Great video. I read some of the comments about the load capacity. I have a C11 with a moonlite Focuser that brings it to almost 26/27 pounds. The capacity for the EQ6R is 44 pounds. I also mount my C11 on my Orion Atlas EQ-G with cameras, guiding scope, mini pc, Pegasus power box and no issues. The load capacity for the Atlas is 40 pounds.I think the Eq6r easily handles the C11.
Agreed. I don't think the weight is too much of an issue for the EQ6R. The focal length of the C11 is a bit too long for the seeing conditions in my area though so I mainly use the C11 with hyperstar.
@@alexbringas2912 They payload capacity doesn't include the counterweights. My scope weights 28 lbs. Even with the guide scope etc, it's still under the maximum weight limit. Of course I don't recommend overloading the mount too much as the guiding will suffer at a long focal length :)
I would be a bit worried about that guiding graph when it comes to imaging at full focal length.. He did mention that he's mostly imaging with a hyperstar, so that drastically changes the focal length and resolution and makes it much more forgiving..
The EQ6R is a great mount and will handle an 11" SCT for visual easily. It will also handle a C11 for imaging with the hyperstar as chd79 stated. I have experimented with imaging at f7 with the C11 Edge and EQ6R but I was very seeing limited and my guiding wasn't good enough at 1960mm focal length for the mount (It was around 0.7" most of the time but my camera was sampling at 0.4" per pixel). So I will keep the 8" f3.9 reflector as my main deep sky imaging scope.
Great video, and thanks for sharing. I happen to have a similar setup and I highly recommend you to apply ULTIMOX 226 Perfluoropolyether PFPE PTFE Grease to the polar align screws. that will make the polar align process way more smooth and has to be applied only once. also if you want to take it to the next level I recommend the DUAL-EQ6-RPRO- DUAL Series Saddle. Clear skies.
Thank you for the recommendation. I used some SuperLube on the polar alignment screws that has worked well for me. I might have to look into getting that saddle some day :)
Thanks for the video. After seeing your video I am debating between a 9.25 vs 11" Edge HD (planning to get the HyperStar as well). Ideally want to keep a scope that is jack of all trades to do deep space, nebulas etc. I have iOptron GEM 45 with a 45 lb capacity. This mount is quite a light weight one compared to EQ6R - Pro at 15.6 lb which makes GEM 45 quite portable. With a 11" Edge HD+the guidescope+Camera (ZWO 533MC-Pro)+hyperstar etc it is pushing the limits of the mount at about 35lb. I got a response from iOptron support that this configuration may give issues. I do a lot of EAA with Sharpcap most of the time and the ability to get an image on the screen faster is a priority, hence a larger aperture is attractive. From what I read below from earlier comments f7 or f10 imaging may be challenging, but ok for visual. The main advantage will be 11" will get about 1.4 times the light gathering capacity compared to 9.25 when used with HyperStar. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you for watching. I made a video of my experience using the C11 EdgeHD with hyperstar on the EQ6R that you can view here ruclips.net/video/HyNdD4qOnYQ/видео.html . The mount handles the 35lb+ weight like a champ for imaging with hyperstar if there is no wind. If there is wind, then the C9.25 with hyperstar might be more stable. Since the focal ratio of the C9.25 and the C11 is the same, the main difference in the final images will be the image scale (magnification or apparent size of the object). So the difference won't be that great but I do personally prefer the C11 Edge as the extra aperture comes in handy for visual as well. I wouldn't image with either scope at F7 or F10 on the iOption GEM45 or my EQ6R.
Just discovered your YT channel! It'll be fun to watch your content build. Good luck with it! Suggestion for a topic: Electrical power for off-the-grid astrophotography.
Hi Dave. Thank you! I am looking forward to making a lot more videos. And that is a great topic suggestion! I've had that one my list for a little while as I think it would be useful for a lot of people. I am hoping to make a video detailing how to build a battery for imaging in the field in the coming weeks :)
And hope you insert 2 additional thumb screws at each end of OTA front and back of dovetail for safety if ota slips the screws works as a stopper and prevents it falling. Keep it up! Well wishes! Clear Skies!
Looks like mount with the C11 maybe near, or over, its load capacity on the mount. The CGX or CGX-L would be a better match. Also how do you get on with electronic focuser as I see its a celestron one, which is not compatible with skywatcher. Do you use the Celestron focus utility on pc?
Hi Dennis. The EQ6R performs perfectly well with the C11 in Hyperstar mode. I wouldn't use it at f7 or f10. The CGX and CGXL were above my budget unfortunately :)
Thanks! What kind of bracket are you using to mount that usb-hub? Edit: I have removed all these car adapters from my setups and have replaced them with anderson powerpoles. Makes the power-connections much better, and I can highly recommend it!
