Mount question

[Razz]

I'm not looking to buy an eq mount right now, this is more of an opinion question...would this be a good mount for AP or should I save some money and get a better one? I have very little AP experience at this time, however, I don't want to keep buying mounts as upgrades. I'd rather get a better mount to begin with.

https://agenaastro.com/ioptron-skyhunte ... sheqa.html

[JayTee]

With only 11 lb of payload capacity which means 5.5 lb for AP you're not getting very much for your money. A used AVX mount which can handle 30 lb of payload, which is 15 lb for AP, would be less costly than the mount in question.

If you don't want to do the upgrade your mount periodically game, then you need to start with a mount that costs more than $1,500.

[Razz]

Understood but I have to ask...why is $1500 the magic number?

[JayTee]

The real-world answer is -- because it is!

Do your research, all mounts priced over $1500 are high-quality mounts that won't need an upgrade for many years to come. The HEQ 5, the iOptron iEQ 30, and several others come to mind!

Reference this post and the attached spreadsheet.

viewtopic.php?t=1041

[Lady Fraktor]

The Celestron AVX is considered the minimum to start AP and sells for between $900-$1,100USD.
Most people who are doing serious AP outgrown it quickly.
For something that will grow with you mounts of the EQ-6 class and larger are recommended so $1,500+USD.

[Juno16]

Hi Razz,

I agree with JT and Gabrielle completely.

I started with an AVX and it did very well for me (to start with). Most mounts in the price range of the AVX are mass produced in China and there is quite a bit of "difference" between copies. In other words, it's the luck of the draw. Some perform much better than others out of the box.

I moved to a Skywatcher HEQ5-Pro. Mi HEQ5 was not much better performing out of the box than the AVX, but I have found that the HEQ5 is much easier to work on (improve) if need be.

There are many things that you can do to "improve" an HEQ5 that you cannot do with the AVX. You can easily bypass the hand controller and use software like EQMOD or GreenSwampServer to control the mount in the background with a direct cable from the pc to the mount.
Adjusting the mount (such as the worm gears) seems to be much easier with the HEQ5. The Rowan belt kit can be added DIY for a small price and will very much improve the mounts tracking/guiding by eliminating gear backlash.

I would have gone with the EQ-6 class mount, but I really don't need the weight capacity (I have a 61mm and 102mm refractor) and at 67 years old, I would rather lug out the much, much lighter HEQ5.

I know nothing about the Ioptron mounts, but have heard very good things about them.

If you are planning for a mount for AP in the future, you are doing the right thing by posting here to learn by other folks experiences!

[Razz]

Thanks for the replies/opinions. I still have a lot to learn about AP and the gear I already have so I'm in no hurry to buy another mount. You've given me some good info.

[Gmetric]

I would say that it depends on what you intend to do your AP with. Load is key in terms of stability and the 50% rule applies for AP.

Take the max load rating of the mount and reduce that by 50% and that is the best load handling capacity for AP. So, You want a mount that will take the load of the AP gear that you'd like to use which equals a max of 50% of the max capacity of the mount that you want.

However, there are certain aspects of a mount that may or may not make it suitable for AP. The AVX uses only a bearing surface on the declination axis meaning that for best guiding you need the polar alignment to be as close to spot-on as possible. It is equivalent to an EQ5 mount in that sense. I used to use an EQ5 and, with a good polar alignment, have gotten some good results. But, eggy stars were a problem. So you really want bearings on both axes' for better guiding.

You can cover most objects with a Sky-Watcher Evostar 76 which is reasonably priced and reasonably well-corrected. Once reduced to 0.8 and flattened has a lovely field of view, depending on sensor size. The point being, a scope of that size with a guide scope, camera, filter wheels, and auto focuser will still sit comfortably on an HEQ5 Pro or the equivalent. If you want to image with a 200mm Newtonian and all the paraphernalia, or a 130mm frac and all the paraphernalia then you'll need an EQ6R pro or an older EQ6.

For most amateur APers an EQ6R or the equivalent is more than enough, and for many, an HEQ5 pro is enough. I use an HEQ5 Pro and on days with little wind, and well-balanced, I have no problem with my 200mm astrograph and all the gear. Although, I prefer my Evostar 76 as it's easy to transport, set up and image with.

The HEQ5 means that I'm lugging around about 20kg in weight for the mount, tripod and counterweight. Then add all the gear. As the mount gets bigger it also gets heavier, which is a major factor if you have to travel with your gear. For me, the HEQ5 meets my needs and has done for a while now. I can throw it, and all my gear, in the car, travel, set up and break down without too much trouble.

Upgrading? Well, to be honest, if you think you are going to upgrade in the future, definitely plan for it now. You really don't want to buy three mounts. If you really think you can go that deep into the rabbit hole then plan for it and buy an EQ6R pro or equivalent and don't look back. But, that's more money!

If you'll be satisfied with imaging with a lighter rig then an HEQ5 or equivalent will suffice. Typically the HEQ5 pro and its equivalents are about the minimum requirements for long-term and long-exposure imaging.

I've been using my HEQ5 pro for about 6 years now in all manner of places. I've modified it with a belt drive upgrade and guiding at 1 to 1 I never have a problem, even with a fairly dodgy polar alignment.

Hope that helps

[Juno16]

Hey G, @Gmetric

I’ve heard you mention guiding at 1 to 1 before.
Do you mean image scale to total rms error?

Thanks buddy

[Razz]

Thanks for the info Gmetric. It did help. Like I said, I'm in no hurry and, in my mind, it's cheaper in the long run to get the best quality gear I can afford as opposed to upgrading as I go. I got into that habit years ago when I was a guitar player as well as all my other hobbies.

[TexasStar]

See my review of the SkyClunker in the iOptron mounts section.