HEQ5-Pro

[picklesrules]

Heya guys
Just putting it out there, is it possible to mount the celestron nexstar 130slt on the HEQ5-Pro only because i like the HEQ5 and would like to grab one but will latter be upgrading the OTA. Also I have been trying some astrophotography with the nexstar on the Alt Az Mount. Also if some of you guys could give me a link or ideas about guidescopes for the scope
thanks
nick

[bmitchell82]

you can go with the heq5 but the problem will come to light when you load it too much further. eq6 will give you ample movement.

A guide scope can be anything nowdays with sub pixel monitoring. I have used a standard skywatcher 8x50 finderscope (retrofitted to accept a 1 1/4 " nose piece of a DSI) with acceptable results, currently im using a 114mm DSE telescope as a guider and get good enough results for a 20min guide at f 4.7 10" newt and a 40d. Fast iterations on a astro ccd is the best way to run aka .5 second with a DSI 1 (one shot colour is fine) or even lower if you can. this does a great job! good luck if you need any help just post!

:thumbsup:

[White Rabbit]

I have an HEQ5pro, I run a 8"Newtonian GSO and I have a short tube ED80 as a guide scope sitting side by side on the mount. I use a 1000d for imaging ans a DSI II for guiding. The mount is at its limits, but it could handle the load your asking about easliy. I had my Meade ETX125 on the mount for ages. What I have is fine at the moment for learning, as I am, but i'll be upgrading shortly. So you may want to save yourself the bother and just go straight for the EQ6.

[rider]

I run a 10 inch Newtonian plus some very heavy accessories successfully on a HEQ5pro. - no discernible problems. (the only mod is a counterweight bar extension.)

Rider

[Astrobserver99]

I have a C8 (Same as Nextstar 8) on a HEQ5Pro with a 9x50 guidescope. No problems weight wise, but for guiding I would recommend something with larger aperture/focal length, if you are doing exposures over 5 min.

Cheers,

[White Rabbit]

rider are you imaging with the ten inch scope?

[rider]

Nope, ("I like to watch") -but out of interest, I have done some Periodic Error tests which make me assume I could.

What I was referring to was the HEQ5pro's ability to carry remarkable weights without stress.
I think the only trick is to make sure the scope is balanced very well for the part of the sky you are interested in. In other words, take the time to re-balance if you're going to be on a particular side of the zenith.
The balance of Neutonians like mine are particularly influenced by where the finderscope and EP are positioned, and need a different weight balance in different positions. Its not critical, but does mean the motors are not working as hard.

rider

[bmitchell82]

i would suggest against not using a eq5 pro for 10" scopes, by the time you load them up your way past their limits (stress on bearings) they will fail eventually, the other problem you face is they are structurally not strong enough a 10" is like a parachute especially a newt yes you can balance them off and yes they will track and because your guiding is sub pixel then you wont "see" much difference, though you get a slight breeze and your guiding will be all over the show and your ratio of keeper pictures to throw away is too high.

It has been said many times before your platform is the basis of your work, don't get it right and you have just wasted your money.

[rider]

experience with this mount, and the fact that the 10" is under the kg limit leads me to differ with that view, but, yes, a 10" is getting near the limit.

rider

[bmitchell82]

I don't know what crack your smokin chief... the 10" is getting up near the weight limit for the EQ6 the HEQ5 it is over limit. lets face it who buys a mount for 1000 and up just for visual? when normally the mount is brought because astro photography is on the cards. My 10" skywatcher with a 114mm DSE reflector the 40d, DSI2 and cables is closing in on 28kgs. if im not wrong the EQ6's limit is around the 24-25kgs.? It still works but getting good tracking is a art at that weight plus it being a parachute (the 10" and wind) the HEQ5 is possibly a very bad choice as it cannot hold onto such a large setup sure it can move it around and act as if it is working but pretty much useless to get a very good shot. if it was very good at getting a shot with such a big scope why spend the money for a AP or Losmundy? The other thing is that you will be putting Major stress on the mounts internals do a test for yourself, get a small spinning top spin it. you will notice that it will spin easily (youll get it going easily) now get a spinning top that has at least 2x the amount of weight it will not spin as easily as the small top. It is balanced Perfectly otherwise it would spin but you need way more energy to get it to spin fast enough. the internals in the HEq5 are not the same as the EQ6.

-If your only putting a 10" scope on the mount with no other equipment then a heq5 will do.

