Mount upgrade recommendations? From HEQ5 Pro

Hi Andy, as a curiosity, what is the total weight of your imaging train?

I'll let people who actually have experience with these larger mounts chime in, but I know the EQ6-R Pro is a very common recommendation, at a 44 lb capacity.

I personally am thinking about pulling the trigger on the Ioptron Gem45, as my first and current go-to mount is the Gem28.  I have been enjoying it with my much smaller setup compared to yours haha.

But again, I don't yet have experience with any of these larger mounts, but could be a starting point in your research.

Good luck and clear skies!

–Chase

I recently got the iOptron CEM70G, which fits your description. If you are on a budget, the EQ6-R is also a very viable choice. 

I ultimately went for the CEM70 because of the more forward-thinking engineering, the weight, the greater carrying capacity and the built-in gadgets, like USB hub, guide camera and digital polar scope. But it all comes at a premium, of course.

Budget is a very important part of that question.

The difference between something like the EQ-6R and something like a 10Micron 1000 or AP Mach 1/2 is not so much in peak or even average performance under normal seeing conditions. It‘s that these premium mounts allow you to reach this performance effortlessly. You stop thinking about the mount. Even if things go wrong, it‘s never the mount. In essence, you pay either time tinkering or money up front.

Andy Wray:
Any other options that people can think of that are reasonably portable to setup manually in the backyard, but that could be good for a permanent observatory downstream?

None of the above but considerably more expensive.

For me, because of my frame, weight would be the biggest issue. I bought a GEM45 to use alongside my HEQ5. It is lighter and so much more manageable. In use better in pretty much all ways. So before getting a heavier mount than a HEQ5 I would load it up with whatever the extra weight would be and carry it out a good few times before making a choice. I think that if you were really thinking of a permanent installation I would get that done first. Then it becomes a different story.

Andy Wray:
* Anyone with the EQ8R Pro here who can tell me just how heavy it feels when setting it up each night?

I have a somewhat similar scope/setup like you (4" APO and 8" Newtonian) and I did order the EQ8-R last year, but ended up returning it.  Mostly because it had mechanical issues, but I also disliked the whole "workflow" of setting it up. 

The mount head is heavy. Not too heavy, but it is annoying nonetheless. 

The head connects to the tripod with two big hex screws, which are awkward to get to. So the process of putting the whole thing together and breaking it apart is a bit frustrating, especially in the cold. Also, you absolutely cannot transport the EQ8 and tripod in one piece, so this process has to repeated every single night. 

If you get the original steel tripod, prepare to be surprised. That thing is heavy as f... There are third-party wooden tripod options of course (also: cheaper). 

The USB hub does not really work; apparently it does not provide sufficient power to the ports or whatever, but equipment won't be detected reliably by your PC when connecting through the built-in hub. 

The carrying capacity is severely overkill for something like an 8" Newtonian or similar. This is not an issue as such, unless you factor in the hassle of setup and teardown. But for my 4" APO, it actually was a problem because balancing was difficult to achieve and the long saddle caused problems for the 360° rotation. It's a short scope after all..


As mentioend earlier, this is why I ended up buying the CEM70 - you can fairly easily transport it with the Tri-Pier tripod attached (about the weight of the EQ8-R mount head), it has the same sort of functionality (USB hub, home sensor etc) and carries up to 32kg (70pounds) visually (probably 25kg for astrophtography). So unless you are very, very dedicated or are absolutely going to build an observatory in the forseeable future, I would stay clear of the EQ8. It's a great mount for sure, but I would not want to have it in a mobile setting unless my scope absolutely requires it (say: C11 and up, 6" refractor or Newtonian >= 12" etc)