I 3D printed a mount for the USB hub. It's a standard Losmandy dovetail clamp that I bolted on to the bottom of the USB hub. I found the design on Thingiverse. I am planning to replace the car adapter plugs with anderson powerpoles as well at some point. That might be a project for the spring. I appreciate the recommendation! :)
My biggest mount is EQ6 R - pro (plus I have a HEQ5) and my main imaging camera (besides a modified canon 600d) is a Zwo533. I have also a Zwo224, Zwo120 mm and a Zwo120mc... I was considering adding a 9.25 or an 11 inch Edge. or a 9.25 for DSO and a Mak180 (on my HEQ5) for planets.. My main OTS´´S are a William optics Z81 (448 to 559mm) and an 8 inch Newtonian (800/F4)....Could I image at F/10 with a 9.25 on my EQ6-R-Pro ???
I wouldn't personally recommend a C9.25 or C11Edge at f10 for imaging DSOs with the EQ6R as you would be oversampled more of the time and I don't think the mount is quite up to tracking/guiding at such a long focal length. I tried imaging with the C11 Edge on my EQ6R and even at Bin 2X2 on my ASI1600MM camera, I was too oversampled most of the time. However, either one of them would work great for planetary imaging. I would recommend skipping the Mak180 as the C9.25 or C11 would do a better job on the planets due to their greater resolution. The design of the Mak180 wouldn't be able to overcome the resolution disadvantage. I have successfully imagined with an 8" F4 newtonian on the EQ6R and that worked quite well (I was using a Skywatcher Quattro coma corrector on the newtonian). The 800mm focal length of the Newtonian is sufficient for large or medium sized targets and for really small targets, I use drizzling while stacking which allowed me to double the size of my image and recover more details. Once you image with a fast newtonian or refractor, it's really hard to go back to imaging at f10. It just feels so slow and the images aren't as sharp due to the seeing limitations.
Does a goto eq6 mount need to go through the alignment procedure everytime before starting the tracking? Or can you just, once correctly set up on Polaris, just move manually where you want and once clutch locked, it will just track? Like a non goto motorized eq5? Thanks.
Hi there. Once your mount is set up and polar aligned, you don't need to polar align it again unless you move the mount from where you had set it up. Go-to and polar alignment are two different things so once you go through the go-to alignment procedure then the mounts save that information. As long as you use the hand controller to move the mount (instead of unlocking the clutches and moving it manually), and you remember to set the mount to hibernate when turning it off, it will remember it's go-to calibration and you only need to enter date and time when you start it up again. If you have it connected to a computer for astrophotography, you only need to have it polar aligned and don't need to go through the go-to alignment procedure at all. The camera will just take a picture of the sky and figure out where it is pointing.
So that mount is rated to 44 pounds. I hear everyone talk about keeping the weight to about half of what the mount is rated to if your imaging. So my question is this. with all your gear on that mount how much weight is it totally and how has tracking been for things like DSO's such as Galaxies and such? I have been looking at this mount quite a bit but keep wondering if I should maybe consider something like the Celestron CGX because it has a slightly higher payload. The plan is to eventually go with a triplet APO of 127mm or higher or a 11" SCT like you have.
Hi. The EQ6R is a great mount but the CGX is definitely one tier above it (at a cost). The total weight of my C11 EDGE imaging setup is around 32lbs. With my C11, the EQ6R handles the weight without issue for imaging with hyperstar at f2. It doesn't do so well for imaging at f10 or f7 if there is even a tiny bit of wind. If there is no wind at all, then I can get reasonable guiding with the C11 at f7 with the focal reducer and the guiding is around 0.8 - 1" per pixel (which is not great as I usually get 0.4" to 0.7" total with a lighter 25lb setup when I am using my 8" f3.9 reflector). The seeing around here doesn't support such high resolutions anyways so I don't do DSO imaging at f7 or f10 and I would not recommend imaging with the C11 at f7 or f10 with an EQ6R. However, it should handle the weight of a triplet 127 APO without issue as that weighs close to my 8" f3.9 reflector which I normally use for DSO imaging.
Thanks so much for the video. QQ, do you find that the 60mm guide scope at 240mm FL is enough to keep you guiding well? I have the same guidescope already and an 11inch on the way. Thanks!
Thank you for watching! The 60mm (240mm fl) guide scope works perfectly with hyperstar since I am only imaging at 560mm. At F7 (with the focal reducer) it would still work ok. At f10, I might consider using an off axis guider.
At 2800 mm f/10. What is the minimum requirement for a guidescope ? 300 to 400mm ? Or is an off-axis guider usable, or a better option ?? Would a CGX (55pound PC) even be able to carry the 11 inch with a mono camera, filter wheel and a guidescope-setup (300 to 400mm) at F/10 for deep sky ??
