I know it's hard to give an opinion or offer a suggestion without being just a little bit biased towards a certain product. . .
but I have pretty well narrowed my choices down to 2 different mounts.
I was seriously contemplating getting the HEQ5 with GoTo but have today found out the horrendous cost of getting this mount in Synscan V.3 configuration!!!
If the existing HEQ5 Pro version is available in V.3 I will consider it coz Bintel advertises them for $1799 but doesn't say whether it is the V.2.05 or V.3.
I can get a stock standard HEQ5 (no drives at all) at a good price but I want to spoil myself for a change and get GoTo.
Other than the HEQ5's, the 2 mounts I have chosen are the Celestron CG5-GT and the LXD75 with Autostar. Both are flash upgradable. I want the mount for Astrophotraphy using my ED80.
There are differences between these 2 mounts and not knowing anything about mounts it has me a little bit confused.
The CG5 has autoguiding but no PEC, whereas the LXD75 has PEC but no Autoguiding, and any other differences members may be aware of.
I have read many many reviews on both and it has made splitting the 2 even harder! Some reviews say they are both useless, others say they are both great. There is only about $200 difference between the 2, so that doesn't come into it.
Any unbiased help would be truley appreciated. I will be sussing these mounts out at camp in 2 weeks time (if both versions are there) but it's nice to get help from more people. (Unless there are other options under $1500 that I haven't discovered yet)
A suggestion from a CG5 owner, if you want to image for longer than say 5 minutes then autoguiding is probably far more important than PEC on an entry level goto mount, unless you are prepared to sit there observing your tracking with a manual (say a $300) flip mirror guider and do alignment adjustments every 30 seconds - trying not to vibrate the scope as you go?
I think the cheaper $1,299 mount is actually better equiped for guided and therefore longer duration astro photography. You other option is to do plenty of short images and stich them all together using software to re-combine images that have drifted.
The imaging I am doing at the moment (and probably for a while) is with a Modified Toucam so I doubt I will be doing 5+ minute exposures. The longest exposures I currently take with the Toucam are only 35 seconds, but I have to think of the future as well. If I end up with a better CCD imager or a DSLR then the ability to do longer exposures will be handy.
I am informed that the $1249 CG-5GT is the latest model. Not sure about the others.
I was also informed last week that the LXD75 still uses the older LXD55 motors. Dunno if thats a good thing or not.
Another thing to consider is that I will be controlling the scope from about 8 metres away in my little control room, so laptop control is a necessity.
Also, with the CG5, is there any extra accessories (cables, programmes etc) needed to autoguide it?
If I had the choice I would take Autoguiding over Pec.
Pec is more desireable for extreme Imager after perfect images.....and if this was the case you wouldn't be buying either of these mounts.
HEQ5 would be my preference then the CG5/LXD75 because of the heavier mount.
I didn't know the LXD75 didn't have a guide port.
Frank is using the CG5 mount with a SCT taking over 10minute exposures....a much more difficult task then imaging through the ED80 at 600mm focal length.
I'd agree with Tony – auto guiding is more important than PEC. I believe that on most small mounts, the worm/worm wheel makes a single revolution in between 6 and 8 minutes, depending on the number of teeth of the worm wheel.
With auto guiding, you can correct for Periodic Error (PE) during the worm revolution, provided the PE is smooth and doesn’t suffer from large excursions due to poor workmanship, backlash, etc. That is, you would want any gear errors (PE) to be slow and smooth, so that when you calibrate the auto guider for an imaging session, it has a chance to guide them out.
If the PE is large and jagged, then long exposure astrophotography becomes very frustrating and unsatisfactory - in fact, almost impossible.
I also think that starting out with an 80mm (presume f7?) OTA giving a focal length of 560mm is a great way to start – you’ll get some good results without too many frustrations and set backs.
If you want goto on the standard HEQ5 you need the full skyscan upgrade which is expensive....it includes the skyscan motors, control panel with quide port and controler...has to be fitted be technicians now a days.
Atleast another $1000 on top.
Come to think of it Iam not entirely sure they sell the skyscan upgrade seperately for the HEQ5 as they don't have the same control panel as the EQ6 with the guide port.
Yes, they do have the V.3 upgrade for the HEQ5. That's why I turned off this particular one Tony, coz it's only the Skyscan model, not the Synscan or the V.3.:
HEQ5 Go-To, steel tripod legs and Skyscan Go-To fitted by Tasco in Australia $1699.00
For those dollars I could get the HEQ5 Pro which has the Skyscan factory fitted by Skywatcher for $1799
But also, the HEQ5 isn't able to be driven by a laptop or PC!
I was also informed last week that the LXD75 still uses the older LXD55 motors. Dunno if thats a good thing or not.
Less desirable using old technology.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
Another thing to consider is that I will be controlling the scope from about 8 metres away in my little control room, so laptop control is a necessity.
