Skywatcher Mounts

[Clive125]

Hi,

At the moment I have a skywatcher 150 mm f1200 mm refractor and would like to know if I can  upgrade it to a EQ5 Pro SynScan goto mount  it weighs a little under the 9 Kg stated payload limit and I'm also as a pensioner on a fixed budget. Will this setup be OK as I mostly see the same telescope advertised with a heavy duty mount costing £200 more.

Clive

[AstroAdam]

The heavier duty mount will always be more stable, but as long as you're under the limit, it should be usable.  The only thing to think about is the focal length.  9kg spread across 1200mm of F\L will mean a less stable setup than a shorter tube, which will take longer to settle when moved.   

Anyone else have experience of a similar combination who can shed more light on real-world usage?

[Dave Lloyd]

The 150 is abig OTA but I reckon the eq5 might be up to the job. You may be on the limit but I reckon it's doable. There are far more knowledgeable people on here to correct me it I'm wrong.

[John]

Hi Clive - welcome to the forum

I've used the 150mm F/8 refractor on a Celestron CG5 mount, which is very, very similar to an EQ5, for visual observing and it was just about OK. The CG5 has 2" steel tubed legs which are a bit more substantial than the EQ5 1.75" ones, taller as well. Using vibration surpression pads and an electronic focuser can help minimise vibrations.

As Adam says, the tube length is the challenge as much as it's weight.

[garryblueboy]

Hi Clive I used to own a 150 evo star on an Heq 5 pro it managed ok but I always felt it was on its limits would have been better on the HEQ 6 .

[Dave Lloyd]

As an aside to this, is a reflector of a given size easier to mount than a refractor due to the optics weight being at the bottom of the ota rather than the top?

[happy-kat]

Isn't a HEQ5, in the post above, heavier duty then a EQ5 anyway?

[AstroAdam]

The heq5 is much heavier duty than the eq5. I think the payload may be something like double? It's supposed to be 18kg for visual, and up to about 11kg for imaging on an heq5.

[AstroAdam]

As an aside to this, is a reflector of a given size easier to mount than a refractor due to the optics weight being at the bottom of the ota rather than the top?

Funnily enough, I find they're generally harder, as the weight in a reflector is less well distributed. A refractor generally has is centre of gravity closer to the middle I find...