CG5 vs. EQ6 goto abilities

[psychobabbler]

Hello everyone,

As those who i have pestered know, i'm a beginner and wonder if you can give me some specific advice on mounts. I've been told to work from the ground up when thinking about equipment, and its clear that the EQ6 mount is a real cracker. However, i'm enticed by the larger goto database on the celestron CG5. I realise that the EQ6 would be the wise choice, but wondered if anyone had any views on the goto capabilities of both of these mounts, in terms of ease of use and size of the database. Does size really matter?

Hoping to put a William Optics FLT 110 on either, by the way.

Thanks and for those who went to Kielder hope you had a great time.

DC

[Jamie]

Hi David just my opinion but you won't need the bigger database cos

there are thousands of objects in the smaller one and i doubt you will

ever see them all.

So for me the EQ6 version would have to be the mount of choice.

[SteelRat]

I am sure that you will get advice on this one from many folk who have owned these mounts. For my part I can point your attention to the fact that the cg5 is only the same as an eq5. The goto system according to reviews I have read has VERY NOISY MOTORS.

The EQ6 is a truly massive 'ultra steady' mount with and the skyscan goto is spot on. The two mounts are surely as different as chalk and cheese.

The EQ6 would be the one for me if I could afford.

Have you not considered the HEQ5 with skyscan?

[Zeffer]

I have the huge database on the NS8 GPS but it is of little use going to some of the places when the scope isn't big enough to see them!

Handy for imaging, but the EQ6 is far better than a CG5 for imaging and you won't wake the neighbours!

[Ambermile]

The database is a non-starter if you ever intend to plug the mount into a pc/laptop with planetarium software you know... and many of the entries are in several catalogues in the Celestron/Meade databases so there are less than they say really.

Arthur

[psychobabbler]

Thanks to everyone so far - i think it's pretty clear the EQ6 or 5 has it. Did not think that the CG5 would be so noisy. Just goes to show that big numbers used to sell databases aren't all they seem.

Cheers

DC