SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro Telescope Mount Review
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2020
- This is my review of the SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro equatorial mount after having used it for several months. A great thank you to Chuck for participating in my video, please check out his awesome channel!!! Clear skies.
Chuck's Astrophotography channel: bit.ly/2Gl5ap3
Chuck capturing 12 objects in one night:
• LIVE Comet NEOWISE And...
My comparison video on intermediate mounts (including EQ6R-Pro): • Best intermediate tele...
My blog post: astroforumspace.com/skywatche...
My SkyWatcher EQ6R-Pro tutorials:
How to setup EQMODfor direct USB connection: • SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro T...
How to setup Stellarium with EQMOD: • How to connect your Sk...
First night with the EQ6R-Pro (setup and belt drive issue): • Skywatcher EQ6-R PRO: ...
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Excellent review, Astroforum, and thanks for inviting me to be part of it.
Thanks for participating Chuck! Everyone: check out @chucksastrophotography for awesome pictures and content! ua-cam.com/channels/Cllh0nUmlREEvoskaq9b3A.html
@@AstroForumSpace , hihihi...I'm already a subscriber of Chuck's Astrophotography 🙈😁. But you're right, Chuck has amazing images. I'm training my astrophotography skills to get an APOD one day 😊. Btw, nice review Astroforum 👍😀
"Hello Folks" That sounded like Chuck to me
Hi Chuck, Hi @AstroForum,
I struggled with the altitude handle as well, and as I'm an "absolute beginner", I thought it was me being clumsy (they call me ironically "handy harry" at home). So I removed it and replaced it with a ring spanner nr 13 (ringsleutel for the dutch-speaking, don't know if this a metric or imperial measure, it's indicated on it). As the ring spanner is a bigger lever than the handle, this makes it much more easy, so my polar alignment with the polemaster has become less painful (and I mean that literally, as this original handle sometimes slipped, and hurt my hand). Other things I'm not happy with, is the bulb level, it is way out of sync, this I "solved" by gluing 3 levels between the legs of the tripod, on the plate where the mount rests on, if you know what I mean - English is not my mothertongue. And finally when I'm polar aligned, the altitude it indicates is completely wrong; guess the same guy that installed the bulb level, also installed the altitude indicator ;-). For the rest, I enjoy and learn a lot from both your UA-cam channel!
Kind regards,
g.
@@geert5811 thanks for sharing your user experience and solutions Geert! I'm guessing you're Dutch, so..dank je wel!
The cons you guys mention are the reason I went ahead and bought the Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 GT Pro insteed.
The design of that mount is perfect!
Thank you both for the great collab. I really needed this kind of information because i read also these negative things about the mount. Nice video Wido and cool you let Chuck participate! Clear skies to you both!
Thanks for watching and I'm glad it was useful for you. Clear skies @astrobaer.
My Losmandy has a very user friendly altitude adjustment and the drives are rock solid.
I considered the EQ6R but I wanted to by 🇺🇸 USA made and support my country. Glad I did. Thanks for sharing
As always... well done Wido! I am really waiting to see some pictures... hopefully sky will clear here in the Netherlands. Thanks also to Chuck for his contribution and his stunning work! Clear sky guys!
Thanks Astrorerum, unfortunately I have quite some issues collimating the big Classical Cassegrain...it's a steep learning curve. Hope to get it working, and if not I'll send it back for a normal schmidt cassegrain :-). We have some clear skies this weekend in NL (or at least according to the forcast). Tot ziens :-)!
@@AstroForumSpace I hope you will be able to climb the curve and make a stunning "how to collimate Classical Cassegrain Telescope" video. Did you ever considered a Ritchey Chretien configuration? That is my target at the moment for future upgrade. Tot ziens! Ciao! (Enrico)
Two solutions to the altitude knob come to mind. One, just take it out and replace with a long hex bolt of the proper size, then adjust with a wrench. Or secondly, remove the shaft again, then add a hex nut, washer, and another hex nut and tighten together. I would probably go with the former so you could put an open end wrench or a socket head on the end to turn. Stainless steel is best for long term rust protection. Good luck!
