Some advice please.

[Joe gray]

Evening all,

Right here i go.....

Im looking at upgrading my kit. At the moment i have a skywatcher 114 on an eq1 mount. I have had this about 4 years now and and really enjoyed using it but i feel the mount is really holding me back.

I was thinking about buying an SKYWATCHER EQ3 PRO mount (Synscan GOTO) to help me track objects better and give me a couple of years more happy viewing. Until i decide to update my scope. Is this a good mount for me to upgrade on? lets just say if i decide to buy a skywatcher 200 8" with it fit on this mount.. Also will my 114 fit this mount!!!?

or is there a better moterized mount for this? my budget is 400 Squid..

Need advice please

Thanks

Joe

[Astro_Baby]

For £400 you could get quite a bit of kit - a Skywatcher 200 on an EQ5 for a start.

The EQ3 wont take the weight of much above a 150 scope.

The Celestron CG5 with GoTo is on offer from FLO for £450 and that would be the best you would get I would think at around the money you want to spend.

[Glider]

If you go second hand then a HEQ5 Synscan Pro could be in the range £450 to 550, a little over budget but could last you a good couple more years.

Second hand astro kit has usually been well looked after so should last you well.

[cootuk]

With the eq7 mount coming up there might be quite a few eq5 coming onto the secondhand market?

[Capricorn]

The EQ3 would be a good step up from the EQ1, however too small for a 200.

I have an HEQ5 and it is intimidating, nice but best described as solid! So I bought an EQ5, much nicer. It don't scare me as much.

Could you get an EQ5 with goto for the budget?

If so then I would suggest that route as they are more substantial then an EQ3 and will take a 200 later. And you don't get a hernia in the mean time.

I didn't see any mention of astro-photography so I assume that it is for visual use only.

[brantuk]

For the 200 scope I wouldn't want less than an EQ-5 or CG-5 - you can fit it with brand new motors (none goto) for £94 from FLO (or £70-£75 s/h). I have this combo s/h CG-5 tripod/mount plus new motors - total cost £210.

The goto would cost a bob or two more

[Joe gray]

Thanks for all the reply's..

After a bit of private workover the weekend my budget has gone up to 500 for a mount, i do like the heq5 but with goto very expensive (729 brand new). Im still to find a second hand one online but will keep looking as im sure i could get one for around 500?

*Capricorn* Yes i do hope to use this mount for some astrophotography really wanting to upgrade my kit to cater for this, Decided mount first then scope in a couple of years. (Is this the right way to go?)

Could anyone point me in the direction of a good second hand telescope site? Tried ebay but not alot on there.

Thanks everyone really do appreciate the help..

Joe

[MarkF]

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

...and the For sale section here once you get to 50 posts. Also I would say yes, a good mount first is the way to go, its probably the most expensive bit for most people and once you have it the range of scopes you can have multiplies.

[Joe gray]

Thank you Mark,

[Joe gray]

Bit of advice again please. How does this mount compare to the eq-5 and synscan.

Vixen GPDX Mount With Skysensor 2000 GOTO And Orion Giant Field Tripod. seen it advertised on astro buy sell and rather interested.

Would this be any good for astrophotography? and can i use skywatcher scopes on it or just Vixen?

Thanks

[angusb1]

That would be an excellent mount for astrophotography. The Vixen mounts have very low periodic error and have very conservatively rated payloads. I have a 10" newtonian on mine and its pretty solid even with a couple of kilos of extra cameras/lenses etc. The whole lot weighs in at 12kg and the mount is very stable with it. You will be able to use any scope with a Vixen type dovetail, this is a very common dovetail, and if you find a scope you want to use that doesn't have this type of deovetail you will be able to fit a vixen one for between £10 and £35 depending on the length of the dovetail you need.