Hi Gunnar. Generally I would recommend using an OAG (off-axis guider) with any scope with a focal length greater than about 1200mm. I would especially recommend an OAG with an SCT because almost all of them suffer from some amount of mirror flop. Although the C11 EdgeHD has mirror locks, you can't use the mirror locks with if you decide to use an auto-focuser on the built in focuser. Using an OAG compensates for mirror-flop unlike a guide scope. An OAG will also be much lighter than using a large guide scope if your scope is already close to the weight limit of your mount. A CGX would struggle to carry a C11 at F10 and I wouldn't quite consider it suitable for imaging at f10 for Deep Sky as I don't think it's capable of the required guiding accuracy at the sampling resolution of most imaging cameras. What camera are you planning to use for imaging? Using the F7 reducer would help if you have one available. Alternatively, you could consider the Hyperstar like me if it's within budget and you are ok with a wider field and sticking to larger targets. Although it's understandable if you want the longer focal length for imaging small targets. If using an OAG, you might need to bin your guide camera 2x2 or 3x3 in PhD for guiding due to the long focal length of your imaging scope. If you do use a guide scope, and I have in the past, then you would need a 300 or 400mm guide scope depending on the guide camera and imaging camera that you are using. With a guide camera with really small pixels like the ASI or QHY178, you can get away with using a 300mm guide scope, with a guide camera with larger pixels like the ASI224 or Qhy462, a 400mm guide scope would do better. You can use this calculator to work out the imaging/guiding ratio between your imaging setup and your guiding setup (astronomy.tools/calculators/guidescope_suitability). Once you enter in the values, it will give you the ratio at the bottom. I would recommend keeping that ratio below 1:7 and ideally below 1:5. One other consideration with using a guide scope is that you might get flexure if your guide scope isn't securely attached to the imaging scope.
Thanks. I'm about to have this set up having just picked up a rare C11EDGEHD OTA. You don't seem to have any videos after this showing the results of imaging with this rig. Do you have a link to Astrobin or somewhere where you have some examples?
Thanks. Have you had an issues with the weight of the C11 on the HEQ-6 Pro? Especially for longer exposures, tracking? I’m planning to get the same setup.
Hi Trevor. I was using it for visual recently and it did a great job. Also does fine for imaging with hyperstar. Not so great for imaging at f10 or f7 if there is even a tiny bit of wind. If there is no wind at all, then I can get reasonable guiding with the C11 at f7 with the focal reducer. The seeing around here doesn't support such high resolutions anyways so I don't do DSO imaging at f7 or f10. I use the hyperstar for DSO imaging now.
@@trevorboomstra3021 Hi Trevor. I only use Hyperstar for photographic galaxies as well. I only use the native f10 for imaging planets, moon, and sun :)
@@AbdurAstro Thanks. I just started with the same setup: a C11 EdgeHD with Hyperstar v4 on a EQ6-Pro. Due to the weight issue, I’m trying to avoid a guide scope for F7 and F10 applications. So I’ve started to setup an OAG which has a lot of challenges. Have you tried to use this? Are you planning to take additional videos? I’d love to see more of how you use the setup and the images that you get.
@@trevorboomstra3021 Congratulations on the awesome setup! The scope will be just fine on an the EQ6R for hyperstar and any finderscope will guide fine at 560mm. I have tried using an OAG and my qhy178mc guide cam but at f7 and f10, it's much harder to find a guide star. I found that I was very oversampled at f7 and f10 anyways with my ASI1600MM so I don't image at f7 or f10 with this scope anymore (except planets). If you do end up sticking with the OAG route, a more sensitive camera like the asi290, asi224, asi462 etc might be sensitive enough to do the job. I do plan on uploading additional videos and I will start sharing images on our instagram channel soon as well :)
Hi. I picked up these containers at Home Depot. I think they are normally used for ammo storage but they were the perfect size for holding two counterweights each. I used the original foam that came with the counterweights but I had to cut that to fit in the cases.
Great video, Thanks. I have a question for you.... I just purchased an EQR Pro and put my Celestron 8 SCT on it. I am running a Pegasus powerbox advanced and have a Celestron motorized focuser . I noticed that you have the same focuser on your SCT. May I ask how you establish coms with it? I am running in NINA and haven't been able to gain control through the software. I have downloaded the ASCOM Celestron mount and focuser driver and the Celestron Focuser Utility. The utility works fine through the computer but no joy through NINA. When I connect the focuser through my old AVX mount, NINA has no trouble controling it. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
@@AbdurAstro Hi, thank you for getting back to me. In the interim, I finally figured it out….always a head scratcher when you add a new piece of kit or software….ugh! Please keep the videos coming, great job!
