Celestron C9.25 for portable setup

[vlebo]

Hi all

I'm still undecided which way to go with my new setup .

I was going to go for a large dob for keeping at home but now I'm thinking of something more portable to take up to my grandson in Gloucester as he's interested in Astronomy  and also to be able to take to dark sights if I need to .

I'm thinking of the C9.25 as I've read great reviews on it and it will be on an alt az mount for quick setup . It's all about the uncomplicated pure viewing and ease of set up for me .

Do you think it's a wise choice ?

Thanks 

Chris

[Alkaid]

Don’t own a 9.25, but heard that it’s considerably beefier than a C8.  Admittedly for me, the C8 is approaching that “big enough” feeling when constantly mounting / dismounting the tube. 
 

Someone with the 9.25 will chime in...

What alt/az mount will you use? It’ll need to be fairly hefty.

[Pete Presland]

I have a C9.25 and I love it, I use more than any other scope I own.

For simplicity though, I would think a large Dob would be difficult to beat for visual astronomy. Lightweight and easy to transport as well, I guess the only thing maybe is how do you feel about the collimation? 

[Pete Presland]

I have mine on an Orion EQ6, its very heavy!

[vlebo]

14 minutes ago, Pete Presland said:

I have a C9.25 and I love it, I use more than any other scope I own.

For simplicity though, I would think a large Dob would be difficult to beat for visual astronomy. Lightweight and easy to transport as well, I guess the only thing maybe is how do you feel about the collimation? 

I don't have a problem with collimating as I previously owned a 300p Flex . I was just thinking of something less cumbersome as the 300p is stil a big lump to transport around 

Thank you 

[dweller25]

I bought a C9.25 after reading many online reports of it being a bit special.

Well - you should not believe all you read - it performed like a 9” scope but was nothing special and it was heavy. I sold it and bought a C8 that was very good and light too - stupidly sold it !!!!
 

I have also had three Skywatcher 8” Dobs, one was poor, one was good and one was stunningly sharp - sold that too !!!!

I found the 8” Dob was the most portable, followed by the 8” SCT.

The best Dob gave slightly better views than the very good SCT.

I did find the variation in optical quality frustrating.

Hope that helps

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by dweller25

[Pete Presland]

I guess the C9.25  on an alt az mount would certainly be a lot a easier than my EQ6.

[Alkaid]

28 minutes ago, Pete Presland said:

I guess the C9.25  on an alt az mount would certainly be a lot a easier than my EQ6.

But which mount?...

[Pete Presland]

3 minutes ago, Alkaid said:

But which mount?...

I certainly would not describe my Orion EQ6 as portable 😀

[JeremyS]

A C9.25 on an AZEQ-6 in altaz mode is a great setup. Not exactly portable, but easily transportable by car to dark sites. Enough aperture for deep sky views. And the goto means it’s quick to locate objects. I certainly enjoy using mine. It’s also very suitable as an outreach setup. 

[dweller25]

I’m guessing a Skytee 2 might be a good option for a C9.25 ?

[Alkaid]

15 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

I’m guessing a Skytee 2 might be a good option for a C9.25 ?

I was thinking the same...

[nfotis]

The C9.25 is approaching the limit of what can be carried by a single person. I have carried mine in an IKEA shoulder bag, so it's feasible (I am 1.80 meters, and not that athletic).

My HEQ5 mount can be carried with its tripod over a short distance without counterweights. An EQ5 mount or similar is (I think) the lower limit in stability and load capacity for visual observation.

 

This mount might be usable, if you want Alt-Az

http://skywatcher.com/product/az-eq5-synscan-wpier-tripod/

 

N.F.

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by nfotis

[Mr Spock]

Here's mine sitting on an NEQ6 (both now sold).

The NEQ6 is definitely not portable! Rock solid, but, too heavy for me to lift with my bad back. Even from the house to patio was too much.

