Great video. I have just purchased a SW EQ6-R-Pro. I was tempted by this mount but felt the extra expense for Alt Azimuth was not for me. Love the sound of the motors when slewing. Way quieter than my previous Celestron AVX. Have only used once so far but I have good vibes. Your demo of the SynScan also helped me. Thank you.
@@MikeyJ basically that you speak so calmly that it has a relaxing effect. I thought the same thing honestly. People make good money making those asmr vids, but I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea and it seems rather strange to some folks. Just keep doing your thing I enjoy your videos
Great Video Mike!, I am thinking of upgrading my mount and I am between the AZEQ6 and the ioptron CEM 40, but I am afraid that the weight of the AZEQ6 will make me not want to take it to the field or to the roof of my building. Is it too heavy to move frequently?
I just discovered Harmonic Drive Mount, from Hobym Crux, Rainbow Astro, etc... You might want to check them out, they weigh like nothing, from 7 lb? And then they require no counter weight, handles 30 lb, 40 lb, up to 60 lb, and with counter weight, up to 110 lb... These german equatorials look ancient and hopelessly bulky compared to the simple looks of Harmonic Drive Mounts...
When it comes to imaging how well does the AZ EQ6-GT do with the 10" reflector on top? I have a 250PDS and was told the the mount won't be ideal once I have all the gear on. I'd rather not buy a EQ8 Pro.
Michael, it works fine, either two weights and the extension bar, or 3 weights. The only issues I have seen are that if there is a breeze, it can mess up imaging sometimes, but visually no issues. Guiding helps a lot even with that. I will use eqmod to make a periodic error graph next time out, will let you know whether it’s good or bad..
That's great, I do plan on guiding and using a small camera not a chunky dslr. I do have okay wind cover but will break out the beach windbreakers if need be and make a poor mans pod :)
Thanks so much Mikey. How are you enjoying this mount? For the modest extra cash, this seems a pretty big upgrade from the AZ EQ5. The NEQ6 was a contender, but I love Alt-Az for visual - it has huge appeal.
AntPDC hi, yes I am really pleased with it, quiet and controls are easy to use. The DEC has some backlash which I would like to eliminate, but that needs a strip down and I’m not ready for that yet! I have it working on eqmod now, works a treat, I will make a vid on that soon..
Well it depends...Portable and visual the SkiSafari and SkiFi is hard to beat, but for imaging and guiding then EQMOD is just the best way to go. I am outside at the moment imaging M51 :)
The so-called "RA axis" is not what lots of amateur think it is : it's the hour axis and the graduations are hour angles, not right ascension. If you think graduations are RA, your graduations will be useless and I challenge anybody to find easily and quickly any object in the sky knowing its RA... On the other hand, if you don't have a GOTO or similar system, slewing your telescope to an object position knowing its hour angle (Stellarium gives you that : Configuration -> Information -> tick "Hour angle/Declination") is much more easier. In fact, RA and hour angle are part of the same equation : HA (hour angle) = LST (local sidereal time) - RA (right ascension). If you don't know your LST, use Stellarium. If in the north hemisphere (use the upper graduations) : When your telescope is in its park position, index should show "6". When your telescope points to a star at the meridian, it should show "0" or "12". Any object that have a hour angle from 0 to 12 => west part of the sky Once set up correctly, that graduation circle should be fixed forever (ideally, the should be engraved in the mount !) Examples : If an object has an hour angle of 16h00, move the index to 04h00, and move the declination so the tube points in the east part of the sky with the proper value and you should be good... if an object has an hour angle of 02h00, move the index to 02h00, and move the declination so the tube points in the west part of the sky with the proper value and you should be good... Moving declination from west to east part automatically adds 12h to the hour angle. Moving declination from east to west part automatically subtracts 12h to the hour angle.
Mine arrived a couple of weeks ago, and of course, bad skies for the most part. I'm very impressed with it overall, but why the buggery bollocks did they leave the polar alignment scope totally exposed at its eyepiece end? One can all too easily grab its stub when carrying this beast (and it IS a beast) around, and possibly damage it. Why no protective dome cap like the NEQ6?
Fair point, and one that their sister company Celestron addressed with the cgx mount, with a handle, as SW did on the EQ6-R model (also put a cover on the PScope). Can't say i ever had a real issue with that, but i always disconnect from the tripod when moving it about. Completely agree it's a beast, but the stability is worth it!
Right. You have sensibly placed yours on a permanent pier, as I saw from from your earlier very interesting upload. How did the AZ-EQ6 fare under the cover over the British Winter? I'd be pretty anxious about leaving such a costly mount outside - even under cover.