Eight metres, a CCD imager with a USB2 cable isn't going beyond 5 metres without repeaters and a powered USB2 hub.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
Also, with the CG5, is there any extra accessories (cables, programmes etc) needed to autoguide it?
You need a six wire cable for the autoguiding hardware an a imager that complies with the S-BIG auto-guiding standards.
You can use the Meade AutoStar, and/or run guidedog and run a virtual parallel port and an LX200 emulator through ShoeString astronomy's adapters.
Convoluted but Celestron don't seem to care much about the software side of running mounts nor documenting them well.
Eight metres, a CCD imager with a USB2 cable isn't going beyond 5 metres without repeaters and a powered USB2 hub.
You need a six wire cable for the autoguiding hardware an a imager that complies with the S-BIG auto-guiding standards.
You can use the Meade AutoStar, and/or run guidedog and run a virtual parallel port and an LX200 emulator through ShoeString astronomy's adapters.
Convoluted but Celestron don't seem to care much about the software side of running mounts nor documenting them well.
Geez! I think I should take up knitting!!!
Surely it can't be that complicated. I run the large EQ i have now, and Toucam USB2 and Accufocus etc etc thru 11m cables now without any problems.
Maybe I should just get the HEQ5 with duel drives. At least I should be able to extend the cables on that and drive it from inside my control room. Sounds simpler. I just won't have the advantage of Goto.
Well I've read the USB2 standard - signals aren't supposed to be supported beyond 5.06 metres - thats 6cm maximum tolerance! So I'm rather surprised and pleased for you that it works.
Changing mounts of course won't affect your existing camera choice.
Personally after having a motorised eq-3 mount and a goto CG5 - the goto wins all over the motorised mount. It makes your time so much more efficient and makes finding difficult targets alot easier.
I would love to have GoTo but what you are saying is involved is really turning me off them.
I suppose there's gonna be problems extending the hand controller cable on a HEQ5 Skyscan GoTo as well. (I read that they aren't PC compatible so I would have to extend the hand contrller cable)
Hi, Fox here. Whilst I cannot really comment about PEC vs. Autoguiding for AP, I can make some general comments about the LXD75 which I have had now for 9 months. As a mount for casual observing and Goto, I have found it very good, with reservation. Some of the construction, whilst apparently an improvement over the LXD55, is still quite crude. I've done the entire Hypertuning thing now (that's another story), and IMHO perhaps the weakest link in the LXD75 is how crudely the motors (with plastic housing which makes them quite noisy) screw onto the mount and couple with the worm gears - they attach with a single bolt and have no fine adjustment ability. The worms themselves and how the worms mesh with the RA/Dec gears, have fine adjustment ability - but how the motors couple with the worms is substandard. I could go very in depth about the mounts internals, but that's best for another forum.
On the flip side, as I said, the LXD75 suits and serves me very well for my Genesis for casual observing, and it's relatively light compared to some more serious mounts. I give the LXD75 credit for having a real role in getting me back into the hobby after a very long break. On another board, someone said to me that I would outgrow the LXD75 in 6 months - I'd probably agree with that thought, and sooner or later I can see myself upgrading to a higher level mount. Cheers, Fox.
I would love to have GoTo but what you are saying is involved is really turning me off them.
I suppose there's gonna be problems extending the hand controller cable on a HEQ5 Skyscan GoTo as well. (I read that they aren't PC compatible so I would have to extend the hand contrller cable)
apparently you run them in ascom under the celestron 5i emulation
Sorry guys but you are all talking waaaayyyyy over my head!
repeaters, six wire cable for the autoguiding hardware, a imager that complies with the S-BIG auto-guiding standards, Meade AutoStar and/or run guidedog and run a virtual parallel port and an LX200 emulator through ShoeString astronomy's adapters, ascom, 5i emulation . . .
Sorry guys but you are all talking waaaayyyyy over my head!
repeaters, six wire cable for the autoguiding hardware, a imager that complies with the S-BIG auto-guiding standards, Meade AutoStar and/or run guidedog and run a virtual parallel port and an LX200 emulator through ShoeString astronomy's adapters, ascom, 5i emulation . . .
Sprekkin de Deutsch?
the sparky bit gets pushed to the bit without sparky bits and it makes it go whirrr by the bit with a sparky brain.
Hi, Fox here. Whilst I cannot really comment about PEC vs. Autoguiding for AP, I can make some general comments about the LXD75 which I have had now for 9 months. . . . . . .
Thank you for your comments on the LXD75, Fox.
I know nothing about mounts so your comments are very helpful.
I am no less confused, but your comments have confirmed what I read in reviews. Thanks.
At this rate I'm almost tempted to just buy a Celestron NexStar 60 SLT
60mm x 700mm with Go-To for $499.00, rip off the crappy 60mm refractor and mount the ED80 in its place. Be a lot simpler!
There is only about $200 difference between the 2, so that doesn't come into it.