You just inspired an idea: remove the handle and use a socket wrench.
I'm currently using vice-grip pliers but a socket wrench should probe similarly easy.
Nice review and great to see Chuck here 😃
Thanks man!
Thx. Great video. Thinking of upgrading from my EQM 35 pro.
Great review for the EQ^R- Pro. Straight up and honest. It does seem like a great mount and hope that the issues get resolved. I'm kicking around the idea to start in astrophotography as a total beginner. Thanks for the great video, gets a like and a sub.
Thanks for the positive feedback John! Let me know if I can help. Cheers, Wido.
awesome way of doing a review. Thanks!
Thanks Neil
One of my very few Top Favourites 👍👍
Thanks John!
There is a way to make adjusting the polar axis easier. Loosen the RA adjustment screw with the round black knob; hold the counterweight shaft at the base and lift it up, then screw in the RA screw with the adjustable handle; this will raise the polar axis. You can overshoot the required position. The adjustment consists of loosening the handle-equipped screw, which is always easier. If you need to raise the RA axis again, pull up the counterweight shaft to help the process.
Thanks Stanley, I might try that out.
To get more space around the altitude screw. Unscrew and move the peg located on the tripod to the other hole 180 degrees away. Then you have 2 legs at the back and one leg at the front!
Sorry, didn't notice your reply, I've just suggested the same thing, seems the logical thing to me to. I believe skywatcher "flipped" the tripod 180 degrees so people in low latitudes could use them without the counterweights hitting the leg. But, for us in high latitudes, that's not an issue 👍
You don’t want to do that. The design has a purpose as the front two legs have a different degree of angle to allow the counterweights to clear at 3lat.
I went with the Ioptron GEM45, thanks to your video back when you compared them :)
Great, hope you have some good times with the ioptron, let me know how it works out. Clear skies!
It"s so true with the issue of polar aline. I use a pipe wrench for the screw in the back. By hand it is a torture expecially to rise in the altitude.
Best mount for the price, period.
I did a redesign on the alt adjustment, a longer screw for the handle, a flat washer and put them behind the the adjustment handle. That way it is engaged and you pull back on it to change the position of the handle
Great advice! Just purchased a SW EQ 6 pro with a Celestron Edge HD 11” OTA. Came as a set so I couldn’t pass it up!
Cool.. Chuck's here too :)
bedankt goede tutorial, I saw your video linked to chucks channel, I’ll add yours. 💫
Thx!
Thanks for taking the time to put your very informative videos together. After much review, including your comparison videos, I narrowed my choices down to the Skywatcher EQ6 pro and the new iOptron CEM70G, which I assume is replacing the CEM60. I’ve decided to go with the CEM70G. Driving factors for the selection are the center balance design, lighter weight, higher payload capacity, and more connections for cable management. I opted for the G version to get the integrated iGuide camera, iPolar scope, WiFi, and USB3. Probably not a fair comparison the the EQ6 pro since the iOptron CEM70G costs more. I’ not sure how well all the extras will work out but I’ll give it a go. As with everything I’m sure there are some negatives with this selection as well. I’ve also purchased the Skywatcher Esprit 120 OTA which made this choice more difficult since the EQ6 pro would have color matched the OTA. I also have a Meade 10” LX200 which I may run on this mount in the future.
Thanks for the positive feedback Troy! Sounds like an awesome setup, let me know how it turns out, have fun!
Troy are you loving the CEM70? I'm doing the same research and am where you were 7 months ago.
@@jimward2324 Frankly I’m not happy with it. Constant virus warnings with their web site. Concern my pc may have received a virus from iOptron. Now the board won’t communicate with any of my PCs. Out of frustration I have put the scope away for a few months now. Perhaps I’ll give it another run in a few months.
