Which New Mount?

[glend (Glen)]

Considering the future options, after my break. What is a logical step up from a NEQ6Pro mount (for imaging)? I need more cost effective capacity. Is there something between the NEQ6 and the EQ8? I need 25-30kg of imaging capacity.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Originally Posted by glend

Considering the future, after my break. What is a logical step up from a NEQ6Pro mount (for imaging)? I need more cost effective capacity. Is there something between the NEQ6 and the EQ8? I need 25-30kg of imaging capacity.

i am not sure about cost effective but if you are going to upgrade the mount i would drop as much as you can into it. if it is going to be a set up each night type deal, i would look at the MyT by SB

[glend (Glen)]

It will be put on the pier in my observatory, so i don't need a tripod. Andrews 10% off sale ends this afternoon, and i can get a EQ8 head from them today for about $4320. Then i could sell the NEQ6 to reduce the change over cost, to less than $3k.
This is just one option i am looking at, others include reducing scope weight and retaining the NEQ6 (which already has a belt mod).

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Originally Posted by glend

It will be put on the pier in my observatory, so i don't need a tripod. Andrews 10% off sale ends this afternoon, and i can get a EQ8 head from them today for about $4320. Then i could sell the NEQ6 to reduce the change over cost, to less than $3k.
This is just one option i am looking at, others include reducing scope weight and retaining the NEQ6 (which already has a belt mod).

from what i have heard and when i was doing my research, the eq8 is a beefed up Eq6. it is not brilliant in terms of pointing and PEC and users have had a number of issues. i have had my fair share of issues with the PMX+ but now that it is working there is nothing better than selecting a target and knowing that it will slew perfectly every time with high accuracy, i dont even bother to check that it slewed correctly, i just start imaging. using Tpoint with a bisque mount has been fantastic. if i were you, i would save my pennies and get either a PMX+, AP1100 GTO or even an ASA DM60.

[LewisM]

iOptron CGEM -the big one perhaps? Seem more accurate than the SW EQ8, but that might be older news (I haven't looked at mounts for a long time since I plan dieing with my piddly GPD2).

MyT is good, but it's like a Tak - seems to need specialist bits and pieces, odd license agreements yada yada. Then there is the Losmandy G11, but that needs a bunch of upgrades and tunes to work really well.

EQ8 or CGEM seem to be about your options Glen. I have heard good and bad of both, so, in typical Chinese gear fashion, you roll the dice and cross the fingers, and be prepared to tinker.

[Atmos (Colin)]

The EQ8 is a very good bang for buck but if you could pick up a second hand SB MyT or AP Mach1 or AP 900-1600.
Mike is very happy with his Tak NPJ.

[LewisM]

Tak NJP is a wonderful mount, but VERY heavy (once on a pier, who cares). Will only operate GOTO with Stellarium or similar (unless you can find the very scarce Tak GOTO system, which costs a good amount, and is actually pretty yak! I had one with my NJP), requires a specific guide cable (about $45), and the counterweight bar is the screw thread type - you can't lock the counterweights in a certain position without altering them.

Plus the price is not that cheap either (mine was $5k, third hand, but with the large tripod, GOTO system, power supply etc)

[rmuhlack (Richard)]

Ray (Shiraz) seems to get great results from his EQ8. If I were to upgrade to a larger mount that is probably what I would go with also.

out of interest, what scope(s) are you considering that would require a larger mount?

[glend (Glen)]

Originally Posted by rmuhlack

Ray (Shiraz) seems to get great results from his EQ8. If I were to upgrade to a larger mount that is probably what I would go with also.

out of interest, what scope(s) are you considering that would require a larger mount?

I am considering building a 12" f5 imaging Newt, and even using carbon fibre tube truss construction the extra gear, like camera, filter wheel, guidescope setup, light shield, mirror heater, fan, etc will push it to 20kg which is beyond NEQ6 imaging capacity. I would like to keep a capacity buffer as well.

[Atmos (Colin)]

The EQ8 does that well and it's weight isn't an issue if it is permenantly mounted.

