really is extremely portable. The mount's a different matter entirely though, it's a beast! I went for it as I know I will want to do AP at some stage in the future, plus the way I see it, I'm not gonna be living in a flat forever. Saying that though, I made the mistake of getting the flat valued the other day......and subsequently nearly choked on my coffee! I could be here for a long time yet! Still, I have no regrets, and sure carting it up and down the stairs should at least keep me fit. At least that's what I've told herself

[Dunkster]

I'm really impressed with the size & weight of the C8. It really is extremely portable. The mount's a different matter entirely though, it's a beast! I went for it as I know I will want to do AP at some stage in the future, plus the way I see it, I'm not gonna be living in a flat forever. Saying that though, I made the mistake of getting the flat valued the other day......and subsequently nearly choked on my coffee! I could be here for a long time yet! Still, I have no regrets, and sure carting it up and down the stairs should at least keep me fit. At least that's what I've told herself

Nice one Xiga, looks a beauty

However, if you want a beastly mount, you want to lift the NEQ6 The great thing about the C8 though is that it's small and light enough (just about) to be used on smaller and more lightweight grab-and-go mounts for visual... and still pack a punch optically

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Best of luck with the new scope. Hope to hear a first-light report soon.

Clear skies.

[DannyHarvey]

I have just recently bought the C6 XLT and am enjoying it very much!

Good luck with your purchase

regards

Danny

[tingting44]

Cheers tingting44! I'm not annoyed about the counterweight at all really, the replacement screw will make it right as rain, and it will get here long before the weather allows me to do anything. You're right about the Mrs though, there's no way she'll let me keep it fully assembled! Tbh though, living in a top floor apartment, storage is already an issue so I'll have to keep it packaged up anyway.

I'm really impressed with the size & weight of the C8. It really is extremely portable. The mount's a different matter entirely though, it's a beast! I went for it as I know I will want to do AP at some stage in the future, plus the way I see it, I'm not gonna be living in a flat forever. Saying that though, I made the mistake of getting the flat valued the other day......and subsequently nearly choked on my coffee! I could be here for a long time yet! Still, I have no regrets, and sure carting it up and down the stairs should at least keep me fit. At least that's what I've told herself

haha i wish i could get my mrs into, but she gets too cold and just wants to be in the warmth with a cuppa lool id love to see her face if i came home with a C8 or C11 one day lool :D

sounds great with the portability of this C8!!! least you have got the flat under your belt so to speak and its an investment which will pay you back one day, sooner or later its nice imaging from home tho with comforts but then again you dont get nice dark skies like a nice dark spot you would travel too, so both pro's and cons lol well unless you live in a darkspot which i quite rare these days, ive got the new forest next to me which is an excellent dark spot, the houses round them ways are veryy expensive tho

its looking like clear skies tonight, hopefully you will get your first light!

[boris sputnik]

Fantastic ,Xiga ,I'm very happy for you ! And your kit looks awesome !

Clear skies as soon as possible !

Maxx

[tommo b]

Xiga, it looks the bizz. Congrats!

Sky looks pretty clear tonight over here...............

[Xiga]

Xiga, it looks the bizz. Congrats!

Sky looks pretty clear tonight over here...............

I know tommo, I got home and couldn't believe the skies were actually clear, what a difference from last night! But it was torture not being able to take advantage of it. I still have yet to align the finder scope (I need daylight so this will likely have to wait until Saturday). There's also the slight issue of me not having anywhere nearby that I can observe from (my flat doesn't have a suitable back yars even). So last night I went on a reconnaissance mission to try and find a wee quiet seldom used country lane not too far away for future use. Thankfully due to where I live, I can be on the other side of Divis mountain within 15 minutes, so off I went (minus the scope, mind). Well after learning that some of the lanes on google maps are fenced off in real life (!) followed by some driving in random directions, I thought I had found just such a lane, only to be confronted by someone in a 4x4 wondering what I was doing on their land! Lol. So that was the end of that. It looks like all future sessions will have to be conducted from Delamont Country Park, about a 45 minute drive away.

Tommo, you don't happen to know of anywhere not too far from Belfast that would be suitable as an observing site? It doesn't need to be a dark sky site, just safe and away from main roads and pesky kids

[tommo b]

Xiga, off the top of my head can't think of anywhere. I think I'm the other side of the city from you (Newtownabbey direction).

I think I've been to Delamont - it's a nice site from what I remember. As you say, it's getting somewhere safe and free from the pesky kids!

Light pollution where I am is pretty awful, although our small back garden can give some great views. Will do for 'experimenting' with the HEQ5 & DSLR (when I get it) but will need a decent dark site eventually.

