Unboxing My New Telescope Mount - Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- It was time to add a new telescope mount to my collection so I purchased a Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro from OPT. Here are the specs on the mount:
Brand: Sky-Watcher
Model: EQ6-R Pro
Mount Type: Computerized Equatorial
GoTo System: SynScan
Object Database: 42,900+
Hand Controller: Sky-Watcher Syn-Scan
Payload Capacity: 44 lb.
Polar Align Assist: Yes
Auto Guide: Yes
Permanent Periodic Correction: Yes
DSLR Interface: Yes, includes Canon EOS Trigger Cable
Motor Type: Stepper
Drive System: Belt
Polar Scope: Built-in and Illuminated
Clutch: Locking Lever
Mounting Saddle Plate: Dual, Vixen and Losmandy Style
Power: 12V, thread-on cable included
Counterweight Shaft: Retractable
Counterweights Included: 2 @ 11 lb. each
Tripod Leg Diameter: 2” Steel
Mount Weight: 38 lb.
Tripod Weight: 16.5 lb.
Follow me on Instagram: / chucksastrophotography
#telescopemount #skywatcher #astrophotography
Congrats Chuck!! Have fun! Clear skies!!
Thanks Stacey
Just received one 2 days ago. To say it's impressive is a understatement. ;) Got back into this hobby after a 20 yr hiatus. This thing is a beast. Went out the first time last night..smooth tracking and amazing GoTo as long as one does a pretty good job with a 2 star alignment. It's heavy but worth every pound. I have a Celestron 9.25 riding on it
Cool, congrats on your new scope.
Yeah I'm thinking of getting one after I recover from Christmas. I have a C11 and Mak 190. Both weight about 30lbs, think it will handle it?
@@JMac85X sure will. Its rated up to 44 lbs. Just be sure you balance everything equally. i.e..dont place all accessories on one side
I have had a EQ5 mount from Orion for close to 15 years and it still works great. That EQ6-R Pro is a pretty mount, I am sure you will be happy with it.
Wow, 15 years!
Love your randomness chuck.you are my favourite American. Keep up the good work.
Favorite American? Wow, that covers the whole US populate! lol, thanks Kevin!
@@ChucksAstrophotography exactly chuck.i love how light hearted and casual you are.im the same as you.buy something you know nothing about and then find out how it works.its more fun working it out for yourself.
Congratulations, looks like a great unit, new toys are always fun.
Thanks Stew, can't wait to try this out.
OPT has an excellent and very helpful staff! Just bought one the other day. Can't wait till I receive it.
Chuck! That thing is a monster! Cool mount. Congrats!!!
Thanks LikeOnATree
, can't wait to try it out.
Congrats on your buy Chuck. Looking forward for great pictures.
Thanks swapsaraf3
Congrats Chuck! I can't imagine your resuts with this upgrade! Can't wait!👍
Thanks
retrodavide
New Astro Stuff!!!!!! Always exciting! Have fun Chuck and thanks for the video.
Yeah, thanks Elmiko. This is going to be fun and no pressure since my primary rig will still be imaging while I can take my time and figure this out.
One of the best value mounts on the market. The quality of Skywatcher equipment has sky-rocketed over the past 5 years or so.
If astrophotography is the main focus, then the mount is paramount. What ever money is left in the short term should be spent on the OTA, a guidescope and camera.
Good to hear!
It’s definitely a great mount! I’ve had mine for a little over 18 months now. Recently I ran into a problem with the dec backlash though and it’s suuuper bad. I haven’t taken a look into fixing it because I haven’t been around much recently but apparently other people have experienced the same thing. Before that I had the best guiding I’ve ever seen: 0.33” RMS with a 130mm refractor fully loaded!
Thanks for the info, I would be interest to see how you resolve the backlash.
That is worrisome. I'd love to hear how you solved this.
I’ll probably wait until late July to mess with it. I’m pretty busy this summer so I won’t have much time to go and image. I’ll put an update out though
You remind me of when my cgx mount showed up at my door. Couldn't wait to dig in.
Yeah, it's always a blast to get new toys.
bought it ~7 month ago as well. Does an absolute amazing job! Have fun with it.
