Mounting C11 edge on EQ6R-pro/CGX

[msacco]

Hello, I opened this in another forum as well, but that might actually be more accurate to ask here.

So I have an 11" hyperstar I can get from a friend almost for free, so I'm currently thinking about getting a C11 edge HD as my next scope, the thing is getting a mount for that doesn't seem very cheap.

I could get a second hand EQ6-R pro for around 1000$ or possibly a CGX for around 1700$ or a bit less, which is a decent price for such mounts, I'm wondering if these mounts would be good enough to support the C11 edge HD + hyperstar.

According to the specs, the EQ6R payload is 44 lbs(which is around 20kg), and the CGX payload is 55 lbs(which is around 55kg).
The C11 Edge HD weight is 28 lbs (which is a bit below 13 kg), the hyperstar weight is 2.1 lbs(a bit less than 1 kg), ZWO camera which weights 1.1 lbs(~500g), the guidingscope + guiding camera which weights around 1.3 lbs(~600g), totaling at approximately 32.5 lbs or 14.7kg.

Now I've never really got to read anything about it anywhere, but I assume that simply being below the specs payload doesn't actually means that the tracking will be good, so this is where my actual question comes, would the EQ6R-pro/CGX be enough to support the C11 Edge HD + hyperstar for DSO imaging?

I was actually fairly sure about getting a good refractor, but this is not a general thread about which scope to get, but rather a very specific thread regarding mounting the C11 edge on the EQ6R-pro, so please try to keep it specific and not recommend other setups for now, since I currently have an awesome deal about the equipment listed above it's something I'm starting to consider. When the time comes I'm sure I'll open another thread about which scope I should get.

Thanks for the help.

Edited September 20, 2019 by msacco

[Lead_weight]

I've never owned an EQ6-R, but did have a CGX, and used it with my Edge HD 11. It can certainly handle the weight. My rig ran around 35 lbs. The focal length is the killer, as these mounts are cheaply made. I consider that I got a pretty decent CGX. and I guided the EdgeHD 11 reduced with the .7x reducer to around 1960mm. My guiding was sub arc second often .4-.8. But it was always worse in RA. Typical guiding would be .4 DEC RMS and .8 RA RMS. At this focal length, you could see the stars were a little oval. If you were running it with a hyper star, I doubt you would see the oval stars. They would look round. You could probably never reliably run the Edge 11 at native focal length (2800mm) with either of these mounts, as all imperfections of the mount would show in your images.  Wind gusts would move the mount...dragging cables move the mount. so keep that in mind. You need a tidy setup, well balanced, with nothing to interfere at longer focal lengths.  Hopefully that helps with your decision.

[jambouk]

I use a C11 on an AZEQ6 which is essentially the same as an EQ6 Pro. I only do planetary and lunar imaging and it is fine. I think if you wanted a rock steady mount for the c11 I’d go for something bigger. If you are happy to give it a go and see what results you get, I would say it is at least worth a try, it’s not a daft option.

James