Goto Noise Levels

[Eyegasm]

Hi All

I am currently looking to buy a new Goto system for my 6 inch Maksutov.
Problem I am facing is that I live in a block of units and therefore require
a system that is as quiet as possible. Does anyone know or have any info
on what may be a suitable quiet mount so I don't annoy the crap out of my
neighbours??? Am hesitant to ask dealers as they all claim that their mounts
are the best and quietest on the market , so need some unbiased feedback.
All info and feedback will be valued and appreciated.

[[1ponders]]

l think you are going to get noise no matter what system you use, though from what I can remember of the EQ6 with skyscan it was pretty quiet. One way of keeping the noise down is to select a slower slew speed.

The quietest way to go would be to see if you can install encoders on your existing system and get an Argo Navis. No noise at all there.

[acropolite]

I really can't see that the noise from a goto of any type would be a problem. Even the LX at maximum slew rate is not that noisy.

[Striker]

EQ6 with skyscan is one of the quietest one's I have heard.

If comparing to the LX mounts.....the LX series are very loud compared to the skyscan.

But like Paul said just lower the slew speed if noise is an issue.

[Dennis]

My Vixen GPDX with Skysensor 2000 seems quiet, until you start a GoTo slew in the deadly silence of 1:00am. Then, it is very noticeable due to the incredible quietness and tranquility that the wee hours of the morning bring.

To ensure my neighbours remain undisturbed, I reduce the slew rate from x1200 sidereal to x500 which makes it almost whisper quiet. I can still hear the slews locally, but the noise does not propagate beyond the garden fence.

Cheers

Dennis

[Eyegasm]

Thanks guys for all the feedback so far. So far it appears that the EQ6 is agood candidate and also the Vixen GPDX according to Dennis. Does anyone own a HEQ5 Pro mount??? Heard reports that it is quite a solid beast but how does it stack up on the noise front??? Also wondering if there have been any comparison tests done on the various GOTO mounts on the market ala the full works like db noise measurements etc. Any links that have some comparison tests will also be helpful I guess if anyone knows of one.

[h0ughy]

I can attest to the EQ6 being very quiet, I have a LX200 12" and that's a noisy beast. The eq6 is extremely quiet. Cant go too wrong with that, and the stability, then when you get tired of the 6" you can go for a larger size and the mount will handle it very well, or a dual setup, or piggybacking.

[matt]

houghy

I'm pretty happy with my new EQ6 and Synscan but I've noticed a fairly loud rattling when slewing in RA, I think towards the end of the slew. Any idea what that might be and how it can be fixed???

Any help much appreciated:)

[h0ughy]

Don't know matt, it could be something a little loose, I am no mechanical expert, but Roger Davis might know, he did the synscan upgrade and the clean up and meshing of the drive before i got the EQ6.

[matt]

Thanks. I'll do that.

[OneOfOne]

As mentioned earlier, I think a lot of the noise is because you are outside in the quiet (other than the odd possum making a racket, and scaring the hell out of you) and all of a sudden this things starts buzzing away. I guess I should stand in my neighbours back yard and get my wife to do a slew, just to actually get to know just how much noise I am actually making.

On a similar vein, I have always wondered while aligning the scope with a laser if any of the neighbours would look out their window to see this spooky green light pointing over the roof of their house. They might think they are about to be abducted...:lol: but so far, no one has said anything, I don't think the beam is that easily visible if you are off axis and in the suburbs. Mind you, it comes in handy to scare those possums away....:whistle:

[robin]

My 10" LX200 is a noisy beast when its in top slewing gear. The celestrons are meant to be quieter but as Ive not used one , I cant really comment.
The way I look at, if its noisy(at fastest slewing speed), its working! I get no complaints from my neighbours as once you're several metres away, its not a problem.

[allan gould]

I recently purchased this mount and have been very impressed with the quality of the mount. The goto motors are very quiet and there should be no problem with it late at night. Decidedly quieter than the ds motor/autostar retrofir to cg5 mount I was using.
Regards, Allan

[Robert_T]

Eyegasm, last time I was in Sirius Optics at Underwood Ron had one of the HEQ5's on display and set it up to work. It looks equally of not more solid than the LXD75 and the motors were whisper smooth and quiet in comparison... if I hadn't already bought the LXD75 I would have been tempted!