HEQ5 help

[jamespels]

Hi all,

I am looking at a scope with a HEQ5 (on ebay, Skywatcher 250 with no bits, auction ending today) but the owner says it is manual only. I have only seen them for sale with motor drives so I was wondering if this is a model I have just not seen before or if the drive motors & controller have been removed from a standard model.

In either case, how feasible (and expensive) would it be to replace the drive motors and controller? I see the pro upgrade includes the motors but I am not up to affording the c£290 price tag.

Thanks,

J.

[beamish]

Only the "Pro " models have full goto facility. "Syntrek" models have the ability to work with Eqmod and can be easily made up to full goto with the addition of a handset, BUT the motors in the stnd HEQ5 are not steppers and so cannot be used as such and can only be used for tracking- hence the manual side of the operation-ie you point it where you want and the motors will track.

[red dwalf]

i haven`t seen the one in question on e bay but a motorised heq5 pro would normally sell for around the £500 mark second hand, these are very popular mounts.

adding motors to a mount can be done but a new set of motors could be expensive.

[jamespels]

Thanks both - it's here: SKY WATCHER REFLECTOR TELESCOPE + TRIPOD AND EQUITORIAL on eBay (end time 11-Jan-11 13:05:28 GMT)

The line "PLEASE NOT THAT THIS ITEM IS NOT MOTORISED AND IS MANUAL ONLY" is what concerns me...

[jamespels]

Reckon it's worth a punt at the price?

[beamish]

Clarify it has the tracking motors fitted -if not why not ?? and walk !

there's alway going to another soon enough and take a look on Astro Buy & SELL uk

[zedds]

I`m no expert but the mount lools like my EQ5.

ps. Before i added the synscan upgrade.

[beamish]

quite right that's exactly what it is, and more commonly referred to as an HEQ5. The question still remains about the motors tho, if there aren't any motors ?????????

[jamespels]

It looks a LOT like an EQ5 and not very much at all like an HEQ5 (from what I have read, HEQ5 and EQ5 are very different beasts - I picked up on this one because it claims to be an HEQ5 but I now doubt that very much). Furthermore, it looks like quite an old one (newer ones are white, I think).

In that case, the setup is probably pretty standard - the mounts new are £200ish and the OTA probably about the same so this is simply not worth it. Correct?

[zedds]

I thought the EQ5 and the HEQ5 were different mounts???

[lukebl]

That's most definitely not an HEQ5! I have had an HEQ5, and know what they look like. Looks like an EQ5. Much lighter than an HEQ5. The ad is giving incorrect information.

Also, if the scope is a 10", then the EQ5 wouldn't be able to cope with it!

[AlanB]

Looks nothing like my HEQ5, more like the standard EQ5 mount.

HEQ5 = Skywatcher - Skywatcher HEQ5

EQ5 - Skywatcher - Skywatcher EQ5 Deluxe (but this is white)

AlanB

[jamespels]

Luke - pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Will avoid it then.

Have got in touch with the seller - I think he's about to change the ad.

Cheers all!