New Arrival

[Thalestris24]

Just had the eq3 pro delivered (thanks FLO!). Geez, it was quite a struggle to get the box up the stairs. Hope it will be more manageable with legs to hold on to and no counterweights! Will unpack it later... Solid cloud forecast until after Christmas day, at least  

Louise

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Congrats on the new arrival. I have an EQ3-2, and find it very manageable. Even took it to the USA for the eclipse.

[Thalestris24]

6 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Congrats on the new arrival. I have an EQ3-2, and find it very manageable. Even took it to the USA for the eclipse.

Yeah, but I'm a little old lady - few muscles! Perhaps with the right diet and exercise I'll be able to build some! Ha ha.

Edit: just for fun I weighed the box - 18.9kg - I'm such a weakling!!

[carastro]

It's always more difficult in a box, nothing to get hold of.

What's the plans with this then Louise, thought you already had an HEQ5.  

Carole 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Just now, Thalestris24 said:

Yeah, but I'm a little old lady - few muscles! Perhaps with the right diet and exercise I'll be able to build some! Ha ha.

Each component is actually quite light. Without counterweights the mount is about 3-3.5 kg, not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday territory, and the tripod is just 3 kg. I generally lift the entire mount and tripod, with counterweight attached in one hand (and although I am pretty fit, I am no body builder by any measure). The EQ3-2 is much lighter than my old Vixen Great Polaris mount, but is fine for solar imaging at work, I find

[Thalestris24]

Just now, carastro said:

It's always more difficult in a box, nothing to get hold of.

What's the plans with this then Louise, thought you already had an HEQ5.  

Carole 

I'm opening up a showroom, Carole! LMAO...  I've been stuck trying to image from my flat since I started 4? years ago. It's got very frustrating. I bought a Star Adventurer but I've never been able to get it to track accurately enough. Maybe, just maybe, the eq3 pro will do the job with a camera and lens. We'll see. If I can manage to lug it down and up the stairs, and if it performs, it will be wonderful!

Louise

[carastro]

Ah, so its so you can be more mobile.  

Carole 

[Thalestris24]

6 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Each component is actually quite light. Without counterweights the mount is about 3-3.5 kg, not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday territory, and the tripod is just 3 kg. I generally lift the entire mount and tripod, with counterweight attached in one hand (and although I am pretty fit, I am no body builder by any measure). The EQ3-2 is much lighter than my old Vixen Great Polaris mount, but is fine for solar imaging at work, I find

Well, if the box weighs 18.9kg and take off the counterweights - ~5.2kg, that leaves about 13kg for mount head and tripod - still quite a lot for little me!

[Thalestris24]

4 minutes ago, carastro said:

Ah, so its so you can be more mobile.  

Carole 

I guess - just to be outside and be able to access most of the sky, instead of the same few degrees through my east-facing window, will be awesome! 

[RayD]

1 minute ago, Thalestris24 said:

Well, if the box weighs 18.9kg and take off the counterweights - ~5.2kg, that leaves about 13kg for mount head and tripod - still quite a lot for little me!

Sling it over your shoulder with a red polka dot hankie over the mount head and march off singing "hi ho hi ho....etc." and you'll not even know you're carrying it 

[Alien 13]

You should be able to balance a DSLR and lens with just the small counterweight so that will save a bit..

Alan

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

3 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

Well, if the box weighs 18.9kg and take off the counterweights - ~5.2kg, that leaves about 13kg for mount head and tripod - still quite a lot for little me!

Should be lighter. I weighed it before going to the USA, and it should be 6.5-7kg without counterweights

[Thalestris24]

The eq3 pro head and counterweight bar weigh 4.8kg. The tripod (in the box) is 3.5kg so the two together would be 8.3kg. Bits and pieces (battery and camera and lens) say another 2kg. I might need the smaller counterweight - 1.8kg and I'd probably prefer to use the heq5 tripod - 5.2kgs. So mount + heq5 tripod+ 1.8kg cw + camera + bits = 13Kg. So I'll still have to do some weight training!

Louise

[YKSE]

20 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

The eq3 pro head and counterweight bar weigh 4.8kg. The tripod (in the box) is 3.5kg so the two together would be 8.3kg.

That's what I got when I weighed my new EQ3-2 with alluminium tripod. Steel tripod from AZ-4m EQ5 or HEQ_5weight about 5kg.

A little training is helpful I had 130P on EQ-2 as starter scope, thought it was near limit for me. Half a year later, I got the new setup, nowadays, I have my C8 mounted on EQ3 with counter weights, lift it out in one go.