sky-watcher and eq5 = terrible

[Richard32]

Having had the telescope and mount for 2 days I can't hide the disgust of how bad the instruction manual was, I have decided on packing it away and selling it, to big, to bulky and to heavy. wish I went for a celestron nexstar 6se now.

[Sammyb]

Its a shame you feel that way. I had a 200P on an EQ5 and I thought it was an excellent scope. Yes its a big scope but you get used to it. This is why a lot of advice on these forums for beginners is to go to a local asto society to see some of these scopes in the flesh before you purchase. A choice of teslescope is a very personal thing.

[Richard32]

It would help if the instruction manual was better laid out aswell, cos being a begginer i struggled with the setup. It is a shame as I was looked forward into stargazing with this scope aswell. but takes up alot of space.

[Sammyb]

Yes.... they do take up a lot of space.

If you persevere you will get used to it. The EQ mount seems somewhat strange at first but it soon becomes second nature.

[JamesF]

If you take the OTA off the mount, store the OTA standing up and collapse the tripod legs it can't take up that much space, surely?

James

[Richard32]

True but it's just keep setting the thing up again then assembling it. I no it's a good telescope, but just not for me. I should of taken a look at one in person before buying.

[badgerchap]

I wouldn't be too hasty in packing it up and selling it. You can always get as much help as you need getting to grips with it from the folks on here. Personally, I've always depended on these guys (thanks everyone !!!) rather than instruction manuals. Astronomy can often be confusing, and you'll likely struggle with a few more things yet. The SW scopes and the EQ5 are a great setup for a beginner, if a little confusing at first. If you persevere and rely on some questions and help, you'll ghet a better experience in the end

[adrianelliott]

The thing to remember is that putting the tripod together, fixing on finder scope etc, that is all a one off step.

You don't take it all two pieces each time you move it. I normally just separate the scope from the mount (and take the leg spreader off the mount to make it easier to carry). It takes me literally two minutes to set up scope in back garden.

I would agree that an EQ mount takes a bit of getting used to though

[absy]

I wouldn't be too hasty in packing it up and selling it. You can always get as much help as you need getting to grips with it from the folks on here. Personally, I've always depended on these guys (thanks everyone !!!) rather than instruction manuals. Astronomy can often be confusing, and you'll likely struggle with a few more things yet. The SW scopes and the EQ5 are a great setup for a beginner, if a little confusing at first. If you persevere and rely on some questions and help, you'll ghet a better experience in the end

I agree with the above.

Mine sits fully assembled in my living room (I live on my own, so no one moans about the size!) and to be honest, it is rather big. But, every time, I take it out, I disassemble and put it in my car for transportation to a dark site.

-Scope comes off tripod and in to car

-Weights come off tripod and in to car

- mount and tripod carried to car where mount is removed and put in the boot with tripod.

Dont forget that as you get used to the mount, you'll be setting it up and balancing in 15 minutes easily.

Please don't sell it just yet, give it a chance and report back after a couple of months!

[nicks90]

alternatively keep the scope and sell the eq5 and with the proceeds buy a dobsonian mount for it. About as simple as you can possibly get and storing it will require a 50cm X 50cm space somewhere for it to sit staring vertically at the ceilling.

dob mounts here = http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/MOUNTS/dobsonianmount.html

Ebay prices for as-new eq5 seem to regularly reach £200 (i know, i keep looking for one that slips through at less for my own use!)

could be a viable alternative to selling an absolutely gorgeous telescope. (presuming its the SW 200)

[jabberwocky]

I must admit when I first saw a 200p on an eq5 I did think it was bloomin huge, no way could I store that where I store my 200p dob, in the corner of the room by the TV. I wonder how many beginners are put off stargazing when they see how big scopes on eq mounts are? Maybe sell it and get a 200p dob, same size scope on a much more compact and user friendly mount.

[Steep]

No chance Richard32 could find space in a shed or somewhere to leave it set up?

[Astro_Gaz]

There are some great set up videos on YouTube for these mounts, have you had a look at them?

[lensman57]

Having had the telescope and mount for 2 days I can't hide the disgust of how bad the instruction manual was, I have decided on packing it away and selling it, to big, to bulky and to heavy. wish I went for a celestron nexstar 6se now.