Glad to hear it, thanks Jakn
Congratulations Chuck ! I have the Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 GT and no problem with SGPro, plate solving etc... But you need to buy a special wire which connects into your « Hand Control » input on your mount and then connect the other part of that wire, which has a USB end, into your USB hub or directly into your PC...
That particular wire that you need, and which I think would be the same wire as I use, is called « USB2EQ5 » , unfortunately I forgot from which company I got it from, but from their website, that was the model name for that particular wire. Cheers and Good Luck !
Thanks for the info Rosevan.
No problem Chuck .... by the way I think I got the wire from Shoestring Astronomy... It’s a delicate wire... I bought two wires right from the get go because if that wire screws up, your whole setup is pretty much down.
@@rosevan5485 Ok, thanks for the tip.
SKy Whatcher folks, please help our friend Chuck costing his beautiful hobby, he deserves it for his enthusiasm and dedication, people like him are the reason many of us get to decide what gear to buy.
Yeah Sky-Watcher, help me out! lol
Nice mount, hope the CGX is still around. Unboxing new gear is a blast.
Thanks Sean, the CGX is still my primary setup, this will be for smaller projects.
Awesome mount... but I got goose bumps when i see you didn't screw the head rod in to secure the head, so happy you didn't throw on the weights.... best of luck with the new gear.
lol, that seemed to have scared a lot of people. But I have plenty of experience - my mount was in no danger.
Welcome to skyWatcher mount universe, I have one AZEQ6 and I love it.
Thanks
Marcelo, can't wait to get started.
Hi Chuck, I've owned a number of SW EQ mounts over the years from EQ3 Pro's to NEQ6 Pros so I must like them. I think you can either go from the USB on the mount to your PC or daisy chain from your handset to your PC I believe. If you want to control the mount purely from your PC it kind of makes sense to do the former and connect directly from the mount to your PC using the USB. Congratulations, the R looks really nice, and there is no need to do the belt drive mod with this one as it's already gone from the factory, yah! :)
Thanks, that's what I'm going to do - connect from the mount directly to the PC.
@@ChucksAstrophotographyHave fun and wishing clear skies!
USB connector on the mount is a welcome addition. Synta is finally getting into the 21st century... The only concern I would have using it would be the cable falling off when that side of the mount is facing down. USB connectors are easy to disconnect. The shoestring cable plugging into the H.C. connector snaps in with a telephone like plug securing it in place. Curious to see what will come out of this. Sleek looking mount!
I notice the handset also has a USB port, maybe I can use that.
@@ChucksAstrophotography maybe but when imaging with SGP and using the shoestring cable, the handset is totally useless. You connect thru EQMOD then SGP. Both EQMOD and SGP control panels will move the mount. The handset is just something in between that is not needed. But try it, then we will all know. 😉
The Orion Atlas Pro or this Eq6-r Pro are the BEST mounts for 45lb payload you can buy under $2k, I've had them and I can say they are absolutely fantastic, super quiet, very stable, light, portable, Eq-mod ready, super nice guiding if your gear is less than 30lb all together, lovely interfaces from factory, you can use them without the control remote if you buy the proper cable, it seems like the latest version doesn't need more than a USB 2 cable for what I see, they added a USB2 port...……...
Excellent Chuck! Nice mount to try it out.
Thanks Ray, I hope it works without much grief.
@@ChucksAstrophotography it does. Lot of people using it.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I am thinking, more than you, they must be crossing their fingers based on your reach! They sure are hoping this mount will work for you. LOL.
@@RaysAstrophotography That would be nice if they even wanted to reach out to me to make sure it works, because if it doesn't - I will be making videos showing that it doesn't work.
Some words of advice.
1) Do not overtighten the tripod leg adjusters! You'll end up crushing the inner tube and it will then be extremely difficult to extend them and you'll have to replace the inner tube. To avoid the problem of adjusting the legs entirely, have a look at tripod leg levelers sold by TPI Astro. They allow you to do very fine adjustments by turning a knob. I normally use the rear leg adjuster for PA latitude adjustments. TPI Astro also sell a leg spreader as well which should improve the stability of the tripod.
2) To get the mount talking to SGP, install EQMOD and get a Lynx Astro FTDI EQDIR USB adapter from somewhere like First Light Optics. I got the one that connects directly to the mount using the RJ-45 interface, bypassing the hand controller (which I never use) entirely.
