Are GOTO mounts really as noisy as they seem?

[skywest]

Hi, Just returning to astronomy after a long time away (before goto scopes!). All the GOTO mounts I see demoed on youtube seem excessively noisy in operation and i suspect i would get a lot of complaints from my neighbours at 3AM with all that screeching and graunching in my garden! Are they really that noisy?

[DaveL59]

I can't say mine's quiet but a lot quieter than when I first got it s/h as it was a bit graunchy. I've since swapped it to another EQ5 that so much smoother on the axles and carefully aligned the gearing and its much quieter now  The original EQ5 is sat waiting to be overhauled when I get around to it. They only really get noisy when fast slewing though, once target locked and just tracking they're pretty quiet.

I would say tho, I'm not out at 3AM or much past 00:30 especially on work nights so I'd generally not be disturbing them anyway. Noise will always seem much louder in the wee hours though and even more of an issue in warmer weather when folk have windows open.

Edited April 26, 2020 by DaveL59

[Shimrod]

37 minutes ago, skywest said:

Hi, Just returning to astronomy after a long time away (before goto scopes!). All the GOTO mounts I see demoed on youtube seem excessively noisy in operation and i suspect i would get a lot of complaints from my neighbours at 3AM with all that screeching and graunching in my garden! Are they really that noisy?

They are only noisy at top speed - typically when slewing to a target. On my Celestron AVX, I can set the top speed to be something slower (and quieter) - e.g. 3 degrees per second movement instead of 4. It takes a few seconds longer to get to position, but is a lot quieter in the process. I assume other mounts can do the same, but if noise is an issue check before you buy!

[skywest]

1 minute ago, Shimrod said:

They are only noisy at top speed - typically when slewing to a target. On my Celestron AVX, I can set the top speed to be something slower (and quieter) - e.g. 3 degrees per second movement instead of 4. It takes a few seconds longer to get to position, but is a lot quieter in the process. I assume other mounts can do the same, but if noise is an issue check before you buy!

Good info, thanks.

[Neil H]

Hi I have the HEQ5 I fitted the belt kit now on YouTube there are demos of before and after the belt conversion but they show you it with the cover off , the cover is not totally sound proof but it's is quiet compared with the before the motorway 1 mile away from me drowns  out the mount so your neighbours may never hear you so I would not worry your be good 

[JamesF]

I think the meshing of the gears can be adjusted which is supposed to make the HEQ5 and NEQ6 quieter, but as supplied they can be pretty noisy whilst slewing.

James

[Erling G-P]

2 hours ago, Neil H said:

Hi I have the HEQ5 I fitted the belt kit now on YouTube there are demos of before and after the belt conversion but they show you it with the cover off , the cover is not totally sound proof but it's is quiet compared with the before the motorway 1 mile away from me drowns  out the mount so your neighbours may never hear you so I would not worry your be good 

Same here; did a belt mod on my HEQ5 recently and it's a lot more quiet. Still some whirring when it starts and stops during fast slewing, but not as bad as standard.  How much of a nuisance it might be would also depend on how you're using it - slewing once or twice a night for an imaging target, or repeatedly slewing to new targets, if using it for visual.

[Les Ewan]

Its not just GOTO's I had a Meade ETX twenty years ago which made a dreadful din even when tracking,living in the country it didn't bother anyone but it was very annoying . The external motor units that can be fitted to the old EQ1 and EQ2 mounts are a lot quiter but still make a whirring sound which at night can be heard from a surprising distance.The first 'silent' drive i ever had was on my Helios 200 Explorer on a EQ5 this drive was only detectable when you put your ear onto the tube giving nothing more than a light ticking when tracking.

The Dobsonian mounts GOTO on the Skywatcher Flextube telescopes are noisy when at top slewing speed but is virtually silent when tracking. A lot of noise can be avoided in the case of the Flextube scopes by manually moving the tube to targets which is possible becase they are fitted with duel encoders.

Although these mount are designed for the manual slewing action I tend to avoid it because I find if you do it too often Ifind you slowly lose the GOTO and tracking accuracy.

The EQ6 R is also noisy when slewing but cant be slewed manually as it disturbs the GOTO function.

[msacco]

That would depends on the mount I'd say.

I first got an EQ5 goto, which was very noisy when slewing and I also felt bad with my neighboors, even though no one ever complained and honestly I don't think it's loud enough to wake anyone up, but it still felt bad, that was only when slewing in full speed though, when tracking is was still loud compared to other mounts, but not considered noisy.

I recently got a NEQ6, and the slewing is very very silent, I really love it! I could slew all night long and don't feel bad at all.

I just this is varies from mount to mount.

[Tomatobro]

Dogs seem to be affected by the noise during slewing to a target. But when I fitted a Rowan belt conversion to my HEQ5 Pro next doors dogs stopped barking which was an unexpected benefit.

[skywest]

So my follow up question is - I could just manually slew the scope and then just use it for tracking in the wee small hours? I know this then loses the goto function but really I want tracking more than goto, goto being just a bonus. I have been seriously considering just getting a manual eq mount and a RA drive motor - old school.

Edited April 27, 2020 by skywest
confusing!

[msacco]

2 minutes ago, skywest said:

So my follow up question is - I could just manually slew the scope and then just use it for tracking in the wee small hours? I know this then loses the goto function (except with the large dobs) but really I want tracking more than goto, goto being just a bonus. I have been seriously considering just getting a manual eq mount and a RA drive motor - old school.