Will have a think re: sites over your way & let you know if I come up with anything.

In the meantime, enjoy oggling the scope!

[Xiga]

Xiga, off the top of my head can't think of anywhere. I think I'm the other side of the city from you (Newtownabbey direction).

I think I've been to Delamont - it's a nice site from what I remember. As you say, it's getting somewhere safe and free from the pesky kids!

Light pollution where I am is pretty awful, although our small back garden can give some great views. Will do for 'experimenting' with the HEQ5 & DSLR (when I get it) but will need a decent dark site eventually.

Will have a think re: sites over your way & let you know if I come up with anything.

In the meantime, enjoy oggling the scope!

Cheers tommo. Ogling is all i can do right now (honestly, it's like being a kid on Christmas morning and not being able to play with any of your new toys, argghh! Lol). Yeah we're at oppsite ends of the city, I'm over in North Belfast, but it's great to hear from someone from these neck of the woods. Good luck with the DSLR when you get it. Nothing wrong with experimenting, nothing ventured nothing gained I always say! I'll also be getting a DSLR myself eventually, but probably not until we've moved house. Until then, I'll probably make do with some planetary webcam'ing.

[Xiga]

FIRST LIGHT REPORT

Well, the skies were clear on Monday night so off I headed with a couple of other local stargazers for my first night with the new scope. Yay!

Arrived at about 8:30 and started setting up. Quickly realised that a mobile phone app is no substitute for a proper red torch, so a red led head torch is now top of my list. Setting up was slow, even though I had practised inside a few times. The main difficulty was seeing what I was doing, and getting the ota attached was much more fiddly than I imagined it would be. I also forgot to check if the tripod was exactly level, first mistake! (although not critical). Next up was Polar Alignment. I turned the polar scope led down to about 20% and immediately saw Polaris. Got it lined up, then entered the info into the handset and started star alignment. Quickly realised something was very wrong, as the first star was miles away from where the scope was pointing. As it turned out, I had entered the time as 19:00 instead of 21:00. How embarrassing! So I parked the scope and went about re-doing Polar Alignment, as the previous hour angle was wrong. However, now I couldn't see Polaris through the polar scope. Tried adjusting both the Alt & Az knobs but no dice. It was at this stage that someone pointed out that the corrector plate had completely dewed up and this after only about 45 mins! I hadn't even attached the dew shield at this point (second mistake!). A kind person gave the scope a blast of his mini hot air blower and once I got the heated dew shield on, the dew stayed away for the rest of the night. But worryingly I still couldn't see Polaris through the Polar scope. In the end I gave up on Polar Alignment and just tried a star alignment. Now I hit a new problem. The arrow keys didn't seem to be working properly. Two of them were working fine (can't remember which ones, probably whichever ones use the least power) but the othe two wouldn't move the scope at all. It must be the power supply I thought. So again, a nice chap helped me out and let me use his. For the first 30 seconds or so the problem seemed to persist (at this stage i was starting to get very worried) but then all of a sudden it started working and then it worked for the rest of the session (phew) so the conclusion is the power tank was the problem (third mistake!). It is a 17Ahr one which cost £70 from Maplins, but the last time I charged it was the start of Jan so clearly it was just running low. I had been away all weekend so the stargazing caught me by surprise. I'll be sure now to always keep it topped up for possible nights out at short notice, and also to ignore the dial which supposedly tells you how much charge it currently holds (it told me 100%). So then, back to star alignment, its late and i still havent sen anything so let's just go for a 2 star. First star was Sirius and the scope was quite a ways off. I had to turn the rate up to 9 and slew for about 15 secs to get close. Centred, then chose Arcturus as star 2. This was my fourth mistake, as Arcturus was still below the horizon! lol. Note to self, use phone app to help choose alignment stars. Sigh, start again. This time alignment went ok, so I chose Jupiter and waited. It certainly seemed to looking in the right spot, and sure enough when I looked through the 25mm eyepiece ther it was. SUCCESS AT LAST! At this point all the frustration went out the window, and even Jupiter's close proximity to the very bright half-moon couldn't dampen my spirits. I had set myself two first-night goals, check collimation and observe Jupiter. The collimation was pretty much perfect, as far as I could tell, so all things considered I was happy with my first night's outcome.

So me and Polar Alignment have some unfinished business. I will try again next time, but at least I know it's not the end of the world if it doesn't work. As long as its pretty close and I've put the scope in the correct home position, I can still do star alignment that will suffice for casual observing. Hopefully next time I can set up quicker, and see if I can get a bit more accuracy with the GoTo.

