Quote:
Originally Posted by DJVege
Thanks for the replies, guys. Guess it looks like I need a new mount, and if I have to buy a new mount, then it will be way too expensive to go Argo Navis as well.
I could get the HEQ5 Go-TO from Bintel for $1799+ (which is already over budget). And if I was to just get the HEQ5 + the Argo, it would be $2000+ in total.
Here is where the "Astronomy saving fund" begins!!
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Hi DJ,
The Argo Navis would give you an infinitely better and more powerfull database of objects than what comes with a standard "GOTO" mount. Further, the Argo Navis is a "Digital Telescope Computer", as opposed to the other systems which are essentially "object locators" only. It's also worth noting that the Argo Navis unit is completely portable from one mount to another, so you only need one Argo Navis controller to accomodate several mounts. Don't assume that you don't get much extra for the couple of hundred more dollars the HEQ5/Argo Navis option would cost you. That couple of hundred extra dollars buys you a heck of a lot. It all comes back to how much you want to spend. You get what you pay for. FWIW, I wouldn't think of a mount less than the HEQ5 for that telescope. One of the Vixen mounts or a Losmandy GM8 would be a far better option, if you can afford it, for imaging with that scope which it is very well suited to. The Argo Navis can be fitted to any of these mounts easily, if that's the route you want to take.
Cheers,
John B