to eq or not to eq?

[ak47]

hi guys

i have a 5" mak on an az4 mount, a simple and portable setup which i use regulery.

i was wondering lately if I would I benefit something from getting a non-goto eq mount ? (no AP, visual use only)

thanks!

[PeterCPC]

In my opinion the best type of mount for visual only is an Alt/Az. It's easier to move around the sky. EQ is important if you want to do AP.

Peter

[JG777]

Agree with Pete, AZ all the way for visual.

[billyharris72]

I think this depends on your main use of the scope. If you are doing a lot of planetary or lunar observing at x150 or above I would say an EQ mount with a RA drive is a huge improvement over an AZ - probably worth about an inch of aperture or so in terms of being able to sit, relax and spend your time actually studying your target rather than chasing it.

[Stu]

7 minutes ago, billyharris72 said:

I think this depends on your main use of the scope. If you are doing a lot of planetary or lunar observing at x150 or above I would say an EQ mount with a RA drive is a huge improvement over an AZ - probably worth about an inch of aperture or so in terms of being able to sit, relax and spend your time actually studying your target rather than chasing it.

I do agree with this post. I've been a committed manual alt az user for years, mainly Giro style mounts and really enjoy them for star hopping and observing DSOs at lower powers.

Recently though I bought a nice Vixen GP EQ mount with tracking motors. I am finding that I really enjoy using it for solar and planetary observing for the reasons mentioned by Billy. The image is stable and remains centered in the field of view so you are really able to concentrate on pulling out the fine detail. I will continue to use this for high power work, keeping the giro mounts for when I want to observe a wider range of targets without Goto as I find the alt az movement much easier manually.

[brantuk]

I agree too - even if your eq mount is non motorised. The big benefit is being able to polar align and track in a single plane. So a manual eq mount means you only need to turn a single slo mo cable to follow an object. Your 5" Mak has the eyepiece at the rear so will be as easily accessible as an alt/az mount. Hth

[ak47]

10 minutes ago, billyharris72 said:

I think this depends on your main use of the scope. If you are doing a lot of planetary or lunar observing at x150 or above I would say an EQ mount with a RA drive is a huge improvement over an AZ - probably worth about an inch of aperture or so in terms of being able to sit, relax and spend your time actually studying your target rather than chasing it.

this is the reason im considering an eq mount, the ability to track an object on a single axis.

i dont wanna go full go-to mount, because i like my setup simple and portable and i dont like the idea of dragging a big battery pack with me to power the mount.

so, would a manual eq mount still be ok to track objects using the manual knobs?

 

 

[Stu]

6 minutes ago, ak47 said:

this is the reason im considering an eq mount, the ability to track an object on a single axis.

i dont wanna go full go-to mount, because i like my setup simple and portable and i dont like the idea of dragging a big battery pack with me to power the mount.

so, would a manual eq mount still be ok to track objects using the manual knobs?

 

 

I think a relatively lightweight EQ mount, driven in RA might be quite suitable. Perhaps an EQ5? You don't need a huge battery pack just to drive like that, you can slew manually by unlocking the clutches and just use the motor to track in RA once you've found the target

[Moonshane]

one issue to consider with eq mounts is that you need counterweights which reduces the grab and go nature. I am considering one though myself in the future although I do like having my 120ED and 100mm Tal PST mod on the same mount - something you cannot do with even a large eq mount I suspect. For planets though I think an eq mount is a winning combo unless you want a larger e.g. newt. a tracking alt-az mount would also be a good option for a smaller scope like the one mentioned by the op.

[Martin Meredith]

If your Mak is under 5kg (which I think it is -- more like 3kg + eyepieces?) then you might want to consider a Skywatcher StarAdventurer mount. This driven mount only requires 4xAA batteries. It is highly portable at around 3.4kg including 1kg counterweight.

Martin

[Davesellars]

I have an EQ-5.  While the mount itself is light enough the counterweights kill you for being grab and go.  Although a 5" mak may only need one counterweight.  I use mine manually for all my star-hopping and fine it very easy to use.  The key to star hopping with an EQ 5 mount is forget about going directly from A to B as you would with an Alt/Az mount and instead you need to follow the equatorial lines on the star chart and only moving in one direction at one time. Tracking manually is very easy once you've found the object then just using the RA.

[billyharris72]

I've used a 102mm Mak on the EQ5 without counterweights and never had any problems - it copes just fine and good balance is not that critical for visual. But I don't know how much heavier the 127 is; if more than 3 or 4kg I think you'll need a counter, but you should only need one. With or without one though, I would hesitate to call the EQ5 grab and go - I've only ever used mine in the garden.