[gcraib]

This report needs images!

Been following this thread as after months of deliberating, (I think) I'm interested in the same set-up.

I get choosing the HEQ5 over the NEQ6 for portability due to its lesser weight but why choose the HEQ5 mount when you have a Celestron scope, why not Celestron equivalent?

FLO have the C9.25 on sale for £20 more than the C8 at the minute, this makes it very tempting and the weight difference is 3kg. I saw the discussion over C9.25 v C8, what made you rule out the C9.25? Not sure if 3kg would be much difference in carrying, was it more for the imaging limit of the mount?

I've been considering various options based around an HEQ5, but this would be more expensive with a Celestron OTA than a Celestron mount.

Did you find some nice storage cases for the OTA and mount?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The C9.25 is a lot bigger (longer) than the C8, due to its somewhat slower primary and somewhat larger primary. 3kg extra is a 65% increase in weight, which is not nothing. The C9.25 is more like a C11 on a diet than a bigger brother of a C8. Excellent scope, however. For a 20 quid price difference, I would certainly choose the C9.25

[Merlin66]

For that price difference the C9.25 is a no brainer...it is MUCH better than the C8!!

I'm only sorry I've just recently sold mine....bumma!

[Xiga]

gcraib, sorry mate but i wasn't able to take any photos on my first night out with the scope.

As far as weight is concerned, michael is right. 9Kg Vs 5.5Kg is actually quite a lot, and considering i have to carry all my gear up and down a lot of stairs each time, coupled with the fact i will want to try my hand at imaging in the future, i ruled the 9.25 out. I had to draw the line somewhere, and portability was key. It was a shame, as i kind of had my heart set on the 9.25 tbh.

As for why i chose a Celestron OTA on a Skywatcher mount - simple really, I wanted a mount i could use for AP down the line, which annoyingly for me pretty much ruled out the CG5. The FLO deal for the 9.25 on the CG5 for £1,150 is an amazing deal, but for me i had to mix-and-match, which obviously cost a bit more.

As far as cases go, this has been an ongoing battle, as i really need as cost-effective a solution as possible. I have managed to find what i think may be a very good cheap solution for storing/carrying the OTA though. Have a look here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0006OHVMK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a carry case for a percussion instrument (kind of like a Bongo). The dimensions look ok, it's got soft padding on the inside, it's cheap (£39 incl delivery), and it's got a shoulder strap. It's due to arrive on Friday so i'll post some pics this weekend to show how it fits.

As for the mount head, i think a heavy-duty rucksack lined with a towel may be the best solution (I really need something with shoulder straps for getting up and down the stairs), but if anybody has any other suggestions let's be 'aving them!

I also need a case for the counterweights, as i'm currently using the boxes they came in, which is a bit of a pain having to deal with the polestyrene. The best i've found is this:

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p2698_Geoptik-Counterweight-Bag-to-150mm-Diameter.html

QUESTION FOR HEQ5 PRO OWNERS

Will the following counterweight bar perfectly fit the HEQ5 Pro?

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p2766_Skywatcher-Gegengewicht-1-8kg---fuer-D-20mm-Stangen---weiss.html

Currently the 2 5Kg weights is too much and i'm having to move them right to the top of the shaft to balance. Would much prefer to use less weight further down.

Cheers guys, and clear skies!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I would say a C9.25 on a CG5 is undermounted. My Vixen GP (of which the CG5 is a clone) handles the C8 well enough, even with my massive 16x70 finder, Denkmeier filter-switch diagonal, and "Panzerfaust" 31T5 EP attached. I do notice a bit of an increase in vibrations under full load, but it is OK. The C9.25 is not just heavier, it is also longer, increasing the torque on the mount. This would increase vibrations a lot. I would think a C9.25 would sit nicely on an HEQ5 or CGEM, but a CG5 or EQ5 is not good enough. There are few things more annoying than a wobbly scope (well, clouds are more annoying, but that goes without saying).

[gcraib]

Can I just say, this is a great discussion!

You think the C9.25 would be ok on HEQ5 pro for visual only or for AP? (say unguided with a DSLR, maybe OA guiding?)

I'm basically building a set-up around the HEQ5 Pro but this is mainly on the hearsay on the mount so I don't know much about the others to say I'd prefer the HEQ5 than CG5 or Vixen.

I currently use a cheap toolbox for the mak (with bubble wrap) the top lids are good for EP's 1.25" filters and other accessories. Mount and tripod go in a cricket bag with bubble wrap and pockets for bigger accessories and EP's etc. But I'd like to get something a bit more robust.