[Starwatcher2001]

This is my C9.25 Evo on alt-az mount. I'm 60 and out of shape (well round is a shape I suppose), but can take this through the house, assemble it, align it with StarSense and be observing inside 20 minutes.

The tripod is the heaviest but doesn't need to be lifted high. The bolt for the accessory tray unscrews and drops down without coming all the way off. That allows the tray to be dropped and twisted around, allowing it to be collapsed together without needing any further dismantling. Both the mount and the tube have carrying handles, so it's three trips indoors for the scope and one more for the eyepiece case and assorted other stuff.

I've only had it a few months, so haven't travelled with it, but don't think there'll be any problems getting it in the car. Packing it to prevent it rolling around will need a bit of thought. I'm thinking tripod in the boot, mount and tube on back seats wrapped in a sleeping bag and seatbelted up. I'm sure the lot would go in the boot if necessary. (It's a lot lighter and smaller than my diving rig).

[Cosmic Geoff]

Rather a case of 'depends what you mean by portable'.   A C8 on a SE Celestron GoTo mount is light enough to be picked up as one lump and carried through a domestic doorway and out into the backyard.   A C9.25 on an Evolution mount and the heavy-duty tripod will be significantly heavier and most likely need to be moved as subassemblies.

If the C9.25 is purely for visual use, I don't see any need to invest in a Skywatcher EQ-6 or AZ-EQ mount rather than the Celestron Evolution mount commonly bundled with it.

[vlebo]

20 hours ago, dweller25 said:

I’m guessing a Skytee 2 might be a good option for a C9.25 ?

That's what I was thinking . Hopefully it would be stable enough .

[vlebo]

18 hours ago, nfotis said:

The C9.25 is approaching the limit of what can be carried by a single person. I have carried mine in an IKEA shoulder bag, so it's feasible (I am 1.80 meters, and not that athletic).

My HEQ5 mount can be carried with its tripod over a short distance without counterweights. An EQ5 mount or similar is (I think) the lower limit in stability and load capacity for visual observation.

 

This mount might be usable, if you want Alt-Az

http://skywatcher.com/product/az-eq5-synscan-wpier-tripod/

 

N.F.

 

It starts to get complicated with driven mounts , power supplies etc ! I'm trying to keep it simple but thats a good mount for home viewing !

[vlebo]

17 hours ago, Starwatcher2001 said:

This is my C9.25 Evo on alt-az mount. I'm 60 and out of shape (well round is a shape I suppose), but can take this through the house, assemble it, align it with StarSense and be observing inside 20 minutes.

The tripod is the heaviest but doesn't need to be lifted high. The bolt for the accessory tray unscrews and drops down without coming all the way off. That allows the tray to be dropped and twisted around, allowing it to be collapsed together without needing any further dismantling. Both the mount and the tube have carrying handles, so it's three trips indoors for the scope and one more for the eyepiece case and assorted other stuff.

I've only had it a few months, so haven't travelled with it, but don't think there'll be any problems getting it in the car. Packing it to prevent it rolling around will need a bit of thought. I'm thinking tripod in the boot, mount and tube on back seats wrapped in a sleeping bag and seatbelted up. I'm sure the lot would go in the boot if necessary. (It's a lot lighter and smaller than my diving rig).

I do like this setup but with the extra eyepiece i want to get ( Pentax 7mm ) its getting out of budget ....very nice tho !

[Cosmic Geoff]

If budget is a problem, then look for a used C9.25 Evolution. You might get one for half the new price.  A C11 is being offered in the 'For Sale' section at under half the price new - a great bargain for anyone who wants a SCT that size.  You do not need exotic eyepieces for a SCT - with a focal ratio of f10 they are quite forgiving.

The C9.25, with a focal length of around 235cm (2.35 metres), would be difficult to aim and manage on an unpowered manual mount. If you are determined to do without power, a Dob (with a typically much shorter focal length) might be a better choice.