Yeah that should be totally fine. If you only want the GOTO for tracking and not actually for slewing, then yes.

Also, if you're using a PC(doesn't sound like you're the type), then you could maybe even align using the PC even if you're moving manually, then you could use that to fine slew into the object you're trying to view.

Edited April 27, 2020 by msacco

[wookie1965]

My EQ5 has been engineered after a calamity with bendy bolts sent it to Rother Valley for overall now it just hums when slewing. 

[Peter_D]

I've owned two Goto mounts  - a used but newer model Meade ETX-70 and my current main scope, a new Celestron 6SE. 

The Meade had lovely sharp views (for a 70mm) but the slewing noise was really loud and the tracking noise was noisy too - like a modem. I had to sell it nearly straight away because I know the neighbours would have complained if I'd kept it.

I know it is more expensive but the 6SE is far quieter when slewing and nearly inaudible when tracking.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Peter_D

[msacco]

7 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

My EQ5 has been engineered after a calamity with bendy bolts sent it to Rother Valley for overall now it just hums when slewing. 

How much did you pay for it? With the EQ5 price being quite low it seems like almost any kind of repair would not really be worthy in my opinion. But all depends on the price.

[skywest]

20 minutes ago, msacco said:

Yeah that should be totally fine. If you only want the GOTO for tracking and not actually for slewing, then yes.

Also, if you're using a PC(doesn't sound like you're the type), then you could maybe even align using the PC even if you're moving manually, then you could use that to fine slew into the object you're trying to view.

Oh that's interesting. do you mean move manually and then just use Stellarium to do fine nudging? That would be perfect.

[msacco]

Just now, skywest said:

Oh that's interesting. do you mean move manually and then just use Stellarium to do fine nudging? That would be perfect.

Yep exactly. I'm not sure exactly how to align the mount from a PC when manually slewing, but I have a friend that did just that.

[wookie1965]

8 minutes ago, msacco said:

How much did you pay for it? With the EQ5 price being quite low it seems like almost any kind of repair would not really be worthy in my opinion. But all depends on the price.

My friend engineered it for free Rother Valley charged £70 but it has been well worth it it's very accurate now. 

[JG777]

My Evolution is not too bad on slewing a tad quieter than a HEQ5 Pro but still a bit too noisy if close to neighbours in the dead of night, pretty much silent on tracking. The speed on a goto can be adjusted down by using rate in the HC but still a bit noisy. Apparently the ioptron AZ pro is very quiet due to having stepper motors, I've never heard one  myself though. Spend more time in silence with a push to.  

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

For such a small mount, the AZ GTI is loud and grating on max. Switching the slew speed down a notch makes it much quieter and the sound less industrial...

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[jonathan]

I started out with a Celestron 8SE Goto system, it was quite noisy when slewing and not the most refined piece of kit, however after I'd fitted a few upgrades to the OTA I found the Celestron Goto wasn't able to cope so I upgraded to an NEQ6 Pro with Syntrek (non-goto hand controller), it makes a lovely pulsating hum when tracking and full speed is a very pleasant and fairly quiet sweesh sound, nothing like the gear-rattling noise of the 8SE Goto.  I think neighbours might be able to hear it if they poked their head out of the bedroom window at 2am (not that I am ever out at that time) but it shouldn't bother anyone indoors.

If you want smooth and quiet then I think in the world of mounts you probably do need to pay for it.  A simple RA tracking motor and hand controller will still be the quietest option though, my Celestron Omni CG-4 mount (like an EQ3-2 but with thicker tripod legs) with RA drive is silent in operation, at full 8x slew speed you have to be really up close to hear it at all (it's designed only for tracking and fine adjustments really, find the approximate location manually with the clutches released).

Note Syntrek is non-goto with just a (relatively) simple tracking and slewing handset, the reason I went for the NEQ6 Pro was that it has upgraded gears and can become Goto just by adding the Goto handset (about £300 last time I looked).  Just looking now, I don't know if the NEQ6 Pro with Syntrek is still available, it would be a shame if not.

Edited April 28, 2020 by jonathan

[Anne S]

Both my Ioptron mounts are very quiet. I've got a CEM60 and IEQ30pro. Just a high pitched whine. However my husband's IEQ45, 2nd version to is noisy. That mount was made around 2013. I suspect all the more recent mounts will be quiet.

[TerryMcK]

My HEQ5Pro with Rowan belts is as quiet as a mouse. The only noise you hear when slewing is the gentle zuzz of the motors. Very quiet indeed!

[Waldemar]

2 minutes ago, Anne S said:

Both my Ioptron mounts are very quiet. I've got a CEM60 and IEQ30pro. Just a high pitched whine. However my husband's IEQ45, 2nd version to is noisy. That mount was made around 2013. I suspect all the more recent mounts will be quiet.

My iEQ45Pro is very silent as well... maybe because I used PTFE grease on all contact surfaces.

 

 

[JOC]

On 27/04/2020 at 07:51, Les Ewan said:

The Dobsonian mounts GOTO on the Skywatcher Flextube telescopes are noisy when at top slewing speed but is virtually silent when tracking. A lot of noise can be avoided in the case of the Flextube scopes by manually moving the tube to targets which is possible becase they are fitted with duel encoders.

I was going to post much the same.  I would just question the term "are noisy".  Yes, they are noisier when driving fast, but I don't think you would deem it 'noisy'.  It makes proportionately more noise the faster it drives, but I don't think its excessive.  Maybe on youtube the microphones are just very close to the things being demonstrated?