Time to choose a new mount

[dhuber1]

Hey!

I bought a used HEQ5 for astroimaging two years ago.

The mount was cheap so it was a great instrument to start with astrophotography. 

Because my equiment becomes larger and heavier the time has come to buy a mount with higher load capacity. 

But which one?

My possibilities are:

1.) A new AZ-EQ6 (the most expensive choice) but it's new with full guarantee

2.) A used G11 with original motors, worm gears  without GOTO controller

3.) A used CI700 with FS2 goto controller and motor upgrade (cheapest choice)

At the moment I use a 8" F/5 Newton and a ED80 

Any ideas what's the best choice?

[laser_jock99]

The EQ6 is a well respected medium duty mount- I run a 12" scope + 80mm guidescope off mine with few issues.

[dhuber1]

The EQ6 is a well respected medium duty mount- I run a 12" scope + 80mm guidescope off mine with few issues.

That's the reason why the az-eq6 is my favourite one. 

But I heard so many different things about the g11 and the ci700 so I'm very unsure what to do.

[dmahon]

Will you ever use Alt-Az mode? If not, the slight cheaper and even more tried and tested NEQ6 might be worth considering. Even cheaper used (a few people are upgrading to EQ8s, so they do come up).

[jambouk]

I've never used my AZEQ6 in alt-az mode. I also mostly have the encoders turned off as i think they cause trouble with star alignment and reduce GOTO accuracy. The altitude adjustment knob is superior to the NEQ6, and the RA and dec clutches are different (no idea if they are superior or not), and the mount head is reportedly slightly lighter than the NEQ6. It also has belts in as standard so does not require this upgrade; neither does it require upgraded alt-az bolts. The power connection screws on so the chance of disconnection and sudden power outage are minimal. I think it is nosier than the 5 or 6, but still not too noisy. It also has the potential to do permanent periodic error correction but i've not seen anyone really comment about this and i've never tried as i don't currently guide or have a permanent setup.

So there are some advantages of the azeq6 over the neq6, but i suspect i could easily have coped with an NEQ6 if i had got one.

I think it retails for £1500, but i've seen second hand, barely used ones advertised for £995 or so.

No idea about the other two mounts.

Good luck.

Jd

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dhuber1]

Thank you all for the answers!

The AZ mode is not very interesting for me because I'm no observer. I use every clear sky to photographie.

I talked to a guy who sells a G11. He is a greate mechanic an has a lot of knowledege about mounts.

He told me it's better to buy his G11 or the CI700 before a NEQ6 but in my place he would buy a AZ-EQ6, because of the higher stiffnes an accuracy in relation to the NEQ6.

But I'm not shure what I should do, because I will not use the AZ mode and most of the time I work in my small Observatory with the mount on a column so the lighter weight of the az-eq6 is also no advantage

[Moondoggy61]

You can't go wrong with the G-11. i presently use the G-11 with gemini2. Incredible rock solid mount. There is a great support group headed by a "gentlemen " by the name of Tom Hilton. http://gemini=2.com. Can't say a bad thing about Losmandy. There support is superb and they are only a phone call away or email for any needs which may arise. Feel free to email me or whatever if you have any questions on this fine mount, I am not an expert but an avid user.

Peter

[Moondoggy61]

You can't go wrong with the G-11. i presently use the G-11 with gemini2. Incredible rock solid mount. There is a great support group headed by a "gentlemen " by the name of Tom Hilton. http://gemini=2.com. Can't say a bad thing about Losmandy. There support is superb and they are only a phone call away or email for any needs which may arise. Feel free to email me or whatever if you have any questions on this fine mount, I am not an expert but an avid user.

Peter

Sorry http://gemini-2.com

[Star Traffic]

Dhuber1,

   I haven't seen an EQ6 or the C1700 so I won't comment on them.

   However, I started with a Vixen GP, to a LXD-55, to a G11, & now a HGM-200. I still have all of my mounts because my kids have "inherited" them.

   My Losmandy mounts were bought used the GP & LXD were new old stock. DISCLAIMER I do not work for Losmandy, Gemini, Yahoo Groups, or for the Gemini support webpage. I'm just a dedicated owner/user.

   That said;

     The G11 is an awesome mount. Very solid, very smooth, upgradable, user maintainable, repairable, & will last for decades. That's the good news, the bad news is that they are not perfect out of the box & will need "tweaking" to get the most out of them. This isn't machining, or any major modifications. This is more like adjusting the worms for perfect mesh with minimum backlash, getting the balance just right while keeping a slight bias to the east side of the mount (it helps keep the worm meshed in the wheel), (balance is dynamic in both axis'.) Once this "tweaking" is done, the G11 will (IMO) outperform anything in it's weight class for the $$$ spent. You can "ease yourself into one using the Digital Drive System (steppers but no Goto) or go with the new Gemini-2. I've had both & they work well.

