NEQ6pro

[jenchris]

I'm researching the NEQ6pro as my next upgrade -
Bintel and Sirius have prices $500 dollars apart - any idea why? -
One is 1748 and the other 2240.
They appear to be the same product - I just can't work out what the difference is about.

[alistairsam]

Hi

Shouldnt be any different. Andrews has it for 1699.
In my opinion, anything over 1700 is a bit too much. Thats just my opinion.

There are a few in the classifieds as well.

Cheers.
Alistair

[Astro_Bot]

Hi,

I was about to say that it sounded like you had the NEQ6 Pro price from Bintel and the AZ-EQ6-GT price from Sirius (the AZ-EQ mount is always more expensive), but not so: you have the prices for NEQ6 Pro at both sites and you are basically correct!

Astro Pete's (they're in Bisbane, so basically local to you) has the NEQ6 Pro at $1695 (in stock), so that's even better: http://www.astropetes.com.au/mounts.html

I don't understand the price differences. Sirius also has the AZ-EQ6-GT at $2718 compared to $2099 at Bintel and $1999 (currently on special) at Astro Pete's.

[jenchris]

Thanks AB - I didn't want to say which was which as I'm not one to do down our local - I've bought quite a bit of stuff there in the past - but it seems a bit greedy - I'm going to ask at the astro club (SAS) meeting tonight as one or two guys moonlight there.
When I bought my Meade, he was more pricey too - I bought it on the Gold Coast - (shop is closed now).

[UniPol]

The bottom line is that if you are a serious buyer, don't take any notice of the price online or otherwise, contact the company you consider to have the best reputation and ask for their best price. I have done so and have been pleasantly surprised, afterall a sale is a sale and one is likely to shop there in the future. Please bear in mind that when the EQ6's were first released they cost a lot more dollar wise than they are presently. Reminds me of the Fisher & Pakyel washing machine I had replaced recently after 17 years. Bought a F & P 6.5kg machine in 1996 for $999, replaced by F & P 7kg machine in 2014 for $549, figure this out?

[jenchris]

Got an NEQ6 pro from Pete's astro - happy happy happy.....

[Astro_Bot]

Cool! :thumbsup: Enjoy it. As an NEQ6 Pro owner, I'm happy to provide any tips, as I'm sure many others are.

[jenchris]

OK astro_bot here's the first one
I have the RS232 cable and the bit that turns it intoa USB - can I use PHD to guide it the same way as before by plugging it into my laptop and using the virtual com port?

[Astro_Bot]

Pick an easy one, why don't you! :P

Stop me if you know this one .... You can pulse guide (using ASCOM/EQMOD) or use an ST-4 port on (presumably) your guide cam. Both will use PHD to do the guiding calculations.

AFAIK, the serial cable (adding a USB-to-RS232 convertor just adds USB to the computer end - it doesn't change the serial end) allows you to plug into the handset and use PC Direct mode or just to send GoTo coordinates (e.g. from Stellarium) in normal handset mode.

In PC Direct mode you should be able to pulse guide, theoretically, but I've not tried it. However, most people recommend not trusting PC Direct mode and using an EQMOD interface (e.g. Shoestring USB2-EQ6 (http://www.bintel.com.au/Mounts---Tripods/Mount-Accessories/Shoestring-USB2-br--EQ6-Interface/775/productview.aspx)) to bypass the handset altogether. It's proven and may be safer for your mount.

You can't use the USB/Serial cable to bypass the handset, even if you could wire it up, as the voltages are (well, maybe) different.

HTH.

[jenchris]

Here we are, rigged for photons...

[coldknights]

Looking Good !:thumbsup:

You can make your own EQMod cable .

The cable we made ourselfs works well on the EQ8 and with a RJ45 to DB9 adaptor they can work on the NEQ6 as well ,the one cable can be used on 4 different mounts.

[Mark_Heli]

The mount looks great...

I noticed that you have an lx90. I also have an lx90 and was just wondering how you find it for astrophotography and if you would recommend de-forking?

I have been thinking about getting an equatorial mount for a while and either de-forking the lx90 or keeping it for visual and getting a dedicated astrophotography scope (e.g.gso rc or refractor). It would be interesting to hear your experience.

Looking forward to seeing images taken with your new setup..

Cheers,
Mark

[jenchris]

There's a few o;d piccies on here taken with a wedge on my LX90
But in case you can't find any, here's a sample.
I'm hoping to do much better than these happy snaps