Thanks Mike. Well i used it in 'temporary' mode for almost a year and came up with tips for setting up as quickly as possible best is to have some known set-down points for the tripod, that gets you pretty close on polar alignment. Enthusiasm helps you ignore the weight ;-), but i constructed a pier in the end (th-cam.com/video/CH9jCvRNHww/w-d-xo.html) which makes everything a lot easier to set up, i just leave the mount covered up and take the scope indoors. The scope (10" Newtonian) is quite a weight, so three counterweights for the mount adds up also!
Thanks for the video. A couple of questions. The power supply looks to be standard 12v powertank. Is there a 12V AC equivalent ? It looks a heavy beast. What sort of usage to you get from your DC battery ? What is the backlash like - being belt driven, I would think very good ? And finally, it's been 12 months since you have had the mount - are you still happy with it. Reason I ask, is that I like the idea of switching between ALT/AZ for visual, and EQ for photography. Cheers
Hi Lance, Firstly, I am still very happy with the mount. Backlash needed adjustment, belts help, but there are still worm gears that needed sorting, I stripped the mount down and rebuillt it last year, and it improved it alot. I took pictures, but really should have made a video! maybe next time :) The power supply that came with the mount was a 12vdc only. They don't supply an a.c. version. I would get a full nights imaging out of the tank, although as i mostly use the mount in the garden, I also made up an ac adapter from a laptop psu, and more recently, a custom psu with lots of outputs for 12 and 5v. Finally, i should say i have never used it in ALT/AZ config... but i know people who have, and they say it works very well HTH, Mike
Many thanks, I have also heard it is a very good mount. Always nice to hear from people that have it. Was the rebuild something inherent in the mount ? I would have thought it was still under warranty ?
I wanted to tackle the backlash, and as it was almost two years old and kept outside, I decided a re-grease was in order. I spoke with someone who said he always strips and rebuilds even new mounts, and although I don’t recommend that, I am pleased to have done it and improved a n already good mount
Hi Mike, I am just trying to sort out PHD2 with this mount, what you recommend i select from the mount dropdown, the AZ EQ6-GT is not specifically listed... grrrrr
Thanks for your video. Excuse my English, I use google. I have a used AZ-EQ6GT. When I use it with my large telescope, I have a problem. When I calibrate on a star in the south direction and then I have to look north. Then the whole main part moves. It is a bit loose in the altitude adjustment screw. Can it be true that I can not lock the altitude when I've aligned the north star. If I could lock in altitude, my problem when looking north would probably disappear. Didn't seem the 2 big black screws lock the main body.
Hi Esben sorry for the delay to respond! So the Altitude adjustment is the pull out bar and thread. It works much better than the old neq6 twin bolts, but does not lock solid, even when the large black knobs are tightened hard by hand. However, i have not had a problem with it moving the polar alignment as the weight always pushes down on the adjuster. When i move from the home position to the southern meridian, it's fine. Sorry I am not sure what can be going wrong with your mount from what you describe
Hi, ok good question. the two scales are nice and big on this, so I set the scope up on a level tripod (now on my pier), and then used a spirit level to get RA and DEC level, (using the dovetail slot) and then moved the scales to match that level position. It's easier to rotate the axis 90 degrees and use horizontal and set to that, as the scales have a mark at 90 deg also. Then i just have to rotate the mount to the zero on the scales :) hope that helps.
Hi ! May I know how low can it be ? I mean the latitude ? Because my location show me is Latitude: 4.357946872711182 Longitude: 113.996826171875 so is it any good for me to own this mount ? thanks
Hi there, I wasn't sure on this, so checked the manual and it says 10-75 deg Lat, and 90, which will be the AZ mode... So I think that 4 deg from equator may be a problem to polar align, sorry to tell you that!
Just bought one, hopefully it arrives tomorrow, and its my very first mount.
The tripod is actually 2" not 1.5" as you stated 👍.
Great video. I have just purchased a SW EQ6-R-Pro. I was tempted by this mount but felt the extra expense for Alt Azimuth was not for me. Love the sound of the motors when slewing. Way quieter than my previous Celestron AVX. Have only used once so far but I have good vibes. Your demo of the SynScan also helped me. Thank you.
Great Mike, i like the look of the EQ6-R-Pro..good for imaging. Mines imaging tonight...M1 earlier, and now the Sunflower galaxy, M63
Thanks for doing this, excellent video 👍🏻
Great looking mount 👍maybe one day I might upgrade from the Heq5
Thanks for a great video! Does the mount still track the sky in ALT AZ mode? (Once aligned.)
Great video Mikey.its nice to see a concise, intelligent explanation and review.you actually sound like a scientist or doctor.