Thanks for the tips Sammy, I'll keep that in mind about the Tripod Leg Adjusters. But it appears there is no need for an RJ-45 anymore. This new amount appears to be one of the first EG6-R models that uses a USB port on the mount head.
That USB port on the EQ6-R Pro seems to be a new addition. I'm just reading up on it now but I'm still not sure if it allows you to connect directly to a laptop or USB hub using an ordinary USB cable while bypassing the hand controller.
The current manual doesn't even have the USB port in it. Try connecting it up to your laptop directly. EQMOD will want to use a COM port to talk to the mount, so if a new COM port device appears when you plug it in you should be good to go. I recommend having a good look at the EQMOD Project webpage on sourceforge for setup info, it can be a bit of a pain getting EQMOD to talk to the mount. For instance, I have to set mine on auto detect. If I tell it to use the COM port that I know it is connected to it still won't find it.
@@thesammyjenkinsexperience4996 Thanks for the tip Sammy, I always seem to have issues finding the right ports on new equipment. Sky-Watcher's own website doesn't even have pictures of the new USB port.
@@ChucksAstrophotography No worries Chuck! I'm always happy to help and we're both using mounts from the same family now... Well, we will be when mine finally arrives back home at the end of the week. Here's some more advice for you... Don't get sucked in by any webpages promising to improve the performance of your EQ mount. I've been out of action for almost 6 months now because of "hypertune" service that is mostly just snake oil for EQ mounts that already have belt drives. Complete waste of time and money.
Nice mount chuck. Im a big fan of the belt drive. Looking forward to your guiding results.
Thanks Dean, I'm hoping for the best.
I can attest. This is a great mount! You will most likely enjoy it :)
Also, if you would like to see how to control this mount with a PC using Stellarium scope & EQmod, check out my video: ua-cam.com/video/zeY4qDfGytA/v-deo.html I walk through how to configure and troubleshoot! EQmod
Good to hear
I've been eyeing this mount since the sale! Hope you can get a review posted before the sale ends!
No, it may be a few weeks before I get everything I need. I want a new focuser for my telescope too that I intend to use with this.
Looks pretty nice Chuck. I like some of the features I caught right off. Two counter weights is nice, wish Celestron would of had a clue on the AVX? A nice long hand control cable. Also the labeling on the ports looks much more intuitive. Looking forward to some working reviews that I know will be coming soon.
Thanks Jeff, I was happy that it came with 2 weights also. And the USB port on the mount head is VERY new to this mount. I hope to be read with this mount by the time clear skies come back.
I'm using this mount and my recommendation is to connect the mount directly to your laptop (or an Intel NUC) and control it via EQMOD. The software and its built-in tools will help lot. I was frustrated in the first three months after acquiring the mount using the hand controller, until I gave it a try with EQMOD, it's a much better and faster way to start your imaging session. The PEC tool comes with EQMOD will definitely improve the guiding accuracy!
Thanks dzung, I will definately go through EQMOD and skip the handset.
@@ChucksAstrophotography In case you didn't know the link to EQMOD tutorials, here it is: ua-cam.com/channels/VrU4T3b2d25cMaqbGNBxQA.html. The handset is still useful if you don't have a gamepad to use with EQMOD, slewing using the soft navigation buttons in EQMOD is really painful, especially when you use remote desktop to control your imaging laptop.
another thing is the Mount Limit feature in EQMOD. it's really useful to set it up from the beginning, it will prevent your scope or camera from hitting the tripod legs :D
@@dzungphan8078 Excellent, that's what I want to set up.
With this mount Chuck, I think you are going to get very soon the RASA . Congratulacions!
You may be right, Jes. I'm thinking about it.
Congrats, looks nice.
Thanks EddWar
Amazing mount my friend with the Orion 80mm cf refractor 10min unguided you will looooove this piece of art.
10 min unguided is incredible!
Get it, Chuck!
Yeah!
OPT is a good outfit. I'm not 100% sure but I think they started out as just a regular camera store. I used to work in a couple camera stores in Orange County and one of our camera company reps now works at OPT after the almost death of camera stores in SoCal. In fact I think there's more telescope stores in SoCal than there are camera stores left. (Not counting Samy's) In one of the stores I managed we brought in Celestron and some of the better Pentax refractors.
