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CG-5 GT Goto - honest opinions

earth titan

By earth titan
in Discussions - Mounts

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earth titan

earth titan

Posted
Posted

I'm looking for a light weight mount for purely visual, to take my C9.25 to dark sky sites.

I'm changing some kit around and aiming to make the C9.25 my main big scope as it is soooo capable.

These are the mounts supplied with the C9.25, http://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-mounts/celestron-cg-5-gt-goto.html and they are currently on offer, so are they suitable (again purely visual use).

And I know I can get and HEQ5 for £200 more.

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allcart

allcart

Posted
Posted

This is the only mount I have and have not used any other, so cannot make comparisons. Nevertheless, I am pretty happy with it. Its a tad noisy when you slew at top speed, but if you back it off a touch its much quieter, albeit slightly slower. Quite easy to set up and align with the goto and easy enough to align the target manually (if you know where it is ) then just turn on the tracking.

its relatively easy to transport and not too heavy with the counterwieghts off. Its a fairly easy process to remove the mount from the legs and assemble again to make transportation easier.

My only gripe so far is that the motor housings touch each other when you pass the meridian so you have to flip it over. I haven't worked out a solution to that yet, but I suspect a lot of mounts have the same problem.

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billhinge

billhinge

Posted
Posted

I've had 33lb of C11, Baader Steeltrack and camera on mine but I wouldn't recommend it :grin:

Seriously though I can use it visually and photographically for planetary and lunar with the C11 but it requires tuning/upgrading and very careful balance with 3 weights at maximum extension (mine came with 15kg of weights)

It is a much more fun ride with a 80mm APO at less than 10lbs, so I would say 10kg for an easy life, 15kg with a lot of effort

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SimonfromSussex

SimonfromSussex

Posted
Posted

Tom, I had a C925 on a cg5 mount and for visual use is was absolutely fine.

As long as you balance it correctly you should have no probs. Mine was always rock steady at the eyepiece.

As people have said it is a tad noisy but other than that a fine mount/combination.

I ran it off a power pack over two nights with no probs either.

Si.

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earth titan

earth titan

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Cheers folks. Order placed.

I have the NEQ6 in the obsy, which runs off the PC or the Syntrak (the alignment routines on the Synscan are are pretty hopeless) - but this is not an issue in the obsy.

I've gone for the Celestron as I understand the alignment routines are better and its a lot cheaper.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

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Luke

Luke

Posted
Posted

I was happy with the CG5 mount and an 8 inch Newtonian, used mainly for visual.

I liked the very heavy tripod legs. We still use them on a giro mount, very nice and stable!

I didn't like the relatively loud slewing noise (I believe there are ways to muffle it a bit) and it did not feel quite as well built as a HEQ5, which is fair enough given the price difference! I was okay about the slewing noise; some people are more bothered by it.

I'm very impressed with the HEQ5, so I would probably go for that if funds allowed, but the CG5 served me well.

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bob1957

bob1957

Posted
Posted

Tom, I have the CG5-GT with a 10" Newtonian which at 14.4 kg is probably the maximum, but only for visual use as it shakes under the slightest breeze which is annoying at higher magnifications. For imaging I use an 8" SCT which at under 6 kg makes for a stable setup. I can even have the SCT mounted side by side with a short tube 4" refractor and its still stable. As others have already indicated the CG5 is noisy when slewing (mine is), but I'm currently in the process of servicing my mount using AstronomyBoy's procedures so this may quieten it a bit, however if the mount is still under warranty (mine isn't) you probably wont want to do this. I'm also updating the motor control firmware as this allows slowing the slewing rate and should quieten it down a lot (a new mount should already have the up to date firmware to control slewing rate). Other than the noise its a great mount.

The Sailor, I like the idea of keeping the CG5 in a flight case.

All the best, Bob :laugh:

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M4lcs67

M4lcs67

Posted
Posted

As Bob mentioned above. Get the ADM saddle and lose the supplied one. Why on earth Celestron supplied this mount with such an appalling saddle is beyond me. To have two bolts just gouging into the dovetail and hoping that will be enough to prevent the ota from falling off??? Crazy. I bought the ADM the other week and it is as sturdy as you like now. It spreads the load along the full length of the dovetail rather than just on two small areas where the bolts go. And it also protects the lovely orange anodising on the dovetail bar. Granted, it is a bit pricey, but better spending £120 on a new saddle than a new ota when it falls off. If anything however it is rather noisy, so that will be something to bear in mind.

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M4lcs67

M4lcs67

Posted
Posted

Jim,

Really, did that happen to you? Oh no. That must have been a serious heart in mouth moment followed by an almighty sinking feeing. The supplied saddle is terrible, especially when the rest of the mount is so good, they have to go and ruin it by cutting corners with one of the most crucial parts. For the sake of a few quid more they could have made one that was up to the job, so we wouldn't need an aftermarket one. Don't get me wrong, the ADM is very good, but it is also alot of money.

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The Sailor

The Sailor

Posted
Posted

Yes afraid it did, ended up with the rose bush so scratched to hell, a dent and a gouge, brought it in, cleaned it up and put it back on securly, all was good. It makes me ensure that the NEQ6 and parts are secure when I push it out of the roof, doubt if anything will survive a 20' fall :).

Jim

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skir

skir

Posted
Posted
Jim,

Really, did that happen to you? Oh no. That must have been a serious heart in mouth moment followed by an almighty sinking feeing. The supplied saddle is terrible, especially when the rest of the mount is so good, they have to go and ruin it by cutting corners with one of the most crucial parts. For the sake of a few quid more they could have made one that was up to the job, so we wouldn't need an aftermarket one. Don't get me wrong, the ADM is very good, but it is also alot of money.

Malc, did it take much effort to fit the ADM saddle?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

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The Sailor

The Sailor

Posted
Posted

Tom, that looks like a saddle I have as a pair on a dual saddle, I have one spare as I now use a guider mount so will se tomorrow id it fits the CG-5. Regarding suppliers I done a Google and here you are:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=adm+saddle&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&redir_esc=&ei=IM4vUbfINaqH0AWVk4CYCA

Jim

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earth titan

earth titan

Posted
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Posted
Tom, that looks like a saddle I have as a pair on a dual saddle, I have one spare as I now use a guider mount so will se tomorrow id it fits the CG-5. Regarding suppliers I done a Google and here you are:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=adm+saddle&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&redir_esc=&ei=IM4vUbfINaqH0AWVk4CYCA

Jim

Cheers Jim.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

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M4lcs67

M4lcs67

Posted
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Hey skir,

Remarkably easy to switch saddles. The trickiest part was removing the little screws that hold the plastic covers on. Ended up using some jewellers screwdrivers as they are thin and long enough to go into the holes. Once the covers are off then using the correct allen keys to remove the old saddle and replace it with the ADM is a breeze.

Just had my landscape gardener buddy over earlier today looking at changing our garden and putting in a telescope pad , so I can set up nice and level and clean. No more messing around on my uneven, muddy lawn once the work has been done. Can't wait for that to happen.

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