A rucksack with a towel in it is a great idea! You can use the towel to wipe damp/dew off the tube and mount etc if it gets bad.

I'm also liking the counterweight bag, although usually I keep them on the tube attached to the mount.

I can see some flight cases in my future, although you will have to make sure the size is right.

I don't know about the HEQ5, but the tube is withdrawable. Prob a daft question but you remembered to fully extend the tube?

[gcraib]

I'm really tempted to go for the C9.25, but I'm likely to also be mixing and matching so may miss out on the deal.

The major concern is weight though. Don't want to be pushing the mount too far (now with DSLR and future guiding). 9kg is so close to the 11kg limit of the HEQ5 for AP.

Its looking like the C8 for me as I don't want to change the mount in the future (HEQ5 seems to be biggest for borderline portability?) and negate any saving now.

going from 5" mak to 8" SCT shouldn't be too small a step.

Was going to say in previous post with new scope I'll prob use the cricket bag to keep the tripod(s) and accessories in (say I keep the EQ3-2), flight case for mak, maybe a flight case for new OTA. small bag for counterweights and rucksack or flight case for mounts. Would make a nice pile in the corner of my dining room!

[Dunkster]

C9.25 should be OK on the HEQ5 for visual, cutting it a little close for AP but should be OK for webcamming. Here's the thing though... the HEQ5 has a great reputation, so if it doesn't work out you shouldn't have too much trouble selling it on and getting the NEQ6, although beware - it's heavy by comparison!

5" Mak to 8" SCT is increasing your light gathering by about 2.5x yet only increasing your FL by 33% but then, a C9.25 increases your light gathering by another 40% or so compared to the C8...

[Xiga]

Well the case didn't arrive at my work today so i guess I'll have to wait to next week now to see how it handles the C8. In the mean time, here's a couple of useful tidbits i've come across. Hopefully someone else will also find them of use.

1. After trying various different weather forecast options, here's the one i've finally settled on. It's done with Astronomy in mind, and it gives cloud cover as a % which i find very useful. If you're in the UK, just replace the postcode part of the address (in my case BT30) with yours and you're set. But don't enter it into the Postcode search box, as it redirects you to the general weather forecast instead.

http://www.metcheck.com/hobbies/astronomy_forecast.asp?zipcode=bt30#.UTFYGTAqzg8

2. I've also been trying out a lot of Apps to see which is the best, and without a doubt i think it simply has to be Sky Safari. There are 3 different versions, to suit all wallet sizes, i'm currently rocking the Pro version, which is virtually bursting at the seams with info. For what it's worth, i think the Pro version would more than suffice though. The best part of Sky Safari though, is that it has really helped me with Star Alignment. For a total newbie like me, who still has to learn the night sky, i've been struggling to choose good alignment stars, as the handset only lets you choose certain ones, and not all will be visible from your current location. Well Sky Safari has an option to display all of the sky's brightest stars and wouldn't you know it, nearly every single one of them is a Skyscan alignment star. This is brilliant, as you can have the display tailored to basically just show the alignment stars and not much else. This feature will be a total lifesaver for me (and hopefully others) and with any luck it should hopefully speed up the whole alignment procedure for those of us who don't really know what we're doing! lol

[boris sputnik]

Hi xiga !

About your polar alignment ,when you don't see Polaris and you're supposed to see it....Be sure that your scope is not pointing at the celestial pole. It should be perpendicular to your scope's polar axis. There is a hole in the weight bar, look at it through the upper end of the polar scope ,where you take off the little black cap...

P.S. Make yourself a list of everything you have to do in the right order ,it will save you many hours of correcting little things you forgot to do...I have a hard cover book with white pages that I use as a logbook ,at the last pages I have my TO DO list and I always go by it ,it has better memory than me

Maxx

[Droogie 2001]

Having just read through the entire post. Which incidentally was a great read following Xiga's decision making process through to his first light. My heart sank at the description of your first light  experience! But you probably realised things were probably not going to go too smoothly...

Anyway I am about to purchase a HEQ 5 Pro mount having owned a Celestron 8SE for about a year and half. The AP bug has finally got to me.
Got a focal reducer, bahtinov mask etc so fairly well prepared.

I am pretty comfortable with the stock Alt Azm mount but the main element that scares me with the HEQ5 is the polar alignment and setup of the mount itself.

I have watched and read numerous videos and documents so hopefully once I have the mount and practiced both indoors and then outdoors I should be ok?!

Xiga do you have any experiences after your first light. I noticed the there were no more posts (understandably as your thread was about the original purchase)

Cheers