Is there anyway to decrease shaking/improve tracking stability for a SW NEQ3-2 Pro Goto.

[Stellaris]

Hi, I own a SW 150P Newtonian and a SW NEQ3-2 Pro goto. I bought this kit under the advice of a seller at the store i purchased it at. More recently I’ve been told on the SGL that I may have not purchased a very good or compatible rig. The fact that I can’t very effectively balance my rig with my camera seems to support that claim. Quite a bit of my deep sky images come back a little shaky and we can see some stars bouncing around the frame. I own a fujifilm x-t2. I don’t know if buying another counterweight would do the trick or if i’m just straight up screwed if i use this scope on this mount. But since it’s used now, I can’t exactly return it and change rig. So yea, any help and tips would be greatly appreciated.

[John]

Are you using an aluminium tripod with the NEQ3-2 Pro ?

If so, upgrading the tripod to one of the steel legged ones will give you more stability.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by John

[Roy Challen]

You could fill the tripod legs with concrete. I had a Skywatcher EQ3 Pro a few years back, doing this noticeably increased stability, at the expense of increasing the weight.

I think I posted the results on SGL, DIY section maybe.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Roy Challen

[AstroKeith]

Firstly, to be honest that isnt a good scope for astrophotography. The mount is undersized. The mass of the scope (and your heavy camera) is able to flex the mount and tripod.

But as you say, you've got it now.

First it must be balanced in both axes. Out of balance masses get turned into rotation when vibrated. So get it in balance. Then make sure all adjustments are tight,, including the secondary mirror and spider.

Sometimes, you can get a feeling for where the movement is coming from by closely inspecting the right while 'nudging' the scope. The slight give some clues to any weak spots.

Finally, optimise your routine to minimise vibrations. Shielded from any wind or breeze. Set up on soft ground. Let the scope settle on target for a good period before exposure. Make sure you use a remote trigger.

[ONIKKINEN]

I echo the advice regarding the tripod, if it is the aluminium one that is. Something must be done to stabilize that, or even replace with a steel tripod.

Other than that, your best bet with imaging using this scope/mount combo is to go for northern targets at high declinations. The higher the better, because closer to the celestial poles the sky will move slower, and so be easier on a weak mount. It will not solve any issues with the mount, but will hide some of the symptoms in your images and you will have an easier time getting pleasing results.

[Stellaris]

In the supported weight of the tripod, are the counterweights included in the number?

[ONIKKINEN]

3 minutes ago, Stellaris said:

In the supported weight of the tripod, are the counterweights included in the number?

For a tripod, everything and anything on it consumes the supported weight.

For just the mount head counterweights are excluded from the payload.

But you should ignore whatever the manufacturer claims about the load. The claimed payload limits are not very helpful. For astrophotography you can typically cut in half the claimed number and youre pretty close.

[Stellaris]

So you don’t think it’d be helpful for me to add a counterweight.

so far, the weight load didn’t seem to be an issue (apart from the fact that I can’t balance the right ascension axis)

[moggi1964]

I've used sand in the past to get tripod legs more mass. It is easy to get, cheap and can be removed easily enough. You can also experiment with various amounts to see what is effective. I also used the same principle in other applications (audio).

Alternatively, buy a used widefield refractor and save your newt for visual until you can afford to buy a more substantial mount/tripod combo. It will save you the heartache of trying to get nice round stars when your setup wants to give you something less acceptable.

[ONIKKINEN]

20 minutes ago, Stellaris said:

So you don’t think it’d be helpful for me to add a counterweight.

so far, the weight load didn’t seem to be an issue (apart from the fact that I can’t balance the right ascension axis)

Obviously the scope needs to be balanced in both axis for there to be any chance of using it with any stability.

Did you buy the scope and mount as a package deal from a reputable seller? If so, the included counterweight(s) should absolutely be enough to balance the scope. If not, you definitely need more weights but its weird you didn't have them to begin with. If you bought the mount and scope separately, then yeah i suppose its not enough to have just that one small (3.4kg?) weight for the scope.

[moggi1964]

On 15/08/2023 at 21:48, Stellaris said:

So you don’t think it’d be helpful for me to add a counterweight.

so far, the weight load didn’t seem to be an issue (apart from the fact that I can’t balance the right ascension axis)

If it turns out you need an extra small counterweight let me know. I have a couple left over from an old Orion AZ mount, not sure if the diameter of the hole will be the same but I can check this weekend.

Happy to send you one for the cost of postage so you can try it if the diameter is the right one.

[Cosmic Geoff]

I'd say the mount/tripod is inadequate.  It might do for visual use but for deep sky imaging it is clearly inadequate.  Some imagers use a smaller Newt than that, e.g. a 130PDS, on a much heavier mount (Heq5 or EQ6).

By the way, one night I forgot to position the counterweight on my EEVA imaging rig and the EQ5 Synscan was apparently not affected at all. 

[Stellaris]

@moggi1964 thanks a lot for the offer, I’d greatly appreciate it. I gotta say I think the SGL is awesome. Being able to talk to so many different ppl with the same passion.

As some of you may have understood already, I’m somewhat stuck with my rig, I can’t return it or upgrade it without it costing me a small fortune. So I gotta try and make the best of it (for imaging).

ive been told that the SW150P wasn’t great for imaging (after having bought it 😑) but it does produce some pictures. I can upload a few on m’y profile as a reference point. If anyone has ever used this scope or a similar setup, any more tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, I happened to get an upgrade in cam from the Fujifilm x-t2 to x-t3. So at least there’s that.

[Stellaris]

[moggi1964]

16 minutes ago, Stellaris said:

@moggi1964 thanks a lot for the offer, I’d greatly appreciate it. I gotta say I think the SGL is awesome. Being able to talk to so many different ppl with the same passion.

As some of you may have understood already, I’m somewhat stuck with my rig, I can’t return it or upgrade it without it costing me a small fortune. So I gotta try and make the best of it (for imaging).

ive been told that the SW150P wasn’t great for imaging (after having bought it 😑) but it does produce some pictures. I can upload a few on m’y profile as a reference point. If anyone has ever used this scope or a similar setup, any more tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, I happened to get an upgrade in cam from the Fujifilm x-t2 to x-t3. So at least there’s that.

What's the diameter of the counterweight holder on your setup? I'm digging around in the basement to find mine and will compare and then we can see if it would fit.

[VNA]

Hello,  you can hang  a bag of rocks hanging under from the center of the spreader shelf?

[Stellaris]

10 hours ago, VNA said:

Hello,  you can hang  a bag of rocks hanging under from the center of the spreader shelf?

That’s actually pretty smart, can’t believe I didn’t think of that

[Stellaris]

14 hours ago, moggi1964 said:

What's the diameter of the counterweight holder on your setup? I'm digging around in the basement to find mine and will compare and then we can see if it would fit.

20mm

[moggi1964]

20 hours ago, Stellaris said:

20mm

I still haven't managed to find them, I think they are in storage however I found the manual for the mount and it was an EQ1 which has a 12mm countershaft hole so they wouldn't be appropriate for you anyway.

Sorry about that.

[Stellaris]

4 hours ago, moggi1964 said:

Istillhaven'tmanagedtofindthem, IthinktheyareinstoragehoweverIfoundthemanualforthemountanditwasanEQ1 whichhasa 12mmcountershaftholesotheywouldn'tbeappropriateforyouanyway.

Sorryaboutthat.

No problem, I think I found a fix