Yeah, OPT is very helpful when I have questions and they know their stuff.
congrats Chuck!
Thanks
mrtheoden
Wow • yes a lot to learn • fun unboxing • you are very fast • & the Tigers ball cap 🧢 stayed on • from Gary 🚂
lol, loads of fun!
Great choice chuck!!! It’s a great mount !!! Hopefully the box didn’t come with clouds too!
Thanks Jimmy, it did - 10 day forecast is terrible.
Chuck! This hobby can run you broke! I know! Every hobby I have has the same problem!
Congratulations, I can’t wait to see the results!
I know it, that's why I waited for the $250 off sale. They seem to do it every year.
Wagner was a bonus!!
lol, yeah!
Hey Chuck, I've got one of these, I found that the Eq direct cable to be far more reliable than plugging into the bottom of the handpiece. This mount also works perfectly with SGpro and plate solves very well.
Thanks Phil, I think that's the way to go. I wonder if I can use that USB connection on the mount head for the direct cable. That seems to be new for the EQ6-R.
Not sure what that's about, my mount doesn't have one. By the way I found that this thing need's a decent power supply and at least 14v to stop the steppers from stalling during a slew. The slew speed needs to be slowed to give the stepper motors more torque I think.
That is interesting. Mine is a month and a half old and mine doesn't have that USB connection on the head. I wonder why?
@@epicuniversal I plan to run this mount on AC power. A month and a half and it doesn't have the USB connection? Wow, I must have gotten the very very latest.
Welcome to the NEQ6 world. It's a workhorse.
Thanks Sean
thank you chuck
No prob, treelo
Yep, bought mine in April for full price. Story of my life.
Sorry jturie
Nope just started in June. I think they had it on sale around Christmas too.
I think you did a great buy with that mount.
Thanks
Reyak
SW is owned by the same company that owns Celestron: Synta. Both SW and Celestron have the same address in California . You will need a bridge from the RJ11 port to the USB port on the laptop.
Oh ok, I will look into that, thanks for the tip. And I didn't even know about Synta.
Great Chuck Its whisper quiet too. You should enjoy it with EQMOD. Looks like they have updated the mount from when I bought mine last year. Yours has a USB port!
Thanks Charles, I'll look into this Shoestring Cable, you're the second person that mentioned Shoestring, I never heard of that.
@@ChucksAstrophotography you might not need it since they have added that new USB port on the mount head.
@@Invisible_one Ok
Just get the asi air. Best investment I made with my eq6 and asi cams.
Don't forget the polemaster!
I’ve got a PoleMaster, but no ASIAir - SGP for me.
Great choice!
Thanks Dave
Great choice man. I have had mine for about a month and a half. At first I had sticton issues when balancing it, both RA and DEC was pretty stiff. I wound up manually swinging by hand back and fourth quickly with the clutches disengaged to redistribute the grease and break in the bearings. Now everything is very smooth and easy to balance. I also had issues trying to lower my guiding numbers. Wound up getting a new longer FL guide scope because I could not seem to get my numbers below my imaging scale of 1.03"/pixel no matter what I did. It averaged around 1.30". Horrible. Now I am getting 0.55-0.65". Looking forward to seeing how your guiding is. :)
Oh and with regards to control it, you can do so to start out by connecting the USB firmware update cable to the control computer or hub, then plug it into the hand controller the. Select in the controller PC direct (I think it is called) That will allow computer to pass through the controller so it can be controlled by EQmod. But I highly reccoment you get the showstring direct cable from showstring astronomy. That will allow you to get rid of the controller completely and plug directly into the same port on the Mount that the hand control plugs into. This makes signals sent to the mount quicker and smoother.
Thanks for the info, James. I've noticed a guide scope with a longer focal length helps me out too.
@@epicuniversal Great, thanks for the info on the Shoestring cable.
That's a beast. I have my eye on the AZ/EQ5
With the current sale, the EQ6-R is only $60 more.
@@ChucksAstrophotography
I know, but Alt/Az is much easier to set up for non AP.
@@ChucksAstrophotography
There is an AZ/EQ version of the 6, but you have to order it from overseas.
@@scott_meyer Oh definitely.
Oops, forgot to add the thread! www.cloudynights.com/topic/665052-new-usb-port-on-eq6-r/
Thanks
Watching with interest. I'm have the urge to upgrade the CGEM. Been thinking of more upscale mounts, but hey, if this one does the job at that price, 'whut the hey' - as my buddies used to say. I did notice you straining a bit getting it on the tripod. Not sure if I want to carry that very far.
Cheers; denny-o in Saginaw.
Yeah, it is a bit heavy.
Congrats nice mount.
Thanks Ace
Forget the handset and do direct line from mount to USB hub->computer. If you decide to use the handset (not recommended, I say again!) You'll have to deactivate the handset when SGP is working, else it won't connect. This is known as "PC direct mode" on the handset
Thanks, it sounds like the way to go is to skip the handset so that's what I'll do - forget the handset.
I just ordered one.
Awesome!
Please make a video about EQMOD! Also have no clue about it and was looking forward to buy the Eq6 R Pro!!
If I can figure it out I will, but I have never even installed it yet.
@@ChucksAstrophotography well a smart guy like you will figure it out pretty soon XD
@Stever's Narrow-band Imaging Channel Do it Stever. I don't even know where to start. I haven't even powered my mount up yet.
@Stever's Narrow-band Imaging Channel I'll probably have it figured out by then, but I'll still be interested. I'm curious if you will get a model that has been in inventory for a while or if you get the newer on with the new USB port. OPT seems to have the newer ones, HighPointScientific has the older ones.
Hey Chuck, mine just arrived today from OPT. No manual. Two sheets of paper that are basically worthless (one simply tells me there are two sets of screws to be used depending on latitude with the other being a drawing of the tray assembly). They obviously put their capital into manufacturing rather than technical writers leaving it up to the consumer to find instructions online ... which is what Google is for I suppose. This is akin to having Brad Ausmus as manager. You are handed a great team but have no clue how to make it work. Wish me luck.
"The difference between men and boy's is the price of their toys" Author Unknown.
Good luck with the new mount
Right! Thanks Richard.
👍👍👍
Use a Shoestring cable and eqmod no hand control. Works great!
Thanks for the tip, Elmiko - does a shoestring cable plug into that USB port on the mount?
@@ChucksAstrophotography hi Chuck, I have the Orion Atlas Pro, it doesn't have that USB plug in the mount. The Shoestring cable plugs where your hand control goes with the rj45 plug then the other end has the USB plug that would go to your laptop. I will try to find the exact name of the cable
Usb2 eq5 cable it is around 40.00 from Shoestring Astronomy
There are some really good videos by Chris Shilito about eqmod. Check them out.
Chuck I really don't miss the hand control at all. Eqmod has a virtual hand control on your computer screen. You just click with your mouse. You can set limits and meridian flip. You probably already do that in SGP though.
Get the cable from shoestring. It connects in the HC port. You are home free after that.
Good to hear, thanks Ha.
@@ChucksAstrophotography but but but there us a USB connector on the mount.... try to find out what it does first. Maybe the Chinese manufacturers have clued in on the fact that USB was around and used instead than serial ports...........
@@hael8680 Yeah, that USB on the mount head might be a game changer.
congrats.. nice one.
Thanks kajouman
@@ChucksAstrophotography lol..i just bought the little brother..the skywatcher heq5 goto. second hand for 200 dollar.
now i dont have to lift the 10 inch newton anymore..
yours already up and running ?
$200? Nice! I haven't even powered it up yet. A little laziness has crept in.
Hey Chuck. Great video as always. 2 questions for ya. 1. can you make a tutorial on installing, setting up and connecting eq mod to get running with SGP. and 2. Out of curiosity, why did you choose this mount? What are the advantages of this mount over you CGX-L mount. Ive been eying the CGX-L for a while...but i know the EQ6-R is far more popular lately. so nw im conflicted
Thanks Mack, I know nothing about EQMOD, so I still have lots to learn. The reason I bought this mount is that I wanted a secondary setup for wide field shots. I am always in the middle of multiple projects with my primary setup and I never want to take it apart, so I thought a second setup would be easier. I'm a big fan of my CGX mount, but for wide field shots, I can get by with a less expensive mount.
If your gear is 30lb or less all together go with the Eq6-r Pro, if you are planning for the biggies, RC, Huge refractors... then the CGX-l which is twice the price but handles 75lb, useable up to 55lb, anything over it the guiding is crap.
Spent much time researching the astro channels. Wondered why were there so many unboxing videos. Bought a telescope bundle and now I know why.
$15 store credit.
My order is all jacked up where the only thing actually IN STOCK in the IN STOCK telescope bundle I just ordered is the telescope. Everything else is back ordered for weeks so I must ask... what does IN STOCK mean?
I must have missed something.
Sent the telescope guys a salty email saying "how do u make an unboxing video without 3 of the 4 boxes?". I suggested that they give me $100 store credit to not make an unboxing video. 😎
$15 for unboxing? I didn't know that. I want my credit! lol
This is awesome! I think you'll love it Chuck!
I owned mine since January, if I can be of any help, let me know.
Congrats man!
D
Thanks
Diego, I may take you up on that.
@@ChucksAstrophotography The first thing I noticed on yours if that USB port on the mount's faceplate. That's new. I connect mine through the hand pad using its USB port, and setting the handpad to "PC direct mode". I guess you can bypass the handset now?
In any case, first of all download and install the ASCOM drivers.
@@dgodiex Yeah, I noticed that USB on the mount head is not there on older models.
@@ChucksAstrophotography it might mean that you don't even need the shoestring cable (?). That would be awesome.
@@dgodiex Right, that's what I'm thinking now.
The exchange rate is killing us Canadians! It is an excellent mount but I had to send mine back twice because of a defective motherboard. The replacement for the 2nd defective repair job has been trouble free.
Sorry to hear that Dan. I hope this does not happen to me.
Mine is 6 months old, had to send it in and they replaced the circuit board. When slewing during star alignment, it would not move without several attempts.
@@88fxstd Yikes!
@@88fxstd I had to send in my CGX-L mount head in. It was brand new, purchased earlier this year. There is a serious quality control issue with these circuit boards. Not trying to scare anyone but these are the facts....it isn't limited to Celestron or Sky Watcher either! Had a defective declination motor on the EXOS2Goto mount and one of the adjustment thumbscrews on the Explore Scientific N208CF Newtonian, brand new was defective making collimation on the secondary impossible, therefore the entire OTA impossible!
Good luck with the new mount! I have a question for you. If you could afford an 11 inch RASA or a high-end refractor, which one would you recommend to a person with very little experience in AP?
That's hard to say, because you will gain experience as you go - so either one is a fine choice. But there are other factors, do you want to get close-in on objects, or wide field?
Both
@@johnathanedwards8706 You'll probably end up with more than one telescope, like everyone else.
Ahh I just received my eq6r Pro a month ago too chuck.. Crazy summer cloud and rain in the UK right now... But connected my stellarmate computer to the handset via USB cable and controlled thru k stars software.. But maybe I can put USB direct into mount head USB then?? 🤔
That's my plan, to connect the USB from the mount head to the PC, I hope it works.
@@ChucksAstrophotography ahh let me know if it does as I haven't tried this yet! 😅👍👍 Cheers chuck
I am working with a NEQ6. Thinking of either upgrading to EQ6-R or CEM60...
Good luck with whatever you decide on.
As an owner of CEM60, I'd absolutely recommend it. It beats EQ6R in every spec, it just costs more.
Did you not consider the AZ EQ6, better altitude adjustment, encoders so don't lose alightment if scope is bumped and can move it manually without losing alighment
Woah, I got mine in early March and it does not have a USB port on the mount itself. I presently use the USB port on the SynScan remote but I'm considering buying a direct PC link cable.
Works mostly fine though the remote but I must admit that it only haves consistently on my one usb 2.0 port and does not behave on my other 2 usb 3.0 ports.
I haven't put too much effort to making it run off of the usb ports on my other laptops but it hasn't been so functional. I believe... at least I think I remember reading that the more direct usb PC link cable functions more consistently.
Also, for it weighs, aren't you glad it had a handle? :)
The handle is nice and they did it without sacrificing the hole where the polar scope would go, unlike Celestron did with my CGX. I heard from someone who just received their EQ6-R mount last week and they didn't even have the USB port. Mine mount must be SUPER fresh off the assembly line. I think I am going to try EQMOD and a direct line instead of connecting through the handset.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Yeah, I'm sure many of us are