You need to start doing longer videos and add ASMR to the subject. You pull off ASMR better than anyone else I’ve listened to.
Hi there. Thanks, I had to look up ASMR, and even then, I'm not entirely sure I know what you are saying :)
@@MikeyJ basically that you speak so calmly that it has a relaxing effect. I thought the same thing honestly. People make good money making those asmr vids, but I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea and it seems rather strange to some folks. Just keep doing your thing I enjoy your videos
Great Video Mike!, I am thinking of upgrading my mount and I am between the AZEQ6 and the ioptron CEM 40, but I am afraid that the weight of the AZEQ6 will make me not want to take it to the field or to the roof of my building. Is it too heavy to move frequently?
I just discovered Harmonic Drive Mount, from Hobym Crux, Rainbow Astro, etc...
You might want to check them out, they weigh like nothing, from 7 lb?
And then they require no counter weight, handles 30 lb, 40 lb, up to 60 lb, and with counter weight, up to 110 lb...
These german equatorials look ancient and hopelessly bulky compared to the simple looks of Harmonic Drive Mounts...
Thank you for the video, only one I found helpful and in English!
You're welcome Michael!
When it comes to imaging how well does the AZ EQ6-GT do with the 10" reflector on top? I have a 250PDS and was told the the mount won't be ideal once I have all the gear on. I'd rather not buy a EQ8 Pro.
Michael, it works fine, either two weights and the extension bar, or 3 weights. The only issues I have seen are that if there is a breeze, it can mess up imaging sometimes, but visually no issues. Guiding helps a lot even with that. I will use eqmod to make a periodic error graph next time out, will let you know whether it’s good or bad..
That's great, I do plan on guiding and using a small camera not a chunky dslr. I do have okay wind cover but will break out the beach windbreakers if need be and make a poor mans pod :)
Thanks so much Mikey. How are you enjoying this mount? For the modest extra cash, this seems a pretty big upgrade from the AZ EQ5. The NEQ6 was a contender, but I love Alt-Az for visual - it has huge appeal.
AntPDC hi, yes I am really pleased with it, quiet and controls are easy to use. The DEC has some backlash which I would like to eliminate, but that needs a strip down and I’m not ready for that yet! I have it working on eqmod now, works a treat, I will make a vid on that soon..
Thanks Mikey. At this price, Dec backlash is a pretty irritating oversight!
+ Mikey EQMOD, in preference to your SkiFi/SkySafari combo - or complementary to it?
Well it depends...Portable and visual the SkiSafari and SkiFi is hard to beat, but for imaging and guiding then EQMOD is just the best way to go. I am outside at the moment imaging M51 :)
Great stuff. DO post your results please.
The so-called "RA axis" is not what lots of amateur think it is : it's the hour axis and the graduations are hour angles, not right ascension.
If you think graduations are RA, your graduations will be useless and I challenge anybody to find easily and quickly any object in the sky knowing its RA...
On the other hand, if you don't have a GOTO or similar system, slewing your telescope to an object position knowing its hour angle (Stellarium gives you that : Configuration -> Information -> tick "Hour angle/Declination") is much more easier.
In fact, RA and hour angle are part of the same equation : HA (hour angle) = LST (local sidereal time) - RA (right ascension). If you don't know your LST, use Stellarium.
If in the north hemisphere (use the upper graduations) :
When your telescope is in its park position, index should show "6".
When your telescope points to a star at the meridian, it should show "0" or "12".
Any object that have a hour angle from 0 to 12 => west part of the sky
Once set up correctly, that graduation circle should be fixed forever (ideally, the should be engraved in the mount !)
Examples :
If an object has an hour angle of 16h00, move the index to 04h00, and move the declination so the tube points in the east part of the sky with the proper value and you should be good...
if an object has an hour angle of 02h00, move the index to 02h00, and move the declination so the tube points in the west part of the sky with the proper value and you should be good...
Moving declination from west to east part automatically adds 12h to the hour angle.
Moving declination from east to west part automatically subtracts 12h to the hour angle.
Nice review. Very well done.
Mine arrived a couple of weeks ago, and of course, bad skies for the most part. I'm very impressed with it overall, but why the buggery bollocks did they leave the polar alignment scope totally exposed at its eyepiece end? One can all too easily grab its stub when carrying this beast (and it IS a beast) around, and possibly damage it. Why no protective dome cap like the NEQ6?
Fair point, and one that their sister company Celestron addressed with the cgx mount, with a handle, as SW did on the EQ6-R model (also put a cover on the PScope). Can't say i ever had a real issue with that, but i always disconnect from the tripod when moving it about. Completely agree it's a beast, but the stability is worth it!