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by glend

Considering the future options, after my break. What is a logical step up from a NEQ6Pro mount (for imaging)? I need more cost effective capacity. Is there something between the NEQ6 and the EQ8? I need 25-30kg of imaging capacity.

Irrespective of its issues, a G11 is a fabulous mount. The build is amazing, its flexibility incredible, its results are everywhere. Its also in your budget, both $ and kg and you can get them second hand for a song. Pimped up, you can get one for around $3-4k

[LewisM]

I've seen G11's in the $1500 range! With the better motors and gears and worms, add a fair bit more, but still under a new EQ8

[gregbradley]

I would check the number of threads about defective SB PMX PMX+ mounts on this site. There have been quite a few. So buyer beware there. They do support their products but their quality control is dismal.

I have never heard of issues with AP mounts and they have a range of mounts. Perhaps outside your budget, but then the mount should be the most important component. Without the ability to get round stars at 10 minutes you've got nothing. An ED80 on an AP mount getting perfect round stars is far better than an AP155 on a mount that gives eggs.

AP Mach 1 is their smallest mount. Sometimes you see AP900's 2nd hand.

Tak mounts are good but rather outdated with practically no software/electronics like PEC.

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

I'd say that any pointing accuracy error in the EQ8 software is moot if you go with EQMOD and plate solving...

[Logieberra (Logan)]

Originally Posted by el_draco

Irrespective of its issues, a G11 is a fabulous mount. The build is amazing, its flexibility incredible, its results are everywhere. Its also in your budget, both $ and kg and you can get them second hand for a song. Pimped up, you can get one for around $3-4k

I rue the day that I sold my reliable EQ6 to 'upgrade' to a G11. I lost a year of my Astro life as an early adopter of Gemini2. Never again, Losmandy...

[RobF (Rob)]

Sounds like you need an EQ8 for a big scope setup like that - that presumably won't be moving too often. Lots of happy users in SE Qld.

Not an AP or SB, but still a reliable workhouse with large gears for step up from EQ6. No experience with G11s, but would you really get the capacity you need?

[Shiraz (Ray)]

yep, EQ8 would make sense to me as well - should be OK with a 12 inch scope if the wind is not too bad. Built like a Russian army truck - no bells, whistles or finesse, just heavy duty brute force stuff with money only spent on the bits that do the work (like 8 inch wheels and high power motors). No glossy finishes - just screen printed labels, nondescript black surfaces and rust. Also be aware that it is really @#%$# heavy.

as pointed out, slewing accuracy is no issue with SGP plate solve - mine generally gets within a few pixels on the first retry in SGP. The EQ8 design is almost guaranteed to have some dec backlash, which can be managed. RA PE should be 7 arcsec p-p or less, but the worm rotates quite quickly, so you will need fairly fast guiding updates. At 7 arcsec p-p, you should not need PEC, unless you want to image without guiding - EQMOD PEC did not work with the EQ8, but I think that has been fixed. There are no transfer gearboxes - the motors drive the worms directly (1:1 belt for RA) - so there is none of the high frequency gear noise that can cause problems with other mounts.

software is dead easy - get the right plugs (power and drive) and your existing EQ6 EQMOD SGP software should then drive it with no mods at all. Which is just as well, because SW support for the mount is pretty well non-existent.

[glend (Glen)]

Thank you folks for your suggestions. Decision time for me now. Andrews has extended their sale so the EQ8 Head is looking like the most cost effective change over option, and as Ray pointed out it will work with my SGP setup. I just need to work out whether i keep the NEQ6 for dark site trips or give up on them and use just the EQ8 in the observatory; cannot afford to keep two.

[Terry B]

I noted this mount for sale
http://astrobuysell.com/au/propview.php?view=2975

[glend (Glen)]

Originally Posted by Terry B

I noted this mount for sale
http://astrobuysell.com/au/propview.php?view=2975

Thank Terry but too expensive for me. Someone else might jump on it though.