-If your doing anything else. stay well away from it!

[AlexN]

it all comes down to balance.. I had easily 28kgs (probably closer to 30kgs) on my EQ6 and got good deep sky results... yes it was loaded past its limit, and the slightest wind would ruin exposures, but provided it was balanced carefully tracking was fine...

I've seen quite a lot of weight on HEQ5's too.. Given they are balanced, they will carry the weight... Damage to the motors is unlikely if its balanced well. stability will suffer, but it will preform in the right conditions..

I wouldn't attempt deep sky photography with a 10" newt, guider + cameras etc on a HEQ5 just for the stability issues alone... I wouldn't relish the idea of all that gear on an EQ6 pro with regards to stability either.. Yes its possible to do it, but with a nice breeze you're going to be frustrated regularly...

The most I plan to put on the HEQ5 that I've just organized as a downgrade from my EQ6 is something like a 4" refractor and a 3" refractor side by side..

Since my days of having 30kgs or there abouts on an EQ6, I'll say I'm a firm believer in over mounting your gear as much as you can... If I get a mount that says it can carry 40kgs, I wont be putting more than 20kgs on it for photography purposes... Likewise, the HEQ5 is rated at 17kgs... I dont see myself putting more than 7~8kgs on it...

[DJ N]

I would have to agree with Alex. I think you would be better off saving a while longer and going straight for the EQ6. This way you will have much greater flexibility for the future. I have been down this track. I originally purchased a HEQ5 Pro, then within 12 months, had "upgraded" to an EQ6, and my only regret was that I did not do it sooner. It is a very stable platform. I honestly believe it to be the "best bang for buck" mount out there. Incidentally, with all my imaging gear, the ED120, ED80, DSLR, DMK etc, I am only loading the mount to a total of 10kg!!

[rider]

removed by rider

[pjphilli]

Hi All
I am always suspicious of manufacturer's maximum ratings. You can bet your life that these are loadings under ideal conditions seldom experienced in the field. I tried to load my HEQ5Pro up to 17Kg and found the weight rod
inadequate. I have noticed a lot of threads where users have had to lengthen the rod. I have now separated my scope into two platforms to give a max 12Kg load and find that the mount now operates sweetly.
Cheers Peter

[RobF]

I must be smokin' that stuff Brendan mentioned, 'cause I'm very happy with my Heq5. Anyone who needs to sell quickly to buy an EQ6 just didn't do their homework first up. For the right gear, the HEQ is in a sweet spot for performance, price, WEIGHT and convenience i would argue.

Putting a 10" with guiding gear is definitely moving outside the "Sweet spot" though. And any big newt in a breeze is bad, even on an EQ6. The Nexstar 130 should be fine, but seems to me no-one has asked what Nicholas might be upgrading to, which is likely the be the crux here.

Wow this HEQ5 is good stuff man - I can't wait for Sat to have another hit....! :P:whistle:

[bmitchell82]

Thats why i made that comment because Rider was saying that you could happily place a 10" on a HEq5... I know that is not true as i struggle with the EQ6 10" setup.

Astro photography 101

GET A OVERSIZED MOUNT OR ELSE GREIF BECOMEITH!

EQ1, - Department store barely useable

EQ2-3 Useable as a basic setup ( 2-5kgs max)

EQ 5 can be used for photography but light loads <8kgs
HEq5 good for photography at loads <10kgs

EQ6Pro Best of the low end budget mounts sweet spot for weight <15kgs

Anything over these kinda weights and things get a little unstable

Sure you can make it work and sometimes you will produce a stunning image but it takes alot of exp and hard work to do it.:thumbsup:

[darrellx]

Hi All

Does the weight carry capacity of any particular mount go up when you move the head from a tripod to a pier, or is that irrelevant and the capacity stay the same?

Thanks
Darrell

[AlexN]

Agreed..

Overmounting your scopes is the best way to get reliable performance..

A few wise people have said many times... you can have the best camera available with the sweetest optics around, if your mount isn't up to the task of carrying it, your images will be crap... you're better off with the biggest mount you can handle and afford with normal optics and camera setups.. This way, your images may be lower resolution, they may show a little optical imperfection, but at least your stars will be round..

[AlexN]

The capacity remains the same, however the mounts stability in a breeze will be much greater on a pier than on the tripod..

The mounts limits is more based on how its engineered, the materials used in fabrication and the size of the main gears and shafts...