Should I get an equitorial mount?

[lineout]

Having read a few posts about other people who have an equitorial mount, I've started to seriously consider ditching the Alt/Az mount that came with my LX-90 and buy my own eq mount. I read Balaratdragons post on his new HEQ5 mount and that got me thinking (which is always a dangerous thing).

I'd like to know from others who have gone down this path what the pros and cons are of gettig an eq mount. Is it worth it? etc

I do visual atm but want to get into astrophotography in a big way.

I have heard that once you dismantle your Alt/Az mount there no going back due to the complexities in getting it aligned again.

Cheers.

[ballaratdragons]

No HEQ5's here. I have an EQ6, and I was recently testing the Clubs new EQ5, but I know what you mean :thumbsup:

For Astrophotography, an EQ is essential, unless you get a wedge for the fork :)

[lineout]

Sorry your post title mentions an EQ5.

I was thinking of a wedge but I thought for a little bit more than the cost of an Ultra-wedge (approx $1000) I could get the whole deal ie tripod and dedicated mount.

[[1ponders]]

You can do imaging quite successfully with a wedge and a fork mounted scope, but as you have rightly pointed out the cost of the wedge would almost by you a decent EQmount for photography(though without goto).

I originally started out with and LX200GPS and found the small 8" wedge a right pain to adjust for accurate alignment. I decided to move up to an eq mount (Losmandy GM8) and haven't looked back since. I do miss the LX200 but I don't do much visual stuff now anyway. Since the GM8 I have bought a G11 (still have the 8) and an EQ4 for travel/widefield imaging. Wouldn't be without them.

[casstony]

Can imaging be done in alt/az mode taking many short exposures then derotating and stacking with software?

[rogerg]

Yes, but you are very limited in what magnitude depth you can reach.

Personally, I prefer wedge + LX combination. Comparing my LX200 on a super wedge to my GM-8:
- The LX has no meridian flip issue, only requires refocus.
- The LX is easier to manage cables
- The LX has less risk of hitting various mechanical parts of the mount (imaging equipment hanging over the place as it does).
- The GM8 is a little easier to balance
- I find them both easy to adjust the Alt/Az for accurate polar alignment

Something worth comparing is the tracking accuracy of your current scope vs a new EQ mount that you would be able to afford.

Roger.

[lineout]

Your last point is valid ie the tracking accuracy. One of the reasons I'm looking to get an eq mount is the alignment and GOTO of my current mount is cr*p. Also I'm sick of the bottom of the scope hitting the bottom of the forks. I've got a meade focuser at the bottom.

Has anyone had any specific experience with the HEQ5 or EQ6? The Losmandy's are a little expensive for me.

Cheers

[casstony]

Ease of alignment and accurate GOTO are strong points of the computerized fork mounted scopes. Have you investigated the reason for poor accuracy - correct information entered, drives trained, etc?

[lineout]

Done everything I can think of. I'm taking it back to the shop I bought ot from to get it looked at (still under warranty)

From what I've read of the eq mounts, they are just as good if not better than the Alt/Az mounts at tracking accuracy.

[turbo_pascale]

There's a Milburn wedge selling here for $750.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=25413

Pretty sure this will work for your LX90.

Turbo

[casstony]

Definitely have it sorted under warranty; with a careful alignment the objects you GOTO should always be in the field of a low power eyepiece. I only align my LX90 roughly and objects are almost always in the FOV.

[Alchemy]

the eq6 is good value for money, (i personally have a g11), however i have seen good results done withthe eq6 particularly if autoguiding.
its actually quite a nice looking mount, for some reason i reckon the white one looks better. it will handle an 8 inch plus guidescope easily, there are users here who have one who will no doubt testify to their mounts capability.

when i bought a new mount i looked at the pictures taken with them and figured if they can do it so can i.

[Bassnut]

I had an LX90 on the LX90 wedge (way less pricy than the ultra wedge), a bit wobbly, but if you keep away during imaging, its not bad. And yes, meridian flip on an EQ mount is a pain. Pointing shouldnt be a problem, it sounds like theres a fault. As Roger says, if you make the leap to an EQ mount (replacing everything), youd want to make sure the tracking accuracy is significantly better. I went to a G11, and the difference was well worth it. Comes down to dollars.

[Inmykombi]

Hi everyone,

sorry to but in here, but how difficult are the EQ6 Mounts to allign and set up to track nicely for visual observing. ?

Do you input date and time and co-ordinates manually ? Or can they be upgraded to GPS ?

I am trying to decide whether I buy an EQ6 with a newt. OR a large go-to with fork mount.

Cheers Geoff

[[1ponders]]

Generally they are pretty forgiving for visual work when polar aligning and yes you can get a GPS unit to do all the imputting (reasonably priced I hear)

[OneOfOne]

For visual use, very easy. You don't need to be too fussy, I have always used the "plonk method" in my backyard. I can usually keep the same object in the field for several minutes, only requiring a tweak every now and then (great for public viewings).

[Tamtarn]

We have an EQ6 with a 8" newt mounted and would agree with Trevor.

For visual use we can place the tripod on to established polar alignment marks on the grass and after inputing required data goto an object and keep it in field of view for as long as needed.

For imaging we always fine tune our polar alignment on octans before taking shots.