@@galbanese7329 Really glad you were able to figure it out. Sorry I wasn't able to reply earlier. I am in the process of finally moving to a house from my little apartment so I will have a backyard to do a lot more imaging from now.
@@AbdurAstro Congratulations on the purchase of your new home. Many happy and healthy years to you and your family. I bet you were equally concerned with the view of the sky from your backyard as the front of the house....lol. Congrats again, and thank you for your response and your YT videos.
@@galbanese7329 Thank you so much. The suitability of the backyard for astronomy was one of my main criteria when looking for a house. The size and looks of the house were secondary. Glad I found one that met almost all of my criteria. It's no dark sky acreage but it's so much better than my current location. I'll be going from bortle 9 skies to bortle 4/5 :)
hello friend, great video!!, I have an AZEQ6 mount and I am wondering whether to buy the EdgeHD 11" or the 9.25", because I don't know if the mount will be able to support the Edge HD 11" well for deep sky astrophotography with its native focal length and with off-axis guide or if it will be very close to the weight. Can you give me your experience please?
Your mount has the same load capacity as the EQ6R so it should be good. I've got the AZEQ6 as well and would not hesitate to put it on that mount, but would want to be sure the other equipment such as imaging camera, autoguider, dew control, focusing accessories, etc. are all as light as possible.
Hi friend. I mainly used the C11 Edge on this mount with hyperstar so I was imaging at 560mm and not the native focal length of 2800mm. Even with the f7 focal reducer, the native focal lenght of this scope is too long for my camera (ASI1600MM pro) and I would be oversampled. The seeing on most nights is not good enough to image at f7 or f10 with the C11. If you are planning to do DSO imaging, a C9.25 Edge might be a better fit in my opinion because even a little bit of wind with the C11 Edge would show up in your tracking/guiding and you would be less oversampled with the C9.25 and the mount would handle the weight better especially if there is a little bit of wind. Using the C11 Edge at F7 on the EQ6R (same capacity as your AZEQ6), my guiding was around 0.8"-1" and I was sampling at 0.4" per pixel with my asi1600mm. So I was quite oversampled. Using a OAG would likely bring my guiding down to 0.7" or so but still oversampled. The total weight of my imaging rig with the camera, guider, usb hub, focal reducer etc was about 32 lbs. While using a lighter scope (8" f3.9 reflector) and an OAG (total weight about 25lbs), I was getting better guiding around 0.4-0.5" when the seeing was good. So for DSO imaging, I don't believe that you would get much added benefit from using a C11 Edge over a C9.25 Edge because you would be oversampled almost all the time due to the seeing anyways. However, if you were using Hyperstar, then the C11 Edge would be the better choice and also better for planetary/lunar imaging. What camera were you planning to use with the scope?
Four counter weights? Surly with the weight of the scope and the weights your exceeding the max weight. Wouldnt it of been better to use the c/w extension and not use all of them?
The listed payload capacity of the mount does not include the counterweights. Using an extension bar can result in flexture so it's better to have more weight on a shorter bar than less weight on a long bar.
I have considered that but that wouldn't work for me. I use a wired connection because I am powering a multi port usb hub through the usb port. That way I am powering several devices using just one usb cable. So a Skywatcher wifi dongle wouldn't benefit me.
Great video. As a newcomer to EQ mounts it’s helpful to see the full setup from start to end.
Thank you. Glad it was helpful :)
Great video. I read some of the comments about the load capacity. I have a C11 with a moonlite Focuser that brings it to almost 26/27 pounds. The capacity for the EQ6R is 44 pounds. I also mount my C11 on my Orion Atlas EQ-G with cameras, guiding scope, mini pc, Pegasus power box and no issues. The load capacity for the Atlas is 40 pounds.I think the Eq6r easily handles the C11.
Agreed. I don't think the weight is too much of an issue for the EQ6R. The focal length of the C11 is a bit too long for the seeing conditions in my area though so I mainly use the C11 with hyperstar.
I see 4 weights on your video . That would exceed the payload capacity ? That’s not counting the C11.
@@alexbringas2912 They payload capacity doesn't include the counterweights. My scope weights 28 lbs. Even with the guide scope etc, it's still under the maximum weight limit. Of course I don't recommend overloading the mount too much as the guiding will suffer at a long focal length :)
Just found your youtube Channel Abdur - great video! Looking forward to seeing more from you - David
WOW, I HAVE the eq6r pro and never dreamed it could handle an 11" SCT
I would be a bit worried about that guiding graph when it comes to imaging at full focal length.. He did mention that he's mostly imaging with a hyperstar, so that drastically changes the focal length and resolution and makes it much more forgiving..
