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Would a C11 work on an AM5 for deep sky astro?

Celestron C11 Celestron Advanced VX Harmonic Mount Equatorial Mount
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Franklin Chapman avatar
Franklin Chapman avatar
I have an AM5 mounted to my old AVX tripod, and I currently have an 8 inch Meade dob mounted on the AM5 with two counter weights (one was not enough).  It has been alright but leaving much to be desired.  The telescope is pretty heavy with all equipment mounted I'm getting around 35lbs, and it's a dob so I'm limited to lower altitudes due to the risk of hitting the mount legs.  Because of the low altitudes and the weight I have never gotten to get good exposures beyond 60s (besides one night of good seeing where I was able to push to 120s).  My main concern with getting a C11 is I would still be limited to lower exposure times and I have not seen this specific combination beyond someone mentioning that they are trying it in a video I watched a bit ago. 

Thanks for any responses!
Ashraf AbuSara avatar
Ashraf AbuSara avatar
I imaged almost exclusively with an AM5 and a C11 using a Starizona 0.7x large format reducer for nearly 6 months last year. I loved that setup. Got that C11 second hand for $1100. Not only did I use the AM5, I had it mounted on a TC40 tripod too.  Just some examples:

https://www.astrobin.com/yyqx04/C/

https://www.astrobin.com/y8azs3/E/

https://www.astrobin.com/5a5d7v/C/


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Franklin Chapman avatar
Franklin Chapman avatar
@Ashraf AbuSara  That's so good looking, I'm fully convinced now, thanks for the reply!
Ashraf AbuSara avatar
Ashraf AbuSara avatar
Just be weary it 
Franklin Chapman:
@Ashraf AbuSara  That's so good looking, I'm fully convinced now, thanks for the reply!

No problem! Make sure your setup is very stable. I always put a weight in the TC40 basket, typically 20-35lbs. Always use a 10lb CW. Setup absolutely needs an OAG with a large prism and a large guide camera sensor to have the best chance to find a guide star. OTA insulation helped tremendously. Also an external motorized crayford focuser was much better than putting an EAF on the primary mirror focuser. My C11 had bad mirror shift with focusing. 

Good luck!
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