drive for celestron astromaster 70eq

[sailorbebop (Nick)]

Hi,
I recently bought my first proper scope, an astromaster 70eq. I decided that if astronomy is something I enjoy, I'd like to know how to align an eq mount.

I've got it pretty close a lot of times, but I think if I get a drive for my scope it might help. Not having to continually turn the ra knob to look at saturn in all its glory would be fantastic.

On bintel's site, I see "SkyWatcher EQ-1 RA Drive" and "SkyWatcher EQ-2 RA Drive". Does anyone know if either will fit my scope?

It's on a "CG-2 Equatorial" mount. The pictures make them look compatible but I just wanted to check if anyone knows for sure.

Also, any suggestions on accessories I should get? I have a 2x barlow, a 6.5mm and 15mm eyepiece (plus the 10mm/20mm that came with the scope). I find the 6.5mm and the 10mm to have very small holes, making it hard to see. Also 6.5 mm is approaching the limit of magnification I can get away with on my 70mm x 900mm refractor.

Are illuminated eyepieces (for eq alignment) worth it? Should I get a higher quality eyepiece such as a meade hd-60? If so, should I get a higher magnification one (such as 6.5mm) or a 12mm and use with my barlow? I am located in brisbane and mostly observe from my balcony (so planets are my main target so far).

cheers,
Nick

[vignesh1230 (Vig)]

Hey, i bought the Astromaster 130eq as my first scope and it has the Eq3 mount, and im pretty sure you can use the SkyWatcher EQ-2 RA Drive for your mount, as the motor drive looks exactly like mine. Should fit fine with your telescope mount. The SkyWatcher EQ-1 RA Drive is meant for a EQ1 mount and yours is a EQ-2. The only thing that bugged me with the mount on mine was that the Newtonian scope sometimes turned really awkwardly and hit the motor drive, but you may not have the same problems.

I have a 2x barlow, a 6.5mm and 15mm eyepiece (plus the 10mm/20mm that came with the scope). I find the 6.5mm and the 10mm to have very small holes, making it hard to see. Also 6.5 mm is approaching the limit of magnification I can get away with on my 70mm x 900mm refractor.

Doing better than me already i have to say. I only have the ones that came with my scope so far.

And about the illuminated eyepieces, i have no idea
Had a look at them, it may help with drift alignment, but honestly i wouldnt get it unless i was looking for precise alignment (Maybe i should get it for my scope as i was gunna start doing some astrophotography and could help me) But dont take it from me XD I dont use one yet... And i may have completely muddled up the point of illuminated eyepieces XD

[sil (Steve)]

I use both an Astromaster 114EQ and a FirstScope. A while ago I went through all the eyepieces that came with both scopes looking at a distant object during the day. I was clear just how bad and varied the image quality is through the eyepieces. Poor contrast, lots of chromatic aberation, etc.

I bought two Baader Hyperions (8mm and 21mm (I had reasons for not getting the zoom at the same price)). These are great eyepieces and now both scopes which I was very disappointed with initially are now very usable. I know people are divided about the wide view eyepieces but I really like the Hyperions wide field of view as it helps me find my targets easier while I'm learning the skies. Cheap glass is not going to let your scope perform at its best, so I recommend spending the money and get a couple of quality eyepieces. One of the factors for getting the Hyperions is they can be used on either 1.25" or 2" focusers, so when I get a better scope then I already have good eyepieces ready to use. It may seem silly putting such larger and expensive eyepieces on the FirstScope but its made it a seriously good little scope to use even sitting on the desk inside looking out through the window.

Can't help with mount advice, I've decided to stick with the manual mount and learn about how to better balance the scope and isolate vibrations more. I also find manually finding targets and tracking helps me learn where things are, how much of the sky the eyepieces cover (so using the Sky Atlas I have a better idea what to look for through the eyepiece), and how fast the sky moves across the eyepiece.

[sailorbebop (Nick)]

Originally Posted by vignesh1230

Hey, i bought the Astromaster 130eq as my first scope and it has the Eq3 mount, and im pretty sure you can use the SkyWatcher EQ-2 RA Drive for your mount, as the motor drive looks exactly like mine. Should fit fine with your telescope mount. The SkyWatcher EQ-1 RA Drive is meant for a EQ1 mount and yours is a EQ-2.

Are you sure CG-2 Equatorial is the same as EQ-2? I have a lot of trouble finding this out for sure. I seem to recall it being different, but i can't remember if CG-2 is EQ1 or EQ3..

[sailorbebop (Nick)]

I'll have to check out those eyepiece.. There are so many to choose from and I really don't have a clue what I'm looking for.

Originally Posted by sil

Can't help with mount advice, I've decided to stick with the manual mount and learn about how to better balance the scope and isolate vibrations more. I also find manually finding targets and tracking helps me learn where things are, how much of the sky the eyepieces cover (so using the Sky Atlas I have a better idea what to look for through the eyepiece), and how fast the sky moves across the eyepiece.

I'm not looking at getting a GOTO mount, just a drive motor so 1) I don't have to keep turning the RA knob. 2) I can better assess my polar alignment (my subject should stay centered if i'm accurately polar aligned)

Maybe it's because my scope is light, but i don't really have vibration or balance problems; the scope balances nicely and only vibrates in strong wind or when i turn the focuser (for a couple of seconds).