Hi Richard,

The 200p on the EQ5 is a beast of a telescope and a completly different animal to the Celestron 6 SE. Before you sell the scope you need to decide what you want the scope for . Is your interest deep sky observation or moon and the planets. Any half decent scope with a reasonable aperture on a good mount is going to be bulky and will need setting up . Do your homework before you make your decision. It may just be that a pair of good astronomical Binoculars are all you need if you are not really serious about astronomy.

Regards,

A.G

[Astro_Gaz]

I would love that scope, il swap you for a nexstar 4se lol, you can keep the mount though

[JD75]

There are some great set up videos on YouTube for these mounts, have you had a look at them?

This is great advice. I spent a good while just watching videos and reading up on things before I got the scope and once it arrived, despite being a bit overwhelmed at the size, I found it really straightforward to put together. The instructions are fairly lousy, but there's heaps of good info both on here and particularly on Youtube as to how it all works.

I guess it comes down to whether you'd like something that is considered 'grab and go' to just whip out when the skies clear, or something that takes a bit more set up. As I understand it, the 6E is quite a lump and will require aligning if it's going to work well with the GOTO capability, which isn't a heck of a lot different to the EQ mount set up. For something easier to manage, my understanding is that a dob is simplest of all - basically place it down, level it off and you're ready to rock! I did consider this before I bought mine, but as said, once you get your head round it, the EQ5 is pretty easy to manage.

Of course it doesn't cut down on the size, so if that's a big factor for you then I can see your point. I would say go take a look at the 6E though as having seen a few of these up close, they're still quite chunky.

Hope you can find one that works for you

[sparkyjon]

i know your pain , i did exactly the same thing , i sold it due to no storage and just the clumsiness of using an eq mount with my broken ankle, i've now bought a celestron c8 super plus, and i've got a little meade goto system, but i'm even struggling with the c8 , i'm leaning towards planetary and lunar webcam imaging so it may be a case of start again with a smaller scope and decent goto auto track,

but i will eventually get a big dob for viewing hopefully this summer pending the state of my ankle and finances i will have a summer house (well thats what i call it in front of the wife) and room to store all this stuff.

[RichieP]

Dodgy instructions are pretty par for the course for Chinese scopes. On the plus side it means we have access to affordable decent scopes at prices we could only dream of twenty years ago. An 8" Newt on a EQ mount is a serious bit of kit.

Fortunately we have a veritable feast of information available on the interwebs to fill in the gaps!

[Steve Ward]

Can't beat a little research before purchase . . .

[moogoomonkey]

Swap for my 200P dob?

[jabberwocky]

Talking of bad instructions, the ones for the SW auto focuser are hilarious, obviously translated from Chinese by someone with only the slightest grasp of English.

[munro]

I think there is a lt to be said for an AZ mount (or Dobs) for a beginner. My EQ3 drove me to distraction - A beginner has quite enough to contend with without the hassle of polar alignment.

I started with an EQ Goto (which gave up the ghost in short order) . I got an AZ4. What a difference. Easy and quick to set up and just start observing - not the ritual of setting up an EQ mount. I think beginners should begin with a straightforward mount like a Dobs or AZ4 and graduate to an EQ mount once they have mastered the basics - if they decide they need one.

[sparkyjon]

i agree with munro i cant abide eq mounts they are so awkward and cumbersome it's the counter weights and bar that makes it awkward and the angles you get yourself into ..

i wouldnt say its terrible though the quality is great for what it is... i think some people are more suited to alt-az ...me for 1

[bish]

I did really like my 200p/EQ5 for visual use. I did end up selling it and keeping my 250p dob - but it was a close run thing. I don't miss having to set up the EQ, but do miss the RA motor and fine adjustment at high powers.

[Astro_Baby]

If its any consolation I have a vintage Unitron from the 1970s and the instructions are dreadful.

For beginners its all a bit lf a minefield and K dont think many of them are aware of the complexities of telescopes. A lot pd people have been bought up in a techno age where complex devces like smartphones are engineered to be simple for the user.....telesvopes are more akin to car mexhanics or fishing in my opinion. The require a massive input from the user.

I dont think stuff is helped with modern education myself plus the general 'handyman' skills seem to be lacking in a lot of people these days.

Most scope manuals are bac because there is an assumption on the part lf the manufacturer which is you know what you afe doing rather like a car manual doesnt teach you how to drive. Ghey assume you are starting drom some know how. Same with a lot of specialised hobbies I guess.

Its one reason I never offer advice on what scoe to buy anymore.