if budget is a constraint, y not consider finding a used vixen mount instead? those jap mounts have far better PE than the cg5. can always adapt it to the synscan later and u have best of both world, gd PE and goto. of course, u are giving up loading capacity if u go for a gp mount, unless u can afford the gp-dx.
~MooEy~
Which setup is best for imaging?
I just checked the Buy & Sell forum and found universe24's thread. It's $1,000 which is near to the new HEQ-5 Pro. Does pec correction work well if the mount is not always setup at the same place?
Clear skies,
Robin.
Cyclops Optics - QHYCCD, William Optics, Televue, STC & Optolong filters
Free shipping for purchases above SG$250
Robin.
Cyclops Optics - QHYCCD, William Optics, Televue, STC & Optolong filters
Free shipping for purchases above SG$250
by default, the gp mount comes without anything. just the al-150 legs and the mount head, and 2 slow motion knobs. the motors have to be purchase separately.
u have the choice of buying the original vixen mt-1 motors and the dd-1 controller, with maybe 2 clutch. however, i strongly advise anyone from buying this combo. main reason is that it is very expensive and the dd-1 have a bad reputation for failing.
the other common option is to buy the way cheaper china motor drives for the sky view pro. or other motors for cg5/eq-5. those would cost only 100-150 usd and works fine for most people. neither the mt-1/dd1 or the china drives accept autoguider and pec.
of course, if u are very rich, go ahead and find a set of ss2k pc. those prolly go for 700usd or so on astromart. the ss2k is the best option since it's highly accurate and has a very brainy processor. comes with autoguider port and pec. also can track in both axis to minimise polar alignment effort. gd luck locating a set.
wat i am using right now is the synscan. it will cost u 500 usd, have decent goto and comes with autoguider port. can do pec with it. can also connect to pc thru the eq-direct interface, making this one of the best options ard.
do note, vixen mounts can vary a little, be extremely careful when buying one for imaging use. the gears inside it are soft and can easily be damaged thru bumps and knocks. turn the knobs, feel whether they are smooth, make sure that they dun bind at certain angles, do turn all 360 degrees over and over. very old and well battled ones should be avoided for imaging use.
also, do inspect carefully and confirm it's an original vixen gp mount, not some china clone.
~MooEy~
u have the choice of buying the original vixen mt-1 motors and the dd-1 controller, with maybe 2 clutch. however, i strongly advise anyone from buying this combo. main reason is that it is very expensive and the dd-1 have a bad reputation for failing.
the other common option is to buy the way cheaper china motor drives for the sky view pro. or other motors for cg5/eq-5. those would cost only 100-150 usd and works fine for most people. neither the mt-1/dd1 or the china drives accept autoguider and pec.
of course, if u are very rich, go ahead and find a set of ss2k pc. those prolly go for 700usd or so on astromart. the ss2k is the best option since it's highly accurate and has a very brainy processor. comes with autoguider port and pec. also can track in both axis to minimise polar alignment effort. gd luck locating a set.
wat i am using right now is the synscan. it will cost u 500 usd, have decent goto and comes with autoguider port. can do pec with it. can also connect to pc thru the eq-direct interface, making this one of the best options ard.
do note, vixen mounts can vary a little, be extremely careful when buying one for imaging use. the gears inside it are soft and can easily be damaged thru bumps and knocks. turn the knobs, feel whether they are smooth, make sure that they dun bind at certain angles, do turn all 360 degrees over and over. very old and well battled ones should be avoided for imaging use.
also, do inspect carefully and confirm it's an original vixen gp mount, not some china clone.
~MooEy~
What should I check for to make sure that it's not a vixen clone?
Just checked OPT that the Vixen GP is the manual version, not the one that I was thinking. So, it's cheaper than a HEQ-5 Pro.
Just checked OPT that the Vixen GP is the manual version, not the one that I was thinking. So, it's cheaper than a HEQ-5 Pro.
Clear skies,
Robin.
Cyclops Optics - QHYCCD, William Optics, Televue, STC & Optolong filters
Free shipping for purchases above SG$250
Robin.
Cyclops Optics - QHYCCD, William Optics, Televue, STC & Optolong filters
Free shipping for purchases above SG$250
-
wucheeyiun
- Posts: 1758
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 5:57 pm
- Location: marine parade
- Contact:
heh, $450 wor, was thinking of getting a gp to upgrade so that my motor covers could fit :x but my sp mount is very gd leh.
anyway, do consider ur purpose carefully. a gp-dx with the synscan upgrade would cost abt 200 usd more than the eq-6, but would be easy to move ard and have guranteed and consistent tracking accuracy of 15 arc second peak to peak.
the eq-6/heq5 are slightly cheaper, have rating capacity close to or greater than the gd-dx but the PE may vary a little. but still, most people have luck with them, so why not?
the cg5-gt are the cheapest ard, at prolly 1/2 or 1/3 of the price. but my experience isn't a great one, esp when it comes to tracking accuracy. i have no proper charts to show, but i estimate it to be +/- 40 to 60 arc second range. double that figure for peak to peak values.
considering the price of shipping, ur better off picking up a used gp mount and getting synscan if u intend to do imaging.
otherwise, visual use, u can really load this monster up with a 9-11" sct. it actually have ball bearings in it and it much smoother to turn in the ra-axis. of course, if u are feeling brave, there are articles on lapping worm gears. but i'm not responsible for any damage done.
~MooEy~
anyway, do consider ur purpose carefully. a gp-dx with the synscan upgrade would cost abt 200 usd more than the eq-6, but would be easy to move ard and have guranteed and consistent tracking accuracy of 15 arc second peak to peak.
the eq-6/heq5 are slightly cheaper, have rating capacity close to or greater than the gd-dx but the PE may vary a little. but still, most people have luck with them, so why not?
the cg5-gt are the cheapest ard, at prolly 1/2 or 1/3 of the price. but my experience isn't a great one, esp when it comes to tracking accuracy. i have no proper charts to show, but i estimate it to be +/- 40 to 60 arc second range. double that figure for peak to peak values.
considering the price of shipping, ur better off picking up a used gp mount and getting synscan if u intend to do imaging.
otherwise, visual use, u can really load this monster up with a 9-11" sct. it actually have ball bearings in it and it much smoother to turn in the ra-axis. of course, if u are feeling brave, there are articles on lapping worm gears. but i'm not responsible for any damage done.
~MooEy~