CG5 mount

[nicnac]

The CG5 mount(goto) is supplied with the celestron SCTs i am looking at at the minute but it seems to come with ALL the scopes and their varied weights.

is this a good mount? does it compare well against the likes of the EQ mounts (5/6) ?

[John]

I've got a non-goto version. I would rate it slightly more "heavy duty" than a Skywatcher EQ5 - not far off an HEQ5 in terms of load carrying capacity. But not as sturdy as an EQ6.

Mine carries my 127mm F/9.4 refractor (weight - 15lbs or so) pretty well for visual use. I reckon it would handle an 8" SCT and maybe a 10" newtonian for visual use.

The 2" steel tube tripod plus (I think) uprated bearings are what sets it slightly above the EQ5.

John

[ottUp]

I had one - eventually sold it. I agree, I would call it more-or-less the equivalent of an EQ5. Definitely not in the EQ6 league.

Mine came with a 9.25" SCT and I must say it was barely adequate for that tube - ok for visual use but shakey when focusing or in any wind. Not sturdy enough, with that scope, for long-exposure imaging. (I think they're really pushing it offering an 11" on the same mount.) On the other hand, it was excellent with a 4" refractor, solid as a rock. Mine was the ASGT go-to model, and the go-to was reliable, easy to use, and worked well.

- Richard

[arad85]

I had a CG5 for 6 months. Sold it and bought an EQ6. Now much happier. You get what you pay for with mounts

[ombos]

My 250mm makes it grown, but in saying that when set up correctly they are good for the price. like above you get what you pay for and I would love a new one but it does me for the time being even for photos upto a couple of mins exposure time.

[Whippy]

I also own a CG5 (non GOTO) and I'd go with John's view that it's a slightly heavier duty EQ5. I normally use my 6" Mak-Newt on it which weighs around 20lbs or so and the mount takes it without any problems. It's a perfectly good mount for visual observing but if you want to get into imaging, then you might want to look for something a little more expensive.

Word of warning, the GOTO versions can be very noisy when slewing to targets, something you will want to take into account with your neighbours!

Tony..

[James]

I had a CG5-GT for use with my 10" Newt - it handled it fine as long as I took care of balancing. I sold it to my neighbour (couldn't bear to see it go any further away). It's a definite step up from the EQ5 - in part as Celestron's NexStar software is just a little more feature rich/mature than Skywatchers Synscan.

James

[F15Rules]

I have a CG-5 manual on which I have mounted my 5" Tal Refractor..they make a great combination. The mount itself is very smooth and the 2" stainless steel legs are very sturdy. There is a little shake in windy conditions, and I am considering getting some of the damping feet which are available from Celestron - though pricey at around £50 for a set of 3.

I have had a Meade AR6 Refractor on this mount - a real hefty beast, and it handled it no problem - but then I only do visual observing so can't speak as to its' tracking abilities in GoTo form.

hope this helps

Dave