To me a much worse issue with polar alignment is actually trying to use the reticule. Its horrible and I refuse to use it any longer. I've jumped onboard the electronic polar alignment only bandwagon. Once you do that the hand controlling the alignment knobs isn't really an issue. Although you do have to ensure you have the rear lever pushed in fully so it engages.
I like my EQ6-R Pro and would highly recommend it to anyone. Absolutely great value for the money.
Wido, great mount, no flaws for Polar Alignment, pause, it helps to be mechanically inclined to operate in different setup situations if not, then knobs get broken.
Thanks for your feedback Jeff
Mechanically inclined? Whatever. Let's not make excuse for lame design. I know someone else who had to have the bolt replaced because it's so easy to strip.
Maybe read through all the comments on this video Jeff and rethink your statement...?
I replaced the rear altitude handle with vice-grip pliers.
There is a 3D printed replacement handle available for it as well.
Hi,
I grumbled for a minute or twelve when this happened to me.
I now lift up on the counter balance rod to ease the pressure on the bolt.
I raise the scope up to just above the desired angle by lifting up on the balance rod.
With the pressure relieved, I can now just easily turn the bolt with my thumb and a finger until the desire angle.
Then I just lower the rod easily until it comes to a rest.
This is the method that I am using while I am on the quest for a proper bolt with a knob on the end.
Hope this helps.
Peace
Totally agree with Chuck re: altitude adjustment, not well designed at all!
That's why I bought the AZEQ6GT instead. Altitude/Latitude adjustment is a much more stable/better supported solution.
It has a better payload capacity also, 25kg, instead of 20kg for the EQ6R.
Thanks for watching and your input Clive. The AZEQ may be worth the extra cost if it solves the RA issues...
Wido. Our Olav Mol from the Astroworld
Nice video haha
when chuck said "weedo" i laughed haha
perfect pronunciation of my name, thanks!
@@AstroForumSpace ;D anytime
AstroForum taught me how to say it correctly before I made my video, lol.
@@ChucksAstrophotography haha :D
I told Chuck to pronounce my name as weirdo without using the R, LOL.
big thumbs 👍 up
Thanks a lot!
What an interesting short review. Thank you! ...and it is SO silent.. (3:30)... Is it still (besides the polar alignment issues) worth buying or would you recommend something else in beginning of 2022? Happy new year. 😊
Thanks! I'd still recommend the EQ6R pro if you're looking at a price range of about 1500.
@@AstroForumSpace Thank you Wido! 👍🏼
The spring loaded handle for altitude worn out very quick, they did replace it and they asked me to send it back for investigation. I decided to not use it again because it's a aluminium cast part and has play on it. I use a 12mm socket now, if you take the handle off you'll see it's like a hex bolt. Other thing i noticed is that the altitude dial is glued in incorrect in my EQ6-R(and i seen 1 more that's wrong). It says i'm on 59 degrees, i put my phone with a clinometer app on my scope and that says 52 degrees. The info text on it is under an angle too. Now i see your altitude dial and it's correct, so maybe it was just a batch that's wrong or they corrected it with the newer version(i have the one without usb).
I just picked up an astromaster 114 with 20mm and 10mm for $60 Canadian, and an astromaster 70 for $25 Canadian. I know I read that they're pretty lousy scopes but for the price and experience I get from them they're well worth what I paid to see if the hobby is for me.
Look at it this way, if you like what you see, it will only get better with more expensive gear. Have fun!
@@AstroForumSpace already am and want too haha I picked up a 4mm and a light pollution filter, for the price they're good for laying around until the clouds pass, recently took up metal detecting too maybe I can use it to fund some scope upgrades haha
Angry Fish I use a 32mm or 40mm for the moon, borrow one if you can and try it out. What brand of metal detector did you get? I’ve been using my old Minelab Etrac. Good luck💫
@@theastro-philosophersappre2786 I was just out with the detector and was surprised how well it works for a cheap one on Amazon it's a Nalanda 18khz I got for $124 during a flash sale normal price is 199.
