Upgrading EQ mount advice - HEQ5 Pro or better ?

[Altair8389]

Hi everyone,

I initially started in Astrophotography back at the end of 2017, and bought an Skywatcher EQ3 Pro Synscan and an Altair Astro 70mm refractor (F=420mm, F6).  For various reasons I did not buy a larger mount as I did not really have enough room in my  house and garage for it.

Well, I feel my equipment is not being used properly as the mount does not carry much payload. I think I have made a mistake as I have overestimated the amount it can bear for AP. I thought it was around 5 kg for AP, but somewhere I have read that it is about 50 percent of load capacity for AP, so it is more like 2.5 kg for AP ?

Anyway, apart from errors in polar alignment, I only discovered this week that my polar scope was not tightly held in the axis, so my reticule centering was not that accurate. For some reason the screws that held the polar scope (the inner ring) had been loosened - not sure how that happened, did not even know until I realised that the polar scope was shifting slightly as I rotated the RA axis around 360 degrees. I noticed it at the start when I was trying to centre the reticle, but did not realise what was causing it. Anyway, I will have another check on centring the reticle once I have got the M3 thumb screws and another M8 bolt (the front altitude bolt is bent after I made mistakes in using it ) !!

Anyway, I was wondering - if you have a heavy mount like the HEQ5 Pro or heavier, do you need an observatory, or at least a place with a larger wider door so you can put the equipment (if you can lift it) without having to dismantle everything. I suppose you should take off the telescope and stuff, but the mount ? having to take the mount off the tripod and winding the tripod legs down sounds difficult. Do you need to make the entrance to your garage wider for example (I only have the average door to go in), the big front door is not really practical, and the garage is too full really to keep lots of nice telescopes and mounts there.

How do you store your equipment for the next imaging session if you don't have a proper observatory ??

Thanks.

Magnus.

 

[nfotis]

A "rule of thumb" says that for imaging you should rate your mount at approximately 2/3rds of the observation load.

So, a HEQ5 Pro mount (which is rated for 15 kg) should be expected to work well up to 10-11 kg.

This depends also on size, winds etc. - a large tube Newtonian is harder to guide due to its higher moment of inertia (and it behaves like  a large sail if it's windy).

What's the heaviest OTA and accessories you may use? The HEQ5 Pro can carry up to a C9.25 or so, including a camera etc.

N.F.

 

[malc-c]

The HEQ5 has been the default entry mount for serious imaging for some time.  Being light enough to be transportable, but heavy enough to handle a decent payload.  But I agree with the above post, on a windy night with a 200P attached it will struggle unless the setup is sheltered in some way.  A Refractor or short tube CAT will have less of an impact in windy weather.

I have mine set up in an observatory, so can't really answer the question on storage.

[Neil H]

I have he HEQ5pro it's a nice mount , but is a heavy set up to carry as one part so it's taken apart after every use , I don't think your be able to move it with a 8 inch scope on it as it's size is very big  I can just about move it with a refractor mounted but not far and not into a door way 

It does not take that long to set up I normally set up day time using polar alignment pro and just do fine adjustment when Polaris is out 

[Spikey]

I used a HEQ5 portably succesfully for a few years. I've owned 2 of them and I would go as far to say its the best mount you can buy for the price point.

It was significantly easier to manage, break down and setup than my NEQ6.  

[Altair8389]

9 minutes ago, Neil H said:

I have he HEQ5pro it's a nice mount , but is a heavy set up to carry as one part so it's taken apart after every use , I don't think your be able to move it with a 8 inch scope on it as it's size is very big  I can just about move it with a refractor mounted but not far and not into a door way 

It does not take that long to set up I normally set up day time using polar alignment pro and just do fine adjustment when Polaris is out 

Thanks, this is very helpful. Unless I have a dedicated observatory, I will have to dismantle my setup largely, much like I am doing now. Unless you are blessed with an enormous empty garage, or massive house, its difficult not to dismantle. II agree its not safe or possible to move heavy loads about, in case of falling over or damaging your back !

[rnobleeddy]

I've found that I can leave my mount setup in the garden under a decent quality cover. It's been out for about 4 months now and aside from some small patches of rust (counterweights, counterweight screws) it doesn't appear to be suffering. Makes a big difference, as it holds PA really well, so I can be imaging in about 10 minutes.

[Altair8389]

1 hour ago, rnobleeddy said:

I've found that I can leave my mount setup in the garden under a decent quality cover. It's been out for about 4 months now and aside from some small patches of rust (counterweights, counterweight screws) it doesn't appear to be suffering. Makes a big difference, as it holds PA really well, so I can be imaging in about 10 minutes.

I see, interesting. I was rather afraid to leave it out in heavy rain and high winds... What type of cover is it and how do you make sure it will not blow away or the telescopes to the ground ?? I would really like to know. Maybe some pictures of your cover and setup would be helpful ?

 

[Altair8389]

1 minute ago, Altair8389 said:

I see, interesting. I was rather afraid to leave it out in heavy rain and high winds... What type of cover is it and how do you make sure it will not blow away or the telescopes to the ground ?? I would really like to know. Maybe some pictures of your cover and setup would be helpful ?

 

Of course, you take the telescopes and maybe cables out. I presume you only keep the tripod and mount attached and counterweights I suppose.

 

[Kev M]

A permanent pier may be a better bet....Google...."permanent telescope pier in garden"

Look at "images"

Lots of different ideas on same theme.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Kev M

[nfotis]

My current situation with the HEQ5 mount is that I need at least four trips from the apartment to the rooftop:

- Carry HEQ5+tripod (no counterweights)

- Carry scope in a shoulder bag

- Carry a bag with power supply and other stuff

- Carry counterweight and a director's seat

(if you carry a C9.25, you need both counterweights, so add one more trip up the stairs)

 

N.F.

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by nfotis

[Altair8389]

Thanks, thats helpful to know. I must have made numerous trips from my house to the garden to make a single AP session work ! Its good exercise I suppose.

 

[Neil H]

If you want a cheap solution wookie1965 uses a camping toilet tent over his set up 

I am a bit OCD so I don't like to keep my set up outside due to it starting to rust even chips in the paint makes me cringe lol , all the mount and parts are in the side corridor only telescopes in the main house , but it does not take me that long to set up , I wonder if a pier on wheels would be an idea your still have to polar align unless you can make marks to line the trolley on ?