first... dark!

[ving]

well folks, as some know my Heq5 with syntek has arrived... hand delivered by Lee Andrews him self no less! :scared:
Now i have seen plenty of EQ5s and this aint no EQ5 love . i had no idea that this mount would be so damn heavy. twas easy to put together, no instructions required. even my limited mental capacity could handle it without looking at the instructions! :thumbsup:

Last night was my first test :thumbsup:
I started with a rough polar align and balance. the only problem so far is that there isnt quite enough weights so they got shifted to the end Rolling Eyes . Next i set it to a bright star in the east (rigel) and started it up. at this stage i still hadnt read any instructions upsidedown and i was wondering why it wasnt moving cheeky ... a quick trip to the manual and i find i have to lock the ra/dec! that done it started moving nice and smooth in the wrong direction! don't know, back to the manual... ah! i had to set it to the scp (not the forum :rolleyes:).

rigel stayed in the center of my finder croshairs for about 7 mins. this wasnt good enough so i foun there is a kinda azimuth adjuster so i fiddled with that and the tracking was much better :D

then i started slewing around all over the place! :lol:
so in conclusion, the mount seems to handle my 8" newt with ease despite the slight counterweight deficite :)
well purchased! smiley
one thing that needs to be changed tho... its way too high at the eyepiece. should i have the legs chopped? :shrug:
*cough* gives this mount 3 thumbs up out of 4
:D

[wasyoungonce]

is that the HEQ5 Pro mount? Can you compare it to other mounts ving, maybe a review is in order..by your self no less;)

[casstony]

Some mods on this site that may help with your teething problems http://ozastro.dyndns.org/heq5glitches (counterweight shaft extension, wooden legs).
Congrats on the new purchase. I often have mixed feelings after a substantial purchase - the gear is really nice, but so was that cash in the bank. Best to just purchase quickly and worry after the damage is done :-)

[gbeal]

Well done VingMan, but if it is designed with refractors etc in mind it will be tall for a cow like you with a newt. Chopping the legs will acheive what you want, but maybe consider making (or having made) a set of short legs, especially from wood (its better??), and using them. Or if you have space, sink a short pier, and place the mount head on top of that. That will improve further the stability of the mount, and if you use it like mine, it will be always lined up on the SCP.

[ving]

no room for a pier, i have but a small yard :)
I think wooden legs would be the go :)

i am not a short person be any means but pointing straight up i need a ladder cause its almost 3/4 foot to the EP! ( i am 6 foot zero). I wonder who'd make some wooden legs for me... i am not a handyman at all :confuse3:

[beren]

:thumbsup: Congrats on the new mount....could you use the pier from the starfinder mount maybe using a modded mounting plate {eg http://www.kendauzat.net/other.htm}

[gbeal]

Ving,
if you got stuck, I would do some for you, but I would think there is someone within Oz. I recall Dave47Tuc doing some a while back, but could be wrong.

[leon]

Ah Yes, one must read the book before one plays....:D

[ving]

thnaks gary, i'll keep ya in mind :)

[iceman]

Sonuds great Ving, can't wait to see it at the next Kulnura meet.

[ving]

yeah, i'll bring it new legs or not :)
if i dont have new legs by then i'll just have to bring my little step ladder :)

reminds me... have to take a pic of the setup sometime soon :)

[astronut]

David,
Noel had his EQ6 legs cut down by a local engineering firm at Narellan.
If you need the location contact Noel or me. :D

[h0ughy]

I can see the sense getting saythe legs of a meade super triopd cut down , but a heq5 or eq6???:shrug: You must suffer very badly with Duck's disease Ving?:rofl: I have mine raised to a platform level of about 1100mm:whistle:

[ving]

what the heck is ducks disease houghy? :confused:

i am mounting a 8" f6 reflector on a tripod that is designed to have the EP at the bottom (ie refractor, mak, etc).

i am 6 foot tall exactly.

[h0ughy]

gluteus maximus closeus to groundus:rofl: short legs:whistle:

[ving]

lol houghy :P
nah i i am 6 foot (funny how i do that in imperial) and last night i had to stand on a chair (couldnt be bothered gettingthe step ladder out) while lookin to the south west... doesnt matter too much for imaging as i found out last night.

anyhow. heres the pics everyone wants...
attached is my spare dovetail with SLR atached and a finder with crosshairs to lign stuff up. i havent used this yet as i havent got film :lol:

[allan gould]

Did you get the version 3 synscan? Enjoy the mount you'll find it excellent

[ving]

used it a coulpe of times... yes it is quite excellent :D

wooden legs are the way to go tho so i might create another thread asking for help making them.
how can i tell what version of synscan i got?

oh and if anyone wants to swap a c8 or similar 8" scope for my GSO680 dob just put your hand up :D (i can but live in hope)

[ving]

ok feeling a bit stoopid now.... syntrek is what i have, not synscan :rolleyes:

of course i knew i didnt have goto... :ashamed: just got the name wrong.
either way, after more testing i find this to be very stable for my scope and with proper alignment it would be pretty darn accurate too :)
v/happy with it :)

mike, get the eq6! theres nothing like pushing buttons to center an object. so much better than bumping the scope around.

[astronut]

Bring it with you tonight Ving, I think it might actually be clear, but shhhh, don't say it too loud:lol:

[ving]

you know what happens when i turn up to stargard john!! :lol: