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Post by Mike on Sept 29, 2013 22:47:44 GMT -5
I finally had the opportunity to use the iEQ45 on Saturday night. What a great mount! Worked perfectly as I used it to test a couple of scopes and lenses. With just a quick polar alignment and a one star alignment it tracked perfectly. Hand control is intuitive and has several neat options. Overall is was a joy to use. I'm sold A JMI wheeley bar makes it easy to roll out into the driveway and have leveled within a minute or two.
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Post by bn1777 on Oct 1, 2013 0:40:59 GMT -5
I knew you would be impressed Mike , they are a very good mount , shame there is not much info on the net about them . The software is good aye? Mike .. I used mine saturday night as well , all was going good until I tripped on the power cable and pulled the plug out of the battery . I was up and running again in under 5 miniutes , the guys were mighty impressed . Brian.
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Post by boomboom on Nov 12, 2013 2:55:02 GMT -5
This is just a real quick one as I haven't had the scope out at night yet. Put the 150 f12 on the NEQ6 for a try out. At 12.7 kg it's a bit lighter than the 'real' Istar version but I don't mind as that gives a bit of room for a finder or two, an old Tasco 6T 50mm f12 in Unitron Finder Rings ( thanks Matt) and my favourite finder a 70mm f7 achro. I digress…. The NEQ6 had no problems slewing around at all. Defiantly notice the longer tube which shows up as a wobble at the focuser end….which is where electric focusing will come in handy. By the the the dew shield is on the scope will be all of nearly 2 metres long, a bit over 6' for you Imperial types. I have to say my favourite thing with Refractors is just cruising the sky without any assistance at all….no motors or locked axises, just a well balanced scope and a 40mm ES 68º eyepiece…thats the life for me. The Losmandy G11 is probably the ideal commercial mount or an Ipotron? though but can see an ATM Pillow Block Mount in the crystal ball…. Matt
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Post by bn1777 on Nov 12, 2013 18:27:28 GMT -5
As good as the Ioptrons are Matt , I really don't think you will gain much over your EQ6 , they are to much alike in weight handling , I would stick with the EQ6 for now , learn how to use it with a soft touch and enjoy the 6in f/10 as is and like you say build a Pillow Block mount in the future , like Micky Cee's ,,, or EQ8?? Brian.
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Post by Ales - iStar Optical on Nov 13, 2013 16:08:20 GMT -5
This is just a real quick one as I haven't had the scope out at night yet. Put the 150 f12 on the NEQ6 for a try out. At 12.7 kg it's a bit lighter than the 'real' Istar version but I don't mind as that gives a bit of room for a finder or two, an old Tasco 6T 50mm f12 in Unitron Finder Rings ( thanks Matt) and my favourite finder a 70mm f7 achro. I digress…. The NEQ6 had no problems slewing around at all. Defiantly notice the longer tube which shows up as a wobble at the focuser end….which is where electric focusing will come in handy. By the the the dew shield is on the scope will be all of nearly 2 metres long, a bit over 6' for you Imperial types. I have to say my favourite thing with Refractors is just cruising the sky without any assistance at all….no motors or locked axises, just a well balanced scope and a 40mm ES 68º eyepiece…thats the life for me. The Losmandy G11 is probably the ideal commercial mount or an Ipotron? though but can see an ATM Pillow Block Mount in the crystal ball…. Matt Personally I would go with iOptron Mount. I have one myself and I also own two Celestron mounts so I can compare them side-by-side In my opinion you get most performance for your money with iOptron mounts No question about it in my mind Superior engineering and build quality at down to earth prices was the main reason why iStar recently teamed up with iOptron. Anyone interested in these superb mounts should talk to Mike Harden. Best regards Ales
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Post by mrkellytaylor on Nov 16, 2013 5:29:24 GMT -5
Where can we find pricing info on these mounts
Kelly
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Post by Mike on Nov 23, 2013 14:31:50 GMT -5
Sorry for the belated answer Kelly. Is there a particular model you're interested in?
Mike
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Post by Mike on Nov 23, 2013 14:35:26 GMT -5
Check out this new technology. Where is a lot of the weight of the scope and head on a typical equatorial mount? Over the front leg. Where is most of the weight of these new models?
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Post by Mike on Nov 23, 2013 14:37:07 GMT -5
Answer: Almost directly over the center of the pier or tripod. Available in 25, 60 and soon to be 120 pound payload capacities.
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Post by Mike on Nov 23, 2013 14:41:21 GMT -5
Say, "goodbye" to the Celestron CGE and CGE Pro mounts. They are for sale As you know I have a iEQ45 and have on order a iEQ75. And, as soon as the iEQ120 comes available the middle of next year...
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Post by boomboom on Nov 24, 2013 4:51:08 GMT -5
An iEQ120..wow now that is what I would call a decent mount. That's 54kg's for us metric types.
I had a vague idea of an EQ8 at one stage til I saw the shafts are 1"…..not much shaft for the payload capacity. I could build a Pillow Block for around $500 with 1" shafts, which makes $5000 for an EQ8 a bit much. Any idea on the 120's price? Matt
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Post by Mike on Nov 24, 2013 20:23:51 GMT -5
Oh I would imagine the 120 will be quite a bit more than that. The iEQ75 is $8500. Mounts in this class such as the AP1100 are in the $12K range. If the new 120 is still in the $8K range that will be a good deal.
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