I completely agree. The alt screw is terrible.The inbuilt bubble level is also pretty inaccurate and useless. I used it once and had a lot of difficulty doing a star alignment. Now I just use a small spirit level on the tripod before putting on the mount and with a good polar alignment it works brilliantly even without autoguiding.
Yea, if you're interested, here's my first night video where I also mention the issue with the bubble :-): ua-cam.com/video/RJEmff1NDW4/v-deo.html Thanks for watching!
There are aftermarket altitude bolts that improve polar alignment with all the skywatcher EQ mounts.
Thanks Andrew, looks like I'll be ordering those bolts. Clear skies!
The ones I find are for the eq6 and won't work with the EQ6R. Do you have a source?
I looked at the EQ6R Pro but since I was just getting started and needed to keep my cost down as much as I could, I went with the Celestron AVX and I watched all your vids on the AVX so I knew it would be a good mount. I've had it over the summer now and I'm quite happy with it. And even though I like a lot of the features on the EQ6R Pro I think I'll stay with my AVX. Until I want to get a heavier OTA. ;o)
Great to hear the AVX worked out for you and thanks for your positive feedback. I bought the EQ6R-Pro mainly because it can handle more weight. If you're doing AP with a wide field refractor, the AVX is more than sufficient imo. Clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace Yes, I found an older William Optics GT102 with a Field Flattener in near perfect condition. It's been working well, but I can see how something more in the ED80 range works better with the larger Nebula. And I'm using the ZWO ASIair Pro and I really love it. EXCEPT for the issues it has with my AVX. It's real touchy on the polar alignment. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn't. But I just use the All Star Alignment on the AVX mount and it polar aligns just fine. Been getting some really nice round stars. Except on some photos the stars in the bottom left portion of the image looked stretched. Nice an round in the center. Makes me wonder about the field flattner I'm using? ;o)
just a thought regarding the Altitude adjustment issue. I see with the EQ6-R, skywatcher have turned the tripod by 180 degrees, so people in low latitudes can use them without issue. So, for us in High latitudes, would it not be possible to drill a hole for Azimuth adjustment peg 180 degrees round ? then it would be in conventional format, and the adjustment bolt would not hit the tripod leg.
John
Polar Alignment is a lot easier on the EQ6R-Pro if you add a Piler to it. Also if you do the alignment first without the scope on it, its easier to make the adjustments without the weight.
Thanks Jeff. I don't have an opportunity to install a pier, and I do need my telescope to nail my polar alignment using the sharpcap pro polar align procedure.
After watching your reviews I have just bought this mount and have a question if I may... regarding the polar alignment, I understand that the threads are different for the alt adjustment, but could you not just wind the locking side of the mount all the way in and thusly extend the length of the actual adjustment knob making it far easier to clear both the tripod leg and give you much more room? I haven't got mine yet so can't be sure of course. If that fails, I may consider re-boring the hole and tapping a different thread for a longer bolt. As always, love the videos and keep up the great work!
Hi Steve, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Clear skies in 2021!
I don't own this mount (yet - still undecided), but as I understand it the adjustment bolts oppose each other to set the declination. I envision a lever inside that the two bolts pinch to hold it in place. The farther you screw in one side, the less the opposing bolt can be screwed in and the farther from center your declination becomes.
My biggest issue with this mount is my counterweights tend to slip. Ended up using masking tape on the shaft and removing the plastic bushings from the weights to get a better bite and somewhat better grip. Still really need to crank and tighten the bolts down and still seems a bit sketchy. I agree on the altitude adjustment bolts, precise polar alignment is a challenge. My mount has a few other quirks to it as well but unfortunately I'm not able to get much to figure things out. I've got mixed feelings about my mount and have been looking at others. But for now it's what I got if I want to pull the bigger scopes out and take pictures. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your user experience Allan, highly appreciated!
You can lock the bottom CW lock screw to the hole on the CW shaft, then push in or pull out the CW shaft to balance your RA axis. It's intentionally designed but Sky-Watcher doesn't even mention it in the manual!
