Celestron EdgeHD 14 on a CGX

[Dr Strange]

After being told no way on CN I decided to give this a try. I first reached out to Celestron tech support to gain their blessing. They said it would be no problem. So I went ahead and did it.  I was using both a finder scope and Star Sense. This was going to be a outreach setup since the pikers tend to drift to the biggest scope on the field. They just don't know any better. SS works best for outreach because of heavy LP. I can 2+4 align much faster using a laser pointer/Telrad and Finder but it isn't easy to do in Bortle 9 skies. I am in a Bortle 7/8 so it is easier.

I ultimately sold the scope because even though I was a Uni Rugby player (this explains why I am built like a tank but not very bright) the bloody thing is heavy and unwieldy. I never mastered the mount from a chair technique and like a typical rugby player I solved the problem with brute force and ignorance. See my previous comment about not being very bright... CW were about 18kg to make it work. The mount never strained. And views were very good. So if you are thinking about it but don't want to deal with a CGX-L then here is proof that it works...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Dr Strange
File size was too big

[ollypenrice]

Interesting. Does anybody know what the equivalent Skywatcher mount is? Or does the CGX lie between the EQ6 and the EQ8? I'm not up on Celestron mounts.

Olly

[Dr Strange]

I think the EQ6R would work. I have also seen this done over here on a CGEM. The key will be in the balance. The scope weight all up is 20.5 kg per my scale. That was with a Losmandy dovetail bar. No finder, diagonal, or EP. The mount description on the Skywatcher site in the US says 44 lbs which translates to 19.958kg but they can take more than that. The Skywatcher mounts, even though they are both built by Synta, tend to be better made and more robust than the Celestron mounts. However the HC software is better designed on the Celestron mounts. This always puzzled me. 

Several of us would use a EdgeHD 11 on a Advanced VX which is slightly lighter and less robust (and well made) than the Skywatcher HEQ5. I would recommend vibration suppression pads if you are using it on a hard surface.  

[Deadlake]

Would you of kept the C14 if it was permanently mounted?

The C14 is huge, it's not just the weight of the tube as you've said. I cannot imagine tear-down every night.

What scope did you replace it with?

[Dr Strange]

If it were permanently mounted I would have kept it. I actually went much smaller for outreach work. I use a Takahashi FS-60Q and a frankenscope FS-76DCU with Q module. I talk about it in another thread. 

Not including the outreach setup for my personal use I have a AP92 Stowaway for AP, NP101IS for EAA, TSA-120 and Mewlon 210 for visual. I use a AP Mach2 for AP and a DM6 for visual work. I am finding it harder and harder to get to a dark sky on a regular basis. I am thinking about putting a permanent pier in the back yard, mounting the Mach2 on it, and picking up a EdgeHD 11 with reducer. I thought about a 14 but the cost benefit is just not there.  I am in a Bortle 7/8 zone and have a NVD since it is so bad. The 14 is nice but twice the price of a 11 and the 11 gives me plenty of light gathering with the NVD. Unfortunately I can only get it down to f/7 but that is better than f/10. I have used the NVD in the TSA which is f/7.5 and it does fine.  

 

Here is the link: