Getting the dual axis drive kit makes a great addition to ease of use and you will need at least the single axis motor drive if doing astrophotography but you can do with out those if your just going to use it for observing.
You sound like a good old Norfolk boy. I was born in Yarmouth but have lived in Ipswich for the last 10 years. We have some lovely dark skies around here and the Skywatcher 200 is on my shopping list. Good video.
Hi boodlewoodle, Just purchased a secondhand EQ5 and 200P. Your blog and videos have been really useful in demystifying astronomy and I appreciate your "budget" approach. Many thanks
Vern Middleton hi Vern glad you found it all useful I sold all my gear two years ago but have left my blog and utube channel open for others to benefit from. There is a lot to learn but I really loved doing astrophotography and astronomy, back into my fishing now though. clear skies buddy
Excellent vid and a great help, not that I've got a scope yet. I'm currently weighing up my options but am most likely to go for the Explorer 200P with EQ5 mount. Will be checking out your blog shortly.
Thanks mate. Just what I needed. I've just got a 200pds with heq5 mount. the manual and other youtube vids have done my brain in. You've made a nice simple guide that leaves the more advanced alignment techniques for another day. Again, thank you! Note, I hadn't realised about the '2 little knobs, guess their the azimuth controls... Also, I had the alt bolts round the wrong way -couldn't get high enough - didn't realise til taking apart, one is longer! Doh. haha
@boodlewoodle thanks. nice work there and congrats on Sky at Night win aswell. i've bookmarked your site. ps, I have the synscan goto 'setup' too. I've only just managed to align the reticule and sight-scope. (daytime job). Now I think I just need to perm-mark a line for the home position before clear skies.
@yosser38 Hi Yosser38, the motors are the single axis kit you can get from sky watcher they control the RA axis on the mount. I like to use and adapter with the motor and avoid using the battery pack as its better to have a good strong electric supply going to the motor. This avoids getting star trails with wonky battery.
Thanx for the Video, found it very usefull, I notice now how much more the telescope manovers better and with ease now its balenced properly. Thumbs Up
Thank you.Astronomy shed has a very good tutorial on centering the polar scope its pretty important to do this. I never use the date and time dials there pretty much a waste of time. Use Stellurium and my finder scope plus a pair of binoculars is a better.
Great video, thanks. I've recently had knee problems (torn meniscus) and squatting down to observe objects near the zenith is a real pain. I've always had refractors, and more recently an SCT, so I was thinking maybe a Newtonian would be pretty comfortable for my use because of less bending etc. Just one question, are you constantly rotating the telescope in the tube rings when you're switching between subjects to get the eyepiece level?
You will find the skywatcher a great telescope possibly no difference between the two I would say. I love mine to bits and have used it for over 2 years now with no problems great scope highly recommended.
My advice on the mounts is simple if you can afford to get an HEQ5 then get one you don't need synscan go to on your telescope its nice but you don't need it to do astrophotography. The EQ5 and 200p are great if you are happy to do short exposures of under a couple of minutes but given the choice I now would go for the HEQ5.
Upgrades are available but my advise is save up your cash and get the one you need off the bat as it can just add more to the expense as you keep getting upgrades.
Personally I would polar align the mount before adding the telescope and counterweights. The latitude adjustment bolts are notoriously soft and easily bend with all that added weight.
pmw650 yes very good point those bolts are rubbish I took mine out and replaced them with some better ones, if you can't do that just be very careful as you tighten the bolts do it little by little. trouble is when you polar align then add the scope it goes out again. I covered this in great detail on my blog and used PhD to polar align the mount. but this is a quick set up guide for general observations if your going to do astrophotography take a good long read of my blog which will help you out. clear skies
Thanks for a clear simple stright forward explanation. Just bought an HEQ5 mount and the instructions are so complicated and hard work nearly put me off setting it up. I`m using polarfinder software for the closest time for transit that also cuts out farting around with those date and time dials, But can you tell me how important is it to centre the polar scope reticule? Cheers mate!!
I've just bought this telescope for myself and will be receiving it shortly. It's my first proper step into telescopes and while it's big, I wanted to get the most powerful one I could for this price range I've always been into astronomy and done some moon photography with a bridge camera, but wanted something I could use with my new DSLR How long does the telescope take to set up with the mount? Also, is it worth getting the motor to go with it? I'm looking forward to what I will be able to see
Its quick to set up for basic astronomy and stargazing for astrophotography it will take a lot more care check out my blog for 5 years worth of astronomy adventures with this telescope www.astrocasto.blogspot.com
Great video. I have the same scope (treated myself for Christmas!) but without the motor. Set it up and balanced it today, but ran out of daylight so couldnt calibrate the finder scope with the main mirror. I did a bodge job good enough to get some nice views of the moon (I hadnt polar aligned either - just wanted to look at the moon to begin with). I'm new(ish) to astronomy and only have the 3 eye pieces at the moment - 10mm, 25mm and Barlow.....any chance you could do a video going through the different ones and what situations you would use them in as well as any other tips for beginers? Will be watching this again when I set up properly!
Hello Mark, first off, what a great blog you've got going there, amazing advice and tips, first class. I want to ask your advice on a telescope for photography and I was leaning toward the explorer 200 until I came across your blog and saw your review of the evostar 80/600 ED. I know it has limited aperature compared to the explorer but do you think its a better option for photography? I know its more expensive but i can just about live with that. How is it for DSOs? Is it limited by its size?
Okay, but for now theirs a battery in the socket for now that controls my intelliscope ( Orion SVP mount, etc Apo inch) and this could be a problem for near perfect alignment, so I should just use the main scope to find polaris?
excellent video, nice and simple :) im thinking about getting this explorer 200p with EQ5 mount. Just wondering though, what is the difference between the EQ5, EQ5 heavy duty deluxe, EQ5 Pro, HEQ5 and HEQ5 Pro mounts etc. Can all these mounts be upgraded with synscan? Or can only the Pro mounts be upgraded with synscan?
The eq5 comes without the syn scan upgrade but you can add it later the eq5 pro has it already and the HEQ5 and PRO cost an arm and leg but are brilliant if you can afford them
hola astricity cuando monto tripode y anivelo luego al poner la montura la burbuja de la montura no marca bien al cenntro si el tripode ya estaba bien porque la montura no marca igual , de que me fio del tripode o del nivel bubuja de la montura ??
Good for astrophotography yes perhaps not so good for a complete beginner as its pretty big. However 5 years on if I had to buy a telescope again it would be this one with out any doubts.
Hi boodlewoodle, just a sort word from me my friend, that set up that you are I think is great, could I use it with out using m/drives on it? Can I use it like a dobsonian as I like it like it is, please could you let me know thank you. Alan.
You can buy a single or dual axis tracking motor for the EQ5 mount from skywatcher but there crap so i would buy Tom Carpenters Astroeq instead much better. Google Tom Carpenter Astroeq to find out more buddy.
Maybe a stupid question but Im new at this so please take it easy :), the polar alligment is possible during daylight? howcome? :P I was trying yesterday at night but didn't even see the "compas" inside the polarscope xD
Felipe Burdiles hi you can't polar align it in the day as you need to line it up with the North star to polar align the scope. At night if you can't see the printed graphics that show you where to place the North star try using a red torch or red Christmas led to illuminate it the idea is to get the North star sitting in the small circle riticule inside. Hope that helps
Any tips about good eyepieces for planet viewing? :) got a EXPLORER-150P (EQ3-2) 150mm (6") f/750 Parabolic Newtonian Reflector... kinda new at this so any tips will be helpfull :)
Buy second hand from an astronomical society is my advise you can get some real bargains that way I never really bothered ask attached a second hand DSLR and took a thirty second shot of the orion nebula that was it I was hooked and never looked back astrocasto.blogspot. com
Unfortunately, I live at 1 deg latitude so seeing the NCP or SCP is out of the question. Doing drift alignment is the only alternative, but it is a pain in the ass. I usually just make a rough alignment with magnetic north and let my autoguider do the rest of the work.
boodlewoodle My typing was also messed up :) I'm trying to understand fully how this EQ works. I'll be purchasing this scope hopefully in a months time. My Skywatcher 150mm Dob sucks in imaging. No tracking no nothing, just manual alt azimuth large base mount. I roughly understand how the RA/Declimation works. In some other vidoes it looks complicated.
@jimmicreesti Hi Jimmi those manuals are hard to follow for sure they did my head in as well. If you need any more info on using this telescope then head on over to my blog astrocasto.blogspot.com where I have blogged a year of using this scope and have lot of good stuff on how to start doing astrophotography and you will get some great results. All you need is the RA single motor drive and a second hand Canon 350D. Clear skies.
5:09 never ever do that I hate dirty caps :( I always place mine inside really carefully and you just drop it on the ground xD i have an bresser messier 203/1000 by the way :-D
you can adjust that with the bolts front and back but be very careful as the skywatcher bolts are prone to bending so it is best to remove the telescope from the mount to adjust this first. see my blog astrocasto. blogspot.com for more advice. ;-)
+boodlewoodle thanx but one more thing how to do I attach the ota to it i have eq5 with 3/4 inch gang plate which does not fit to eq 5 but I have 6inch dovetail that fits but it has 1 screw point at the center
+Mayur Pahuja you put the flat plate in the mount and then the screws tighten it on to the mount the other bit is a spare I think or Google eq5 mount manual that should have a good set of instructions on mounting the ota.
I did I didnt got what I want... I have 804 skywatcher which has 2 tube rings and a gang plate which does not fit on eq5 2nd I have a 6 inch dove tail bar which has screw at the center only So I how do I attach gang plate does not fit doverail fits but has a whole at the center only which does not allows 2 tube rings to attach
Just got a secondhand one for early xmas present. Video very helpful as no manual and ive never used one before.
Thanks
Thank you for this video. As a new user of this telescope and mount, this answers allot of questions :-)
You will have lot of fun with that little lot and right now Saturn is looking fantastic.
Cheers buddy wishing you clear skies.
Getting the dual axis drive kit makes a great addition to ease of use and you will need at least the single axis motor drive if doing astrophotography but you can do with out those if your just going to use it for observing.
You sound like a good old Norfolk boy. I was born in Yarmouth but have lived in Ipswich for the last 10 years. We have some lovely dark skies around here and the Skywatcher 200 is on my shopping list. Good video.
Thanks mark. I ended up with the 80ed in the end and am enjoying it. Getting some nice shots when the weather allows! Clear skies.
Hi boodlewoodle, Just purchased a secondhand EQ5 and 200P. Your blog and videos have been really useful in demystifying astronomy and I appreciate your "budget" approach. Many thanks
Vern Middleton hi Vern glad you found it all useful I sold all my gear two years ago but have left my blog and utube channel open for others to benefit from. There is a lot to learn but I really loved doing astrophotography and astronomy, back into my fishing now though. clear skies buddy
That's a big shame (for us, not you!). Are you able to tell us why you stopped?
No need to answer! I RTFMed and read your blog!
Excellent vid and a great help, not that I've got a scope yet. I'm currently weighing up my options but am most likely to go for the Explorer 200P with EQ5 mount. Will be checking out your blog shortly.
Thanks mate. Just what I needed. I've just got a 200pds with heq5 mount. the manual and other youtube vids have done my brain in. You've made a nice simple guide that leaves the more advanced alignment techniques for another day. Again, thank you! Note, I hadn't realised about the '2 little knobs, guess their the azimuth controls... Also, I had the alt bolts round the wrong way -couldn't get high enough - didn't realise til taking apart, one is longer! Doh. haha
glad it was helpful to you if you can afford it get the Heq5 but the eq5 and 200p are a great combo.
Cheers, it was a nice surprise to get my image in sky at night good luck with your telescope and clear skies.
@boodlewoodle thanks. nice work there and congrats on Sky at Night win aswell. i've bookmarked your site. ps, I have the synscan goto 'setup' too. I've only just managed to align the reticule and sight-scope. (daytime job). Now I think I just need to perm-mark a line for the home position before clear skies.
