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HEQ5 weight capacity


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Hi guys,

I need a mount for my Orion Optics 10" F4.8 newt and can't decide whether to buy an EQ6 or HEQ5.

I will never be imaging and this is for visual only, so is an EQ6 worth all the extra weight and size if I will only be using the scope visually? My scope weighs about 11kg max.

Also, how does an HEQ5 compare with say a CG5?

Thanks for any info.

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CG-5 is more or less equivalent to EQ5. Definitely short of your requirement.

For a 10" f/4.8 Newt, I think a HEQ5 would be distinctly marginal, even for purely visual work at low / medium powers. Weight is not the major consideration here; the side area of the tube and the moment of inertia are more of an issue; extra side area causes wind vibration to set in more easily, and more moment of inertia increases the settling time. Your tube has a lot of side area compared with a 4" frac with the same length, and the weight is concentrated at the ends, making the moment of inertia larger.

I'd definitely go for the EQ6. I have a HEQ5 which usually carries a WO FLT 110 (7 Kg, a bit shorter than and less than half the diameter of your OTA) and I wish I'd gone for the EQ6. It's marginal in a force 4 wind, with a larger, heavier tube I'd think it would be unusable except in a flat calm.

The weight increase of the EQ6 over the HEQ5 is noticeable but the bulk is pretty much the same, and IMO it's the bulk which is more of an issue for short carrys ... if you need to backpack the thing for extended distances then I'd respectfully suggest a smaller OTA.

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My Skymax 180 Mak Pro sits atop an HEQ5.

The Mak 180 weighs about 8Kgs, and I don't feel the HEQ5 is fully up to the job even with that weight on it. On camp site in Dorset recently I had to pack up due to the wind wobbling the scope all over the place, and I didn't really think it was that blowy that night...

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Earlier this year i had a heavy 6" F8 newtonian ota, weighing about 20 lbs on HEQ5, just ok for visual. As already stated,moment arm is the killer, it amplifies every little vibration, especially when operating the focusser.

I currently have a loaded C8 with denk binoviewers on the mount, and its perfectly fine.The ota is very short, and massively reduces the moment arm effect.

However i've upgraded to the 2" CG5 Tripod,and this is much better than the std HEQ5 tripod.

Mike

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I`m still trying to work out the exact cause of the inaccuracy though.

That's a bit tough after the fact - but it's normally one of:

- Clutch was loose and so it's slipped a bit on the axes

- Not aligning the goto on the star that you think you are

- Bad polar alignment.

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