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How portable is the EQ3-2 synscan mount?

emadmoussa

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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I don't have a level observing area. It's a rather scabby crazy-paved patio. It's nigh on impossible to get the mount back in exactly the same orientation every time. Even drilling holes doesn't work because the paving material is so soft it just breaks up. I check polar alignment every time I use the scope and it almost always needs adjusting fractionally unless I leave the mount in place.

James

I actually have a line painted on the patio floor (The only bit that's only slightly leveled - the rest is like a rugged terrain ). I just place the tripod legs on the edges of the line and go. Seems reasonably aligned every time - I do more investigation and adjustments when imaging DSOs - as for planetary and lunar the mount seems to track almost precisely with the painted floor alignment.

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JamesF

JamesF

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I actually have a line painted on the patio floor (The only bit that's only slightly leveled - the rest is like a rugged terrain ). I just place the tripod legs on the edges of the line and go. Seems reasonably aligned every time - I do more investigation and adjustments when imaging DSOs - as for planetary and lunar the mount seems to track almost precisely with the painted floor alignment.

Every time I use the EQ3-2 I start by rotating the RA axis to set the time and date on the rings and then check the position of Polaris in the polar scope and adjust the alt and az as required. For planetary imaging with the SPC900 I was regularly using an effective focal length of around five metres and found it hard to keep the target on the sensor unless the mount was fairly well aligned. Having done the alignment that way I found I could set off an imaging run on Saturn or Jupiter and still have the target on the sensor (though it may have drifted a little) after several minutes, which meant I could have a second scope out for visual use at the same time.

James

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YKSE

YKSE

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I have my 80ED mounted on EQ3 with 3,4kg conterweight, always lift the whole setup in and out the house without much difficulty. It weighs about 14kg, I don't have a finderscope or DSL on it tough, If you add those, you may need to add the 1.8kg counter weight, also the steel leg update (which's about 1kg heavier), it'll weigh about 18kg. Should be manageable with efforts.

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JamesF

JamesF

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I have my 80ED mounted on EQ3 with 3,4kg conterweight, always lift the whole setup in and out the house without much difficulty. It weighs about 14kg, I don't have a finderscope or DSL on it tough, If you add those, you may need to add the 1.8kg counter weight, also the steel leg update (which's about 1kg heavier), it'll weigh about 18kg. Should be manageable with efforts.

For me that just has "expensive accident" written all over it :D

I don't think it's simply the weight that's the problem in itself. I'm quite happy to carry around a couple of 20kg sacks of animal feed at a time, so 15kg of mount and telescope isn't really a major issue. It's the awkward distribution of the weight and the number of bits that stick out in all directions. I don't mind sticking my AZ3 with the ST120 on over one shoulder, stuffing a few eyepieces in my pockets and wandering out into the middle of a field, but I'd definitely err on the side of caution and make several trips with the EQ3-2.

James

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knobby

knobby

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For me that just has "expensive accident" written all over it :D

I don't think it's simply the weight that's the problem in itself. I'm quite happy to carry around a couple of 20kg sacks of animal feed at a time, so 15kg of mount and telescope isn't really a major issue. It's the awkward distribution of the weight and the number of bits that stick out in all directions. I don't mind sticking my AZ3 with the ST120 on over one shoulder, stuffing a few eyepieces in my pockets and wandering out into the middle of a field, but I'd definitely err on the side of caution and make several trips with the EQ3-2.

James

Coward :D... Or sensible?

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baggywrinkle

baggywrinkle

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I have an ED80 on an EQ5, I would not carry both together unless I had 8 arms....

I take mine outside separately.

When I bought the ED80 I was considering the EQ3, but on advice I went for the 5 and glad I did. It is well within payload with a DSLR on it (piggybacked) and at prime focus, along with the 2'' diagonal and finder scope.

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Psychobilly

Psychobilly

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I held of buying an Astrotac for a long time... in fact my EQ3-Pro was my Astrotrac substitute...

I know have both but have spent a fair bit of cash on top of the basic Astrotrac to get it close to where I want it to be,,.

I have only bought it for the "portability" where I might be walking a couple of miles from the nearest car park to try and get the shots I am after...

The handset is the same for the EQ3-2 and EQ6 it's just the cable that's different... that fact and the EQMOD/EQDIR is probably why the Syntrek mounts used to be so popular...

Peter...

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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I have an ED80 on an EQ5, I would not carry both together unless I had 8 arms....

I take mine outside separately.

When I bought the ED80 I was considering the EQ3, but on advice I went for the 5 and glad I did. It is well within payload with a DSLR on it (piggybacked) and at prime focus, along with the 2'' diagonal and finder scope.

I had an EQ5 - it was portable-ish only with the ST80 on (without the counterweights) - sold it to fund the NEQ6. But it was awkward to move around still. Like Peter mentioned, the main point for the EQ3 is portability. I want to be able to grab the mount with scope on and just carry it into the garden (without the counterweights) and also for, say, a 1-2 walk into the forest.

I'm thinking as long as I'm getting another mount, I'd rather invest in a goto as well. I know if I didn't I'll have the urge to use it for imaging and then I'll be biting my fingers for not having done that :) Many good things have been said about the EQ3 Goto as a basic astro-photography mount.

My NEQ6 is a syntrek with EQMod. The issue however is the set-up time. If I want to go light for a quick session, I'd rather avoid laptops and all the wiring. So thinking a goto handset to use with the NEQ6 as well will be a bonus. :)

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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OK, took the plunge. :) Excited bunny here :D Everybody brace yourself for 40 nights of cloudy weather...

BTW, Peter from Opticstar suggested that I fill the tripod legs with foam if I'm intending to do long exposure astro-photography. Is it the kind of canned foam that expands or what?

I'm just thinking I could do with a couple of counterweights to sit on the tray..or maybe a sandbag.

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knobby

knobby

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If you're after firming the legs up but thinking of weight you could try getting a screw in ground peg from a camping shop / fishing tackle shop... Screw into the ground below the mount, then use a bungie to pull the mount down...

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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If you're after firming the legs up but thinking of weight you could try getting a screw in ground peg from a camping shop / fishing tackle shop... Screw into the ground below the mount, then use a bungie to pull the mount down...

Yes, this is a good idea.

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jetstream

jetstream

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OK, took the plunge. :) Excited bunny here :D Everybody brace yourself for 40 nights of cloudy weather...

BTW, Peter from Opticstar suggested that I fill the tripod legs with foam if I'm intending to do long exposure astro-photography. Is it the kind of canned foam that expands or what?

I'm just thinking I could do with a couple of counterweights to sit on the tray..or maybe a sandbag.

He may mean window insulation foam.There are 2 types, regular and LOW expansion spray foam.If you did this consider the low expansion.
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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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The EQ3-2 Pro Synscan has landed this morning.

Impressions:

It's actually very portable. Without the counter weight you can easily lift it with one hand and walk a considerable distance before you grow massive biceps.

It's really straightforward as you might imagine. I'll go for a drive and learn the ins and outs of the synscan handset. I'm glad it came with a number of cables, at least I can use it with the NEQ6 as well. Below is all the content of the box:

Eq3-2 Pro Synscan unboxing

As you'd expect from Sky-watcher there's always a little thing to complain about. The synscan box holder is designed to clip on the rounded steel tripod, not the supplied aluminum version.

Eq3-2 Pro Synscan unboxing

And by the way, what is this piece for?

Eq3-2 Pro Synscan unboxing

And least but not last, have a look at how big the NEQ6 looks in comparison :D

Eq3-2 Pro Synscan unboxing

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