    The DDS has been on the market for 20-30 years & works like a champ, but it isn't goto & is slow. If you've added encoders (Losmandy is now back in production) that let you use Argo-Navis or SkyCommander for fast, accurate pointing, then PHD (push here dummy) will get you on target as fast, if not faster than Goto. With the DDS, & a targeter (A.N.  or S.C.), you polar align your mount, set the time & location, align with 2-3 stars, then select your target & push the OTA until the targeter says you're pointed correctly, let go & the mount picks up tracking from there. The clutches are set just tight enough to hold the scope stationary on the mount until you lightly push it, but not tight enough to require a firm push to move it. Odd but in practice it works. The most inexpensive option & can be upgraded to Goto later.

    Gemini-2 was designed as a replacement GOTO for Gemini-1 which had become dated. Some of the parts had gone out of production, there was no more room on the PROM for anymore expansion or features, no USB, Ethernet. It was still in BETA testing when work about it leaked out & the clamoring for it began. It was released because of pressure for folx that wanted a better GOTO system than G1 & were delaying buyinga new mount (G8, G11, or Titan) until they could have the new system. It wasn't ready for latenight much less primetime. Losmandy & Gemini have paid in full for that from the users. It has been on the market for a few years now & has gotten a lot of bad press. I was one of the early adopters & suffered along with it. It has evolved into a very solid platform that is modern, user updatable via a web interface, updates are free, just download to your computer, & flash to Gemini. It takes (with practice) ~10 minutes including backing up your model. It has ethernet, & USB support but no bluetooth (yet), encoder support is there but there are some glitches that are actively being worked out. There is a very active support forum on Yahoo & Webpage that you can get any questions answered very quickly.

     The G11 really needs little said about it. It is in a class by itself between the light weight mounts (like my GP & LXD) & the heavy duty mounts (like the Titan, AP1200.) Mine lived in a Skyshed POD on the tripod & would track for ~20 minutes unguided with a PEC of 5-6" or guided with 2-3" for as long as I wanted. It's normal load was a Celestron C6R (152mm f8), a 60mm f15 with a 90mm f4 as a guidescope. The C6R had a Imaging Source v.3 & I used a Orion Starshoot as the guider. I would peek through the 60mm between pics & make sure I was on target. An awesome mount.

    I won't say anything about the HGM (there isn't enough room & you're not looking that $$$$$ or huge) except to say that the G11 is to the HGM, is what the LXD was to the G11. It's normal load is a Vixen 8"f4 R200ss with a SBig ST7, C6R with a ST6, Coronado PST the IM v.3, the 90mmf4 still has the Starshoot as a guidescope.Total load ~90#. Tracking is 20-30 miutes unguided @ 3-4"PEC, all night guided at 2-3".

Yes, I AM a Losmandy fan.

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[dhuber1]

Thank you for the informations!

I also think that a G11 is a good choice. But if I buy a used one I have the problem that I need new motors and a new control for the Goto function. This becomes very expensive for a G11. With a AZ-EQ6 I have a lower load capacitiy but I already have good motors and great control for a lower price. So I'm still unsure what to do.

CS

Daniel

[Star Traffic]

Vacuum,

Not necessarily, the G11 lends itself very nicely to several different GOTO system. JMI, CT, & Gemini are all systems I looked at. I chose the new Gemini-2 after a very long wait & debate. The early versions were a painful way to upgrade. DAMHIKT. Gemini-2 is now a solid system. A full conversion is $1595, if you are moving from a Gemini-1 that’s $1095, but it doesn’t include the new servos.

I ran My G11 with the DDS system with encoders for several years. I upgraded to G2 because I wanted to begin setting up for remote imaging. I’m still working on it. Staged upgrades are more expensive than getting what you want up front but it spreads the cost out over time.

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[dhuber1]

Yes you can put a lot of goto systems on the g11, but all have a price around 1000€ so for me that's expensive.  In principle I can also build my own goto control but this would take 1-2 years and I'm not interested to start such a project at the moment.

The az-eq6 has a good goto system (i like the synscan system most of all goto systems i know) and fast motors + encoders for 1700€ and remote imaging is also included for free. So at the moment i would prefer the az-eq6. But I have still a lot of time to think about it, at the moment the HEQ5 is still working reasonable. 

CS

[dhuber1]

So if anyone is interested in my final decision:

I bought an AZ-EQ6. I had the chance to get a cheaper demonstration model, which makes the decision much easier.

CS