The EQ6R is a great mount and will handle an 11" SCT for visual easily. It will also handle a C11 for imaging with the hyperstar as chd79 stated. I have experimented with imaging at f7 with the C11 Edge and EQ6R but I was very seeing limited and my guiding wasn't good enough at 1960mm focal length for the mount (It was around 0.7" most of the time but my camera was sampling at 0.4" per pixel). So I will keep the 8" f3.9 reflector as my main deep sky imaging scope.
New channel. Fantastic and good luck.
Thank you! :)
Oh my God it's giant telescope😊😊 But it is my dream telescope also 😊😊😊😊
It was my dream telescope too. I had to wait many years to get it but I am glad I did :)
Great video, and thanks for sharing. I happen to have a similar setup and I highly recommend you to apply ULTIMOX 226 Perfluoropolyether PFPE PTFE Grease to the polar align screws. that will make the polar align process way more smooth and has to be applied only once. also if you want to take it to the next level I recommend the DUAL-EQ6-RPRO- DUAL Series Saddle. Clear skies.
Thank you for the recommendation. I used some SuperLube on the polar alignment screws that has worked well for me. I might have to look into getting that saddle some day :)
Thanks for the video. After seeing your video I am debating between a 9.25 vs 11" Edge HD (planning to get the HyperStar as well). Ideally want to keep a scope that is jack of all trades to do deep space, nebulas etc. I have iOptron GEM 45 with a 45 lb capacity. This mount is quite a light weight one compared to EQ6R - Pro at 15.6 lb which makes GEM 45 quite portable. With a 11" Edge HD+the guidescope+Camera (ZWO 533MC-Pro)+hyperstar etc it is pushing the limits of the mount at about 35lb. I got a response from iOptron support that this configuration may give issues. I do a lot of EAA with Sharpcap most of the time and the ability to get an image on the screen faster is a priority, hence a larger aperture is attractive. From what I read below from earlier comments f7 or f10 imaging may be challenging, but ok for visual. The main advantage will be 11" will get about 1.4 times the light gathering capacity compared to 9.25 when used with HyperStar. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I think you will have more fun with the 9.25.
I have an 11'' and a EQ6R Pro and I feel like that's pushing it. That is just my opinion.
Thank you for watching. I made a video of my experience using the C11 EdgeHD with hyperstar on the EQ6R that you can view here ruclips.net/video/HyNdD4qOnYQ/видео.html . The mount handles the 35lb+ weight like a champ for imaging with hyperstar if there is no wind. If there is wind, then the C9.25 with hyperstar might be more stable. Since the focal ratio of the C9.25 and the C11 is the same, the main difference in the final images will be the image scale (magnification or apparent size of the object). So the difference won't be that great but I do personally prefer the C11 Edge as the extra aperture comes in handy for visual as well. I wouldn't image with either scope at F7 or F10 on the iOption GEM45 or my EQ6R.
Very informative. Thank you so much from Iraq.
Great setup you've got there
Just discovered your YT channel! It'll be fun to watch your content build. Good luck with it! Suggestion for a topic: Electrical power for off-the-grid astrophotography.
Hi Dave. Thank you! I am looking forward to making a lot more videos. And that is a great topic suggestion! I've had that one my list for a little while as I think it would be useful for a lot of people. I am hoping to make a video detailing how to build a battery for imaging in the field in the coming weeks :)
And hope you insert 2 additional thumb screws at each end of OTA front and back of dovetail for safety if ota slips the screws works as a stopper and prevents it falling. Keep it up! Well wishes!
Clear Skies!
Thank you Tariq. I have since attached two longer thumbscrews to the OTA to prevent any accidents :)
@@AbdurAstro Clear Skies! And your setup is great too!
Looks like mount with the C11 maybe near, or over, its load capacity on the mount. The CGX or CGX-L would be a better match. Also how do you get on with electronic focuser as I see its a celestron one, which is not compatible with skywatcher. Do you use the Celestron focus utility on pc?
Hi Dennis. The EQ6R performs perfectly well with the C11 in Hyperstar mode. I wouldn't use it at f7 or f10. The CGX and CGXL were above my budget unfortunately :)
Thanks! What kind of bracket are you using to mount that usb-hub?
Edit: I have removed all these car adapters from my setups and have replaced them with anderson powerpoles. Makes the power-connections much better, and I can highly recommend it!
I 3D printed a mount for the USB hub. It's a standard Losmandy dovetail clamp that I bolted on to the bottom of the USB hub. I found the design on Thingiverse. I am planning to replace the car adapter plugs with anderson powerpoles as well at some point. That might be a project for the spring. I appreciate the recommendation! :)
My biggest mount is EQ6 R - pro (plus I have a HEQ5) and my main imaging camera (besides a modified canon 600d) is a Zwo533. I have also a Zwo224, Zwo120 mm and a Zwo120mc... I was considering adding a 9.25 or an 11 inch Edge. or a 9.25 for DSO and a Mak180 (on my HEQ5) for planets.. My main OTS´´S are a William optics Z81 (448 to 559mm) and an 8 inch Newtonian (800/F4)....Could I image at F/10 with a 9.25 on my EQ6-R-Pro ???
I wouldn't personally recommend a C9.25 or C11Edge at f10 for imaging DSOs with the EQ6R as you would be oversampled more of the time and I don't think the mount is quite up to tracking/guiding at such a long focal length. I tried imaging with the C11 Edge on my EQ6R and even at Bin 2X2 on my ASI1600MM camera, I was too oversampled most of the time. However, either one of them would work great for planetary imaging. I would recommend skipping the Mak180 as the C9.25 or C11 would do a better job on the planets due to their greater resolution. The design of the Mak180 wouldn't be able to overcome the resolution disadvantage. I have successfully imagined with an 8" F4 newtonian on the EQ6R and that worked quite well (I was using a Skywatcher Quattro coma corrector on the newtonian). The 800mm focal length of the Newtonian is sufficient for large or medium sized targets and for really small targets, I use drizzling while stacking which allowed me to double the size of my image and recover more details. Once you image with a fast newtonian or refractor, it's really hard to go back to imaging at f10. It just feels so slow and the images aren't as sharp due to the seeing limitations.
Nice idea using ammo boxes for the counterweights. I'm pinching that.
Go for it. I got the idea from a friend of mine :)
Does a goto eq6 mount need to go through the alignment procedure everytime before starting the tracking? Or can you just, once correctly set up on Polaris, just move manually where you want and once clutch locked, it will just track? Like a non goto motorized eq5? Thanks.
Hi there. Once your mount is set up and polar aligned, you don't need to polar align it again unless you move the mount from where you had set it up. Go-to and polar alignment are two different things so once you go through the go-to alignment procedure then the mounts save that information. As long as you use the hand controller to move the mount (instead of unlocking the clutches and moving it manually), and you remember to set the mount to hibernate when turning it off, it will remember it's go-to calibration and you only need to enter date and time when you start it up again. If you have it connected to a computer for astrophotography, you only need to have it polar aligned and don't need to go through the go-to alignment procedure at all. The camera will just take a picture of the sky and figure out where it is pointing.
So that mount is rated to 44 pounds. I hear everyone talk about keeping the weight to about half of what the mount is rated to if your imaging. So my question is this. with all your gear on that mount how much weight is it totally and how has tracking been for things like DSO's such as Galaxies and such? I have been looking at this mount quite a bit but keep wondering if I should maybe consider something like the Celestron CGX because it has a slightly higher payload. The plan is to eventually go with a triplet APO of 127mm or higher or a 11" SCT like you have.
Hi. The EQ6R is a great mount but the CGX is definitely one tier above it (at a cost). The total weight of my C11 EDGE imaging setup is around 32lbs. With my C11, the EQ6R handles the weight without issue for imaging with hyperstar at f2. It doesn't do so well for imaging at f10 or f7 if there is even a tiny bit of wind. If there is no wind at all, then I can get reasonable guiding with the C11 at f7 with the focal reducer and the guiding is around 0.8 - 1" per pixel (which is not great as I usually get 0.4" to 0.7" total with a lighter 25lb setup when I am using my 8" f3.9 reflector). The seeing around here doesn't support such high resolutions anyways so I don't do DSO imaging at f7 or f10 and I would not recommend imaging with the C11 at f7 or f10 with an EQ6R. However, it should handle the weight of a triplet 127 APO without issue as that weighs close to my 8" f3.9 reflector which I normally use for DSO imaging.
Thanks so much for the video. QQ, do you find that the 60mm guide scope at 240mm FL is enough to keep you guiding well? I have the same guidescope already and an 11inch on the way. Thanks!
Thank you for watching! The 60mm (240mm fl) guide scope works perfectly with hyperstar since I am only imaging at 560mm. At F7 (with the focal reducer) it would still work ok. At f10, I might consider using an off axis guider.
Excellent tutorial! Imagine if Galileo was somehow able to see this? Haha
It would blow his mind for sure. We have come so far thanks to amazing people like him.
At 2800 mm f/10. What is the minimum requirement for a guidescope ? 300 to 400mm ? Or is an off-axis guider usable, or a better option ?? Would a CGX (55pound PC) even be able to carry the 11 inch with a mono camera, filter wheel and a guidescope-setup (300 to 400mm) at F/10 for deep sky ??
Hi Gunnar. Generally I would recommend using an OAG (off-axis guider) with any scope with a focal length greater than about 1200mm. I would especially recommend an OAG with an SCT because almost all of them suffer from some amount of mirror flop. Although the C11 EdgeHD has mirror locks, you can't use the mirror locks with if you decide to use an auto-focuser on the built in focuser. Using an OAG compensates for mirror-flop unlike a guide scope. An OAG will also be much lighter than using a large guide scope if your scope is already close to the weight limit of your mount. A CGX would struggle to carry a C11 at F10 and I wouldn't quite consider it suitable for imaging at f10 for Deep Sky as I don't think it's capable of the required guiding accuracy at the sampling resolution of most imaging cameras. What camera are you planning to use for imaging? Using the F7 reducer would help if you have one available. Alternatively, you could consider the Hyperstar like me if it's within budget and you are ok with a wider field and sticking to larger targets. Although it's understandable if you want the longer focal length for imaging small targets. If using an OAG, you might need to bin your guide camera 2x2 or 3x3 in PhD for guiding due to the long focal length of your imaging scope.
If you do use a guide scope, and I have in the past, then you would need a 300 or 400mm guide scope depending on the guide camera and imaging camera that you are using. With a guide camera with really small pixels like the ASI or QHY178, you can get away with using a 300mm guide scope, with a guide camera with larger pixels like the ASI224 or Qhy462, a 400mm guide scope would do better. You can use this calculator to work out the imaging/guiding ratio between your imaging setup and your guiding setup (astronomy.tools/calculators/guidescope_suitability). Once you enter in the values, it will give you the ratio at the bottom. I would recommend keeping that ratio below 1:7 and ideally below 1:5. One other consideration with using a guide scope is that you might get flexure if your guide scope isn't securely attached to the imaging scope.
Excellent.Thank you for this.
Thank you for stopping by. I just finished doing a detailed review of this telescope and I will be posting it in the next few days :)
Thanks. I'm about to have this set up having just picked up a rare C11EDGEHD OTA. You don't seem to have any videos after this showing the results of imaging with this rig. Do you have a link to Astrobin or somewhere where you have some examples?
Hi Byron. I will post a video with some of my results and updates soon. I don't have astrobin yet :)
Hi thank you for this!. Do you happen to know where this is manufactured? thank you. def thinking this is the one to get for my tube
Thanks for watching. Like most mounts in this price category, it is manufactured by Synta in China. That does keep prices more affordable :)
@@AbdurAstro ok much appreciated thanks for that info!
Thanks. Have you had an issues with the weight of the C11 on the HEQ-6 Pro? Especially for longer exposures, tracking? I’m planning to get the same setup.
Hi Trevor. I was using it for visual recently and it did a great job. Also does fine for imaging with hyperstar. Not so great for imaging at f10 or f7 if there is even a tiny bit of wind. If there is no wind at all, then I can get reasonable guiding with the C11 at f7 with the focal reducer. The seeing around here doesn't support such high resolutions anyways so I don't do DSO imaging at f7 or f10. I use the hyperstar for DSO imaging now.
@@AbdurAstro Thanks so much. Specifically for photography of galaxies, do you use the hyperstar as well or use native focal length or the f7?
@@trevorboomstra3021 Hi Trevor. I only use Hyperstar for photographic galaxies as well. I only use the native f10 for imaging planets, moon, and sun :)
@@AbdurAstro Thanks. I just started with the same setup: a C11 EdgeHD with Hyperstar v4 on a EQ6-Pro. Due to the weight issue, I’m trying to avoid a guide scope for F7 and F10 applications. So I’ve started to setup an OAG which has a lot of challenges. Have you tried to use this? Are you planning to take additional videos? I’d love to see more of how you use the setup and the images that you get.
@@trevorboomstra3021 Congratulations on the awesome setup! The scope will be just fine on an the EQ6R for hyperstar and any finderscope will guide fine at 560mm. I have tried using an OAG and my qhy178mc guide cam but at f7 and f10, it's much harder to find a guide star. I found that I was very oversampled at f7 and f10 anyways with my ASI1600MM so I don't image at f7 or f10 with this scope anymore (except planets). If you do end up sticking with the OAG route, a more sensitive camera like the asi290, asi224, asi462 etc might be sensitive enough to do the job. I do plan on uploading additional videos and I will start sharing images on our instagram channel soon as well :)
Nice video! What cases are those holding the counter weights?
Hi. I picked up these containers at Home Depot. I think they are normally used for ammo storage but they were the perfect size for holding two counterweights each. I used the original foam that came with the counterweights but I had to cut that to fit in the cases.
Perfect. Thanks!
Love this vid man! Good job.
Thanks buddy! :)
What dovetail and rail set yo did you use to mount the guidescope rings?
The guidescope came with the rings and dovetail attached. It fits in the usual skywatcher / celestron finderscope mount bracket.
Great video, Thanks. I have a question for you.... I just purchased an EQR Pro and put my Celestron 8 SCT on it. I am running a Pegasus powerbox advanced and have a Celestron motorized focuser . I noticed that you have the same focuser on your SCT. May I ask how you establish coms with it? I am running in NINA and haven't been able to gain control through the software. I have downloaded the ASCOM Celestron mount and focuser driver and the Celestron Focuser Utility. The utility works fine through the computer but no joy through NINA. When I connect the focuser through my old AVX mount, NINA has no trouble controling it. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi. I will take a look at my settings tomorrow and let you know exactly how I connected mine :)
@@AbdurAstro Hi, thank you for getting back to me. In the interim, I finally figured it out….always a head scratcher when you add a new piece of kit or software….ugh!
Please keep the videos coming, great job!
@@galbanese7329 Really glad you were able to figure it out. Sorry I wasn't able to reply earlier. I am in the process of finally moving to a house from my little apartment so I will have a backyard to do a lot more imaging from now.
@@AbdurAstro Congratulations on the purchase of your new home. Many happy and healthy years to you and your family.
I bet you were equally concerned with the view of the sky from your backyard as the front of the house....lol. Congrats again, and thank you for your response and your YT videos.
@@galbanese7329 Thank you so much. The suitability of the backyard for astronomy was one of my main criteria when looking for a house. The size and looks of the house were secondary. Glad I found one that met almost all of my criteria. It's no dark sky acreage but it's so much better than my current location. I'll be going from bortle 9 skies to bortle 4/5 :)
EXcellent
hello friend, great video!!, I have an AZEQ6 mount and I am wondering whether to buy the EdgeHD 11" or the 9.25", because I don't know if the mount will be able to support the Edge HD 11" well for deep sky astrophotography with its native focal length and with off-axis guide or if it will be very close to the weight. Can you give me your experience please?
Your mount has the same load capacity as the EQ6R so it should be good. I've got the AZEQ6 as well and would not hesitate to put it on that mount, but would want to be sure the other equipment such as imaging camera, autoguider, dew control, focusing accessories, etc. are all as light as possible.
Hi friend. I mainly used the C11 Edge on this mount with hyperstar so I was imaging at 560mm and not the native focal length of 2800mm. Even with the f7 focal reducer, the native focal lenght of this scope is too long for my camera (ASI1600MM pro) and I would be oversampled. The seeing on most nights is not good enough to image at f7 or f10 with the C11. If you are planning to do DSO imaging, a C9.25 Edge might be a better fit in my opinion because even a little bit of wind with the C11 Edge would show up in your tracking/guiding and you would be less oversampled with the C9.25 and the mount would handle the weight better especially if there is a little bit of wind.
Using the C11 Edge at F7 on the EQ6R (same capacity as your AZEQ6), my guiding was around 0.8"-1" and I was sampling at 0.4" per pixel with my asi1600mm. So I was quite oversampled. Using a OAG would likely bring my guiding down to 0.7" or so but still oversampled. The total weight of my imaging rig with the camera, guider, usb hub, focal reducer etc was about 32 lbs. While using a lighter scope (8" f3.9 reflector) and an OAG (total weight about 25lbs), I was getting better guiding around 0.4-0.5" when the seeing was good.
So for DSO imaging, I don't believe that you would get much added benefit from using a C11 Edge over a C9.25 Edge because you would be oversampled almost all the time due to the seeing anyways. However, if you were using Hyperstar, then the C11 Edge would be the better choice and also better for planetary/lunar imaging.
What camera were you planning to use with the scope?
Could you please inform me what is the diameter of the main mirror and the focal length of this telescope? And how much did it cost? Thanks!
The diameter of the main mirror is 11 inches. The focal length is 2800mm. It costs around $2500 Canadian on the used market.
Thanks for answering!
Where are you buy this telescope, wha is the store?
I bought it used locally. Most large astronomy stores should sell this kind of scope.
Four counter weights? Surly with the weight of the scope and the weights your exceeding the max weight. Wouldnt it of been better to use the c/w extension and not use all of them?
The listed payload capacity of the mount does not include the counterweights. Using an extension bar can result in flexture so it's better to have more weight on a shorter bar than less weight on a long bar.
@@AbdurAstro I didn't think the EQ6-R pro came with four c/ws mine only came with 2
@@neiltonks I had to buy two extra :)
If you had the skywatcher wifi dongle you dovaway with the cable to pc
I have considered that but that wouldn't work for me. I use a wired connection because I am powering a multi port usb hub through the usb port. That way I am powering several devices using just one usb cable. So a Skywatcher wifi dongle wouldn't benefit me.
Your guiding scope is too small for the c1100. It won’t work, I think
Works perfectly fine for me as I use it in Hyperstar configuration at f2. I am getting 0.5" guiding right now :)
You mean "bolt"...
Good instrument. Простите мне мой английский.
К сожалению пока что могу себе позволить только Sky Watcher bk767az
Thank you :)