Any recommendations for a mount for Celestron EdgeHD 11 or bigger

[stephen2615]

Greetings,

I am still unable to waste my kids inheritance on overseas travel so I was thinking of going from a refractor to a Celestron EdgeHD 11 or 14 or similar. My NEQ6 is not going to handle that so does anyone have any suggestions for a quality mount? it will be fixed in my backyard so moving it won't be considered.

$10k AUD is as far as I will go. Please give reasons why your recommendation is a good buy.

Regards

Stephen

[TrevorW]

Good budget with several options capable of handling a Edge HD 11, for starters EQ8, IOptron CEM70 or 120, Losmandy G11T, strethc to $11k for a Paramount Myt, just to name a few ;)

[stephen2615]

I have read various reviews about the different mounts and well, frankly, I am none the wiser. I look enviously at the 10 micron mounts but can't justify that much. Avalon look very interesting but I doubt they are capable of the C11.

[TrevorW]

Honestly its a minefield write all the options on a dart board, close your eyes then throw a dart. Everyone will have an opinion as too why one or the other is better but honestly from all that I've read there is no such thing as the perfect mount unless you want to spend big but I bet even then there will be some issues :)

[stephen2615]

I wonder if the EQ8-Rh is worth the extra $3,500. I might see if there are any end of year sales.

[RugbyRene]

An EQ8RH for $3500? I’d buy it for that price!

[stephen2615]

I wish. The $3500 is the difference between the EQ8-R and the EQ8-Rh.

[Sitt]

Apparently there are no EQ8R's until December '21. i went down this path a few weeks ago and ended buying a CGX-L as I could get straight away from the local astro shop

[Camelopardalis]

FWIW I’ve used my Edge 11 on my NEQ6 for 10 years with no issues. A 14” would be a different kettle of fish.

A G11 or (especially) an EQ8 handles the 11” pretty effortlessly.

[DarkArts]

I have a C14 on a G11 - seems to work reasonably well. I don't do DSOs with it, though, so no long exposures and I don't use tracking on it (yet).

[stephen2615]

They seem to be available without the tripod so if I had a pier in the back yard...

[stephen2615]

Update to the EQ8-R model. It seems that you cannot get them anymore with the pier/tripod. No wonder there are some around that are available but none have the tripod. I need a tripod for the foreseeable future. :(

[jamespierce]

Quick thoughts...

A C11 and a C14 are in different leagues... A 14 is a long focal length unless you're really into planets IMHO. I have a 2500mm scope and seeing is always the limiting factor, even with a 9 micron CCD. The best scope is the one you use - I would never have a 14 inch scope unless it was on a pier permanently.

With mounts you get what you pay for along two axis. Capacity + Accuracy. If you want both capacity and tracking/guiding accuracy it's a multiplier on cost. Yet to see in person but if I were buying a do everything portable, spend the kids inheritance portable mount I think these are had to go past - https://www.astro-physics.com/mach2gto - Axis encoders are the future.

If you go for an MYT (a good choice) then I have the very expensive and very excellent paramount pyramid tripod to suit sitting in my shed basically brand new which I would sell for about 2/3 of new.

[gregbradley]

There probably is a waiting list for the Mach 2. I was offered one a few months back but I am covered for mounts. It sounds incredible on paper.

Sub arc sec/pixel guiding. Virtually perfect guiding. It wouldn't handle a C14 though. 8-12 inch SCTs or 6-7 inch refractors.

Greg.