Never thought of the Star Adventurer, which I've always though of strictly an AP rig for cameras and small fracs. Will that really hold a small scope? If so it might be perfect.

[Linda]

I use the 5" Mak on an EQ3. It is indeed easy to just turn 1 slow motion control to follow an object. A few weeks ago, with 2 moons transiting Jupiter, I enjoyed a good view.

Some other time though, I was viewing the sun in detail, and then I noticed that the mount wobbles a bit. After each manual adjustment, the whole setup wobbled for some time, before steadying. Maybe a motorized mount would be better. Or an EQ5 that is more stable.

But most of my viewings are not on maximum magnification and for that the mount is more than good enough.

I use 1 thick counter weight and that balances the scope.

[Martin Meredith]

I've had a 3.3kg refractor on my Star Adventurer, plus extender, diagonal and heavy eyepiece, which brings it up to 5kg, and it is fine for visual. The weak point is balancing in declination with all the weight hanging off the back end but I just need a longer dovetail. It is meant to hold 5kg for imaging work I believe. That is probably somewhat optimistic, but for visual I don't see a problem. It would be interesting to hear if anyone has used this mount with a similar Mak?

Martin

[Stu]

I used a Tak FC-100 on my StarAdventurer for one session recently. It coped ok, not totally stable and it required three counter-balance weights but did work. It tracked ok, but is not necessarily so easy to move around to different targets. For planetary or solar tracking though it's ok. The weakest point seems to be the wedge, if a stronger alternative were used I think it would be much better.

[ak47]

not so many options to buy where i live... i think im going for a non motorized eq3, and i can get it with round steel legs instead of the aluminium ones without additional cost. 

[laudropb]

I was considering the skywatchers Supa Track AZ mount for my 127, but they seem to be difficult to get.

[Donkeiller]

"To EQ or not to EQ".

Not if you are a visual astronomer. EQ is a right PITA.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Shalom 'ak47'

I am in the camp of both Alt-Az & EQ. My reasons are as below...

1. Alt-Az - for grab'n'go / cloud dodging / quick visual session / very basic astrophotography.

2. EQ - for when I want to spend more time on a given target / astrophotography.

 

  

[skfboiler]

There is nothing like an EQ mount that tracks.  My Astroview 6 EQ (an EQ-3) from Orion was my first scope ever.  I was able to learn how to use use in no time.  For the most part all you do is dial in your latitude and point it towards Polaris or true north and you are good to go.  I later installed a motor drive on the RA and I can look at stuff until I'm tired of looking at it.  I believe Skywatcher makes the same mount with steel legs.  It is rated for 12 pounds.

[spaceboy]

A MAK has a long focal length and a narrow FOV so I'd go with an EQ as you can on most occasions either manually or with the use of cheap motors track objects.

 

Not saying EQ mounts are ideal as they require more effort to set up and in the case of motors require power but there is nothing more enjoyable to me than to spend time really staring the detail out of a planet with orthos at magnification. I can with some effort do this with my Ercole and AZ4 but between nudging at high magnification and a small AFOV eyepieces it can sometimes be a little testing when you add other elements in to the mix like wind or loose decking.

[ak47]

thank you guys!

Im really going towards buying an eq3 mount and adding a RA motor drive later on.

i dont want a full go-to setup since i find the star-hoping process and locating objects a major part of the fun.

just one more questions, can the RA motor drive be powered by batteries? or i have to buy a gigantic power pack for it? 

[Stu]

1 minute ago, ak47 said:

thank you guys!

Im really going towards buying an eq3 mount and adding a RA motor drive later on.

i dont want a full go-to setup since i find the star-hoping process and locating objects a major part of the fun.

just one more questions, can the RA motor drive be powered by batteries? or i have to buy a gigantic power pack for it? 

A simple RA drive will cope very well on batteries. It doesn't take much power just to track at sidereal rate, the power requirements kick in more with Goto slews at higher speeds so you should be fine.

[Chris]

Good call! With your long focal length high power Mak you'll get more from your observing with the EQ mount. I'm not knocking AZ, which I think are best for widefield grab and go.

[Linda]

I have taken my scope and mount along on a few trips with canoe or on a sledge. My conclusion is that the scope is highly portable. The mount is very bulky and the counterweight is heavy. I have therefore ordered a light AZ mount that can fit onto a photo tripod, that I want to use when taking the scope on a camping trip where the mount is too big and bulky. The photo tripod can be folded up much smaller. I hope to be able to bring along this combination on a plane trip as well.

I'll keep the EQ3 for observing at home. And will maybe buy the 1 axis motor drive as well.