@@bryanphanvn The thought of trying that never even occurred to me lol! Might have to try that next time I strip the tape off. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
I am trying to decide what mount to buy. Your feedback is very helpful What are the other issues you are having? Thank you!!!!!
@@bryanphanvn What a great idea!
The opening scene just freaks me out. NEVER put a telescope on without using a counterweight especially the heavy one you have.
scope is still alive Richard, thanks for watching :-)
Same here. I just wanted to point it out. You risk breaking your telescope, at the same time probably also unnecessary stretching of the belts.
was going 'oh no no no' as well.. nevertheless, great review
I am thinking about getting this mount. I started of with the celestron advance vx but even after fine tuning it I struggle to get tracking in RA below 1 arc second which is unacceptable with an 8 inch sct... I heard a lot of great things about this mount and its accuracy....
I've been tracking at about 0.6, with PHD2
@@AstroForumSpace the problem is when you track in dec at 0.7 and Ra at 1.2 you get pretty messed up stars ;)
@@Osti67 yes, both the RA and Dec are pretty stable, both are about .6 when I'm guiding.
Interessante samenvatting Wido, is de mount dan toch hersteld geweest bij Robtics, want dat is niet echt duidelijk in de video.
Ik heb er eentje in bestelling staan dus hopelijk ben ik er ook tevreden mee, afwachten dus
Deze mount staat wel gekend als een echt werkpaard, beetje lomp maar doet heel goed waarvoor m gemaakt is.
Heb je er trouwens nog niet aan gedacht om de mountplaat om te draaien zodat de alt schroef tussen beide poten valt ? Of is dit niet mogelijk ?
Dag Siegfried! Nee, ik heb dat ringetje zelf terug vastgezet met wat hoge kwaliteit secondenlijm :-). Over het algemeen genomen zie ik maar een paar mensen dit ditzelfde probleem hadden dus ga er maar vanuit dat jouw Eq6r-pro prima in orde zal zijn. Bedankt voor de tip mbt de plaat, had ik nog niet zelf bedacht. Ik ben verder heel tevreden met de montering. Afgezien van de wat lastige poolafstelling vanwege dat hendeltje blijft de montering meestal binnen de 1 arcseconde volgen met PhD2. Groeten!
May I ask, from where you know the number of 52Degrees for polaralogment in your place, I guess it will be almost same for Switzerland? Thanks a lot for your help 🤓
www.latlong.net/
Hola Guido : si tengo la montura EQ6 R pro , ¿ necesito todavía agregar una autoguidiing camera ?.
Depende de la focal length de su telescopio. It depends on the focal length of your telescope and what camera. Also, it depends on whether you're going to use it for deep-sky or planetary, or both. Check: ua-cam.com/video/Fs-zImN1avg/v-deo.html
I'm looking a new mount to replace my old eq3-2. Too bad that eq6r has this same dec axis design compared to eq3. I used to fine tune declination from tripod leg.
Good review. If you had a faulty drive then you should really have rejected the mount and asked for another one? Otherwise, the importer won't get the message and quality won't improve. My experience is that it is faultless. The adjustment for Altitude should be compared for similar mounts e.g. HEQ-5 Pro - you will see that the EQ6-R Pro is much superior. You have three knobs supplied - two the same length and one that you won't use at this latitude? If you can figure out how the RA ring can be used for "manual" use that would be interesting - is it just for "show"?
counter weight before telescope
Polar Alignment procedure and startup?
Check out the rest of my channel Peter :-).
It's a really bad practice putting the scope on the mount without the CWs first. Either he will hurt himself or his equipment one day. Thanks for the contents by the way!
polar alignment is easy and chuck is just heavy handed you lift the rig and screw in never use the full weight of the rig when its fully loaded assist it by lifting it
Chuck (or others): What mount do you think has the best altitude control knobs? It seams to me no one is innovative here. I'm a noob with only an EQ-3 and I find it hard to do fine adjustments with a two lever approach. To make it worst, my house and trees block my view of Polaris so I have to drift-align. a nightmare each night I image from home and don't go a dark site.