Thanks for the video. It helped me finish my telescope setup. (Explorer 200P with EQ5)
the guy filming it sounded like he was panicking :)))
Great video, cheers mate
This one its a great telescope had mine for over 2 years now and does everything I want it to.
@yosser38 Hi Yosser38, the motors are the single axis kit you can get from sky watcher they control the RA axis on the mount. I like to use and adapter with the motor and avoid using the battery pack as its better to have a good strong electric supply going to the motor. This avoids getting star trails with wonky battery.
Thanx for the Video, found it very usefull, I notice now how much more the telescope manovers better and with ease now its balenced properly. Thumbs Up
Great video, very helpful
Thank you.Astronomy shed has a very good tutorial on centering the polar scope its pretty important to do this. I never use the date and time dials there pretty much a waste of time. Use Stellurium and my finder scope plus a pair of binoculars is a better.
You sir have a nice telescope!!!!
I intend to buy a 150mm skywatcher reflector soon.
have a clean sky!
thanks this was very helpful :)
Great video, thanks. I've recently had knee problems (torn meniscus) and squatting down to observe objects near the zenith is a real pain. I've always had refractors, and more recently an SCT, so I was thinking maybe a Newtonian would be pretty comfortable for my use because of less bending etc. Just one question, are you constantly rotating the telescope in the tube rings when you're switching between subjects to get the eyepiece level?
Thanks very useful
You will find the skywatcher a great telescope possibly no difference between the two I would say. I love mine to bits and have used it for over 2 years now with no problems great scope highly recommended.
My advice on the mounts is simple if you can afford to get an HEQ5 then get one you don't need synscan go to on your telescope its nice but you don't need it to do astrophotography. The EQ5 and 200p are great if you are happy to do short exposures of under a couple of minutes but given the choice I now would go for the HEQ5.
Upgrades are available but my advise is save up your cash and get the one you need off the bat as it can just add more to the expense as you keep getting upgrades.
Personally I would polar align the mount before adding the telescope and counterweights. The latitude adjustment bolts are notoriously soft and easily bend with all that added weight.
pmw650 yes very good point those bolts are rubbish I took mine out and replaced them with some better ones, if you can't do that just be very careful as you tighten the bolts do it little by little. trouble is when you polar align then add the scope it goes out again. I covered this in great detail on my blog and used PhD to polar align the mount. but this is a quick set up guide for general observations if your going to do astrophotography take a good long read of my blog which will help you out. clear skies
Thanks for a clear simple stright forward explanation.
Just bought an HEQ5 mount and the instructions are so complicated and hard work nearly put me off setting it up.
I`m using polarfinder software for the closest time for transit that also cuts out farting around with those date and time dials,
But can you tell me how important is it to centre the polar scope reticule?
Cheers mate!!
I was considering that scope, it looks nice but what a Beast!, Since I have not owened a scope before I went for the SW 130p on a alt az mount.
Mike
Aww you should embrace the beast its brilliant
That's the scope I have. Great optics. Unfortunately my SynScan system no longer works.
Thanks thats helpful
Glad it was helpful to you happy star gazing.
I've just bought this telescope for myself and will be receiving it shortly. It's my first proper step into telescopes and while it's big, I wanted to get the most powerful one I could for this price range
I've always been into astronomy and done some moon photography with a bridge camera, but wanted something I could use with my new DSLR
How long does the telescope take to set up with the mount? Also, is it worth getting the motor to go with it?
I'm looking forward to what I will be able to see
Its quick to set up for basic astronomy and stargazing for astrophotography it will take a lot more care check out my blog for 5 years worth of astronomy adventures with this telescope www.astrocasto.blogspot.com
Good video! How far did the camera man run before this video?
Great video. I have the same scope (treated myself for Christmas!) but without the motor. Set it up and balanced it today, but ran out of daylight so couldnt calibrate the finder scope with the main mirror. I did a bodge job good enough to get some nice views of the moon (I hadnt polar aligned either - just wanted to look at the moon to begin with). I'm new(ish) to astronomy and only have the 3 eye pieces at the moment - 10mm, 25mm and Barlow.....any chance you could do a video going through the different ones and what situations you would use them in as well as any other tips for beginers? Will be watching this again when I set up properly!
all on my blog www.astrocasto.blogspot.com hope that helps you out
Getting that centred is pretty important astronomy sheds site has some great tutorials on doing that check him out
Hello Mark, first off, what a great blog you've got going there, amazing advice and tips, first class. I want to ask your advice on a telescope for photography and I was leaning toward the explorer 200 until I came across your blog and saw your review of the evostar 80/600 ED. I know it has limited aperature compared to the explorer but do you think its a better option for photography? I know its more expensive but i can just about live with that. How is it for DSOs? Is it limited by its size?
Both are great scopes but I prefer the 200p if I am honest having used them both.
Hi mark I have an ex 200 although am still a relative novice.are there any lenses that you would recommend for viewing Jupiterr/Saturn.cheers andy
@TheAstroBoot Cheers Astroboot.. I will be doing some more on editing your images in photoshop soon.
Okay, but for now theirs a battery in the socket for now that controls my intelliscope ( Orion SVP mount, etc Apo inch) and this could be a problem for near perfect alignment, so I should just use the main scope to find polaris?
Is this a good scope and mount for astrophotography? I’ve heard through the grapevine that I may struggle with astrophotography due to the weight?
Its a great scope and mount for astrophotography see my blog for what you can do with it www.astrocasto.blogspot.com
250dps or 200 dps that OTA? Skywatcher quattron
Yes but getting the polar scope is highly recommended as it makes life much easier.
excellent video, nice and simple :) im thinking about getting this explorer 200p with EQ5 mount. Just wondering though, what is the difference between the EQ5, EQ5 heavy duty deluxe, EQ5 Pro, HEQ5 and HEQ5 Pro mounts etc. Can all these mounts be upgraded with synscan? Or can only the Pro mounts be upgraded with synscan?
The eq5 comes without the syn scan upgrade but you can add it later the eq5 pro has it already and the HEQ5 and PRO cost an arm and leg but are brilliant if you can afford them
@lgarvey1979 Yep, he likes this mount really hard xD
Do yo think these tripods are capable of holding a 250pds without all the addons it looks beefy enough
Hi bud, the EQ6 mounts are rated at 25kg for visual use so you'll be more than fine with that. Hope this helps :@)
Your most welcome, happy star gazing.
Nice vid, is the EQ5 enough for the 200/1000???
lostindimcarcosa just about but an heq5 is better
Wut if im useing the battery for my intelliscope, do i jus use the main scope?
hola astricity cuando monto tripode y anivelo luego al poner la montura la burbuja de la montura no marca bien al cenntro si el tripode ya estaba bien porque la montura no marca igual , de que me fio del tripode o del nivel bubuja de la montura ??
Exactly!
both are excellent but the ed80 is better for wider shots and bigger targets.
is this a good telescope to start with and is it good for astrophotography?
Good for astrophotography yes perhaps not so good for a complete beginner as its pretty big. However 5 years on if I had to buy a telescope again it would be this one with out any doubts.
Is this a good mount for just obeserving? I intend to make a goto system myself with an arduino
AceTankerPaul yes great for observing best of both worlds really
this it the non motorised version right?
AceTankerPaul yes you buy it without motors
Hi boodlewoodle, just a sort word from me my friend, that set up that you are I think is great, could I use it with out using m/drives on it? Can I use it like a dobsonian as I like it like it is, please could you let me know thank you. Alan.
Sure you can they just make it easy to track objects
best to check that one with skywatcher or head on over to the forums at stargazers
Hi there,I have a HEQ5 Mount,what Tracking Mount moving lock, do you mean,just the locking Bolt for RA: or DEC: which one?
You can buy a single or dual axis tracking motor for the EQ5 mount from skywatcher but there crap so i would buy Tom Carpenters Astroeq instead much better. Google Tom Carpenter Astroeq to find out more buddy.
Thanks mate, appreciated
Maybe a stupid question but Im new at this so please take it easy :), the polar alligment is possible during daylight? howcome? :P I was trying yesterday at night but didn't even see the "compas" inside the polarscope xD
Felipe Burdiles hi you can't polar align it in the day as you need to line it up with the North star to polar align the scope. At night if you can't see the printed graphics that show you where to place the North star try using a red torch or red Christmas led to illuminate it the idea is to get the North star sitting in the small circle riticule inside. Hope that helps
Helped alot! thanks :D
Polar alignment is very important if you get into imaging but not so crucial for casual viewing enjoy your journey into space 😉
Any tips about good eyepieces for planet viewing? :) got a EXPLORER-150P (EQ3-2) 150mm (6") f/750 Parabolic Newtonian Reflector... kinda new at this so any tips will be helpfull :)
Buy second hand from an astronomical society is my advise you can get some real bargains that way I never really bothered ask attached a second hand DSLR and took a thirty second shot of the orion nebula that was it I was hooked and never looked back astrocasto.blogspot. com
But how is telescope attached to the EQ5. No instruction video shows this and I am stuck getting nowhere
Unfortunately, I live at 1 deg latitude so seeing the NCP or SCP is out of the question. Doing drift alignment is the only alternative, but it is a pain in the ass. I usually just make a rough alignment with magnetic north and let my autoguider do the rest of the work.
What if i dont have a polar scope to polar align. Do i just use my main tube to fine polaris?
You need one get one simple as that really or its a big pain in the butt
how long runs the batterys?
about three hours roughly
I never use it. The settings are for finding stars but its not very accurate and its faster to use your finder scope.
The battery is in the socket where the polar scope is supposed to be lol
wow that wind was loud !
had to turn down my speakers all the way
lol that's my friends breathing
CLEAR SKYS!!! whats that lol
Very helpful video, but the captions are messed up.
Glad you found it helpful, I am dyslexic so apologize for any mistakes on the captions.
boodlewoodle My typing was also messed up :) I'm trying to understand fully how this EQ works. I'll be purchasing this scope hopefully in a months time. My Skywatcher 150mm Dob sucks in imaging. No tracking no nothing, just manual alt azimuth large base mount. I roughly understand how the RA/Declimation works. In some other vidoes it looks complicated.
A very informative lesson, however I do find the camera mans breathing a little unsettling .
He he, yes but then again astronomy is very exciting lol
Please don't throw your dust cover into the dust.
Im sorry im just an astronomy slob lol
@jimmicreesti Hi Jimmi those manuals are hard to follow for sure they did my head in as well. If you need any more info on using this telescope then head on over to my blog astrocasto.blogspot.com where I have blogged a year of using this scope and have lot of good stuff on how to start doing astrophotography and you will get some great results. All you need is the RA single motor drive and a second hand Canon 350D. Clear skies.
...guess *they're* (dammit!)
5:09 never ever do that
I hate dirty caps :(
I always place mine inside really carefully and you just drop it on the ground xD
i have an bresser messier 203/1000 by the way :-D
I know i am a bad man lol your right though keep it off the ground is best
hi sir
how to adjust the altitude of it?
you can adjust that with the bolts front and back but be very careful as the skywatcher bolts are prone to bending so it is best to remove the telescope from the mount to adjust this first. see my blog astrocasto. blogspot.com for more advice. ;-)
+boodlewoodle thanx but one more thing how to do I attach the ota to it
i have eq5 with 3/4 inch gang plate which does not fit to eq 5 but I have 6inch dovetail that fits but it has 1 screw point at the center
+Mayur Pahuja you put the flat plate in the mount and then the screws tighten it on to the mount the other bit is a spare I think or Google eq5 mount manual that should have a good set of instructions on mounting the ota.
I did I didnt got what I want...
I have 804 skywatcher which has 2 tube rings and a gang plate which does not fit on eq5
2nd I have a 6 inch dove tail bar which has screw at the center only
So I how do I attach gang plate does not fit doverail fits but has a whole at the center only which does not allows 2 tube rings to attach
+boodlewoodle thabx I have got the otherway
lol er no I don't think it was that exciting he has asthma and wont give up the cigs.
Get your audio sorted out cant hear half of it
get your manners sorted out and I might consider it!
po polsku