Right. You have sensibly placed yours on a permanent pier, as I saw from from your earlier very interesting upload. How did the AZ-EQ6 fare under the cover over the British Winter? I'd be pretty anxious about leaving such a costly mount outside - even under cover.
Nice video Mikey!
Mikey,
Great video. Do you find the weight of the azeq6 to much for a temporary set up? I don’t have the room for a permanent set up.
Thanks
Mike
Thanks Mike. Well i used it in 'temporary' mode for almost a year and came up with tips for setting up as quickly as possible best is to have some known set-down points for the tripod, that gets you pretty close on polar alignment. Enthusiasm helps you ignore the weight ;-), but i constructed a pier in the end (th-cam.com/video/CH9jCvRNHww/w-d-xo.html) which makes everything a lot easier to set up, i just leave the mount covered up and take the scope indoors. The scope (10" Newtonian) is quite a weight, so three counterweights for the mount adds up also!
Thanks for the video. A couple of questions. The power supply looks to be standard 12v powertank. Is there a 12V AC equivalent ? It looks a heavy beast. What sort of usage to you get from your DC battery ? What is the backlash like - being belt driven, I would think very good ? And finally, it's been 12 months since you have had the mount - are you still happy with it. Reason I ask, is that I like the idea of switching between ALT/AZ for visual, and EQ for photography. Cheers
Hi Lance, Firstly, I am still very happy with the mount. Backlash needed adjustment, belts help, but there are still worm gears that needed sorting, I stripped the mount down and rebuillt it last year, and it improved it alot. I took pictures, but really should have made a video! maybe next time :) The power supply that came with the mount was a 12vdc only. They don't supply an a.c. version. I would get a full nights imaging out of the tank, although as i mostly use the mount in the garden, I also made up an ac adapter from a laptop psu, and more recently, a custom psu with lots of outputs for 12 and 5v. Finally, i should say i have never used it in ALT/AZ config... but i know people who have, and they say it works very well
HTH, Mike
Many thanks, I have also heard it is a very good mount. Always nice to hear from people that have it. Was the rebuild something inherent in the mount ? I would have thought it was still under warranty ?
I wanted to tackle the backlash, and as it was almost two years old and kept outside, I decided a re-grease was in order. I spoke with someone who said he always strips and rebuilds even new mounts, and although I don’t recommend that, I am pleased to have done it and improved a n already good mount
Hi Mike, I am just trying to sort out PHD2 with this mount, what you recommend i select from the mount dropdown, the AZ EQ6-GT is not specifically listed... grrrrr
Hi Gary, I use the HEQ5/6 one without any problems (I presume you are using Ascom?)
Thanks for your video.
Excuse my English, I use google.
I have a used AZ-EQ6GT.
When I use it with my large telescope, I have a problem.
When I calibrate on a star in the south direction and then I have to look north.
Then the whole main part moves. It is a bit loose in the altitude adjustment screw.
Can it be true that I can not lock the altitude when I've aligned the north star. If I could lock in altitude, my problem when looking north would probably disappear.
Didn't seem the 2 big black screws lock the main body.
Hi Esben
sorry for the delay to respond! So the Altitude adjustment is the pull out bar and thread. It works much better than the old neq6 twin bolts, but does not lock solid, even when the large black knobs are tightened hard by hand. However, i have not had a problem with it moving the polar alignment as the weight always pushes down on the adjuster. When i move from the home position to the southern meridian, it's fine. Sorry I am not sure what can be going wrong with your mount from what you describe
Nice video,can i ask how do you set your az-eq6 gt pro in home position please?
Hi, ok good question. the two scales are nice and big on this, so I set the scope up on a level tripod (now on my pier), and then used a spirit level to get RA and DEC level, (using the dovetail slot) and then moved the scales to match that level position. It's easier to rotate the axis 90 degrees and use horizontal and set to that, as the scales have a mark at 90 deg also. Then i just have to rotate the mount to the zero on the scales :) hope that helps.
Hi ! May I know how low can it be ? I mean the latitude ? Because my location show me is Latitude: 4.357946872711182
Longitude: 113.996826171875 so is it any good for me to own this mount ? thanks
Hi there, I wasn't sure on this, so checked the manual and it says 10-75 deg Lat, and 90, which will be the AZ mode... So I think that 4 deg from equator may be a problem to polar align, sorry to tell you that!
$2200 new?
AZ EQ are you Sirius 😂
lol, I see what you did there ;-)
Can hardly bloody hear you!!!
you should check your volume settings Paul, seems ok to me. I certainly didn't mean for it to cause you that kind of stress!