My old celestron advanced VX had decent altitude knobs, never experienced any issues with it.
The Celestron CGX has a single knob you just turn clockwise or counterclockwise. Very simple and works great.
drill it out and make a brass bush interference fit just cut it 1000th of a mill to big and hammer it in with a bit of soft wood dont use hard wood you might dent the ally finish use a bit of pine instead
Ok you sold me on it......I'm gonna buy this mount. And its all, your fault lol. If you see my wife walking up to your door......lock it and hide in your safe room. Hahaha
Maybe you can plan delivery of the mount when nobody at home? Although with Covid-19 that may be impossible :-). Hope you'll enjoy the mount, clear skies!
@@AstroForumSpace I also just bought the edge HD 800. That's on you too. My wife is NOT very happy. It's always good to blame some random youtube guy lmao
@@sketch6995 ooow, now I'm getting worried. Hope you like the gear mate, ask me anything if you have questions :-).
Astrofarsography likes the altitude adjustment ua-cam.com/video/fNulBVpUMVk/v-deo.html but not the azimuth adjustment bolts: ua-cam.com/video/fNulBVpUMVk/v-deo.html
The altitude bolt issue is a known one. There are some solutions. One can be found at the following link
www.modernastronomy.com/shop/accessories/mount-accessories/eq6bolt-replacement-latitude-adjustment-bolt/
hehehehe... you complain about the latitude adjustment. I welcome you to play with the "high quality" of the EQ35-Pro. What y'all are griping about is a BIG improvement. Could it be even better.. most likely, but your complaint is a "minor wart" when compared to what you actually want your mount to do. Generally, if setting up regularly in your home yard, you SHOULD have some markers in place for your tripod position, so getting a polar alignment should NOT be a major issue, because it isn't with my low-end EQ35-Pro. Now, if using the mount/tripod for remote locations while traveling it MIGHT be an issue.
Hehe, sounds like you've been around in astro for a while. The video is over a year old. I replaced that lever with a knob and I've been loving this mount ever since. Have a nice day Tracy!
The latitude adjustment handle is worthless and a pain in the ass to adjust. Just remove it and adjust with a 12mm socket and a small ratchet. Very simple fix.
There's a fix for the polar alignment issues.
crayfordmanorastro.com/2020/03/13/super-smooth-eq6-altitude-adjustment-mod/
I have the mount and I just hate it. Damn heavy, and damn complicated. I would get GEM45 instead if I have a choice.
Ioptron are pieces of shit EQ6-R Pro are much better and reliable mounts
Land of Celts Tks a lot. Is it based on your experience or in general? I am thinking of GEM45 as it can carry same load but lighter in wieight.
A bit extreme, I have friends with CEM60 and they love them
@@gazza9839 , I have a CEM60 too...and I ❤ it. It's stable, accurate and it's not so heavy to transport as a Sky-Watcher mount.
Where can i get away from light pollution in the Netherlands, somewhere good enough for wide-field. I have the equipment but got disappointed by my bortle 8 city.
Go to another country. Perhaps Veluwe, achterhoek or one of the Wadden islands or Zeeland, close to the coastline.
@@AstroForumSpace I was looking at those, from your experience what is the bortle class of the veluwe park, its certainly the closest to me, lightpollutionmap.info is extremely unreliable
I wouldn't know, I'm imaging from Utrecht, bottle class 8 :-).
@@AstroForumSpace fair enough, even Full spectrum?
Cheaper to buy an Ha filter and try narrowband rather than travel to another country ?
44 lbs of OBSERVING gear... about 22 lbs of astrophotography gear right?
Yes, it's in my blog (link in video description).
You asked, "Would I buy it again?" Then you didn't exactly answer the question, beyond stating it offers a lot of value. Knowing what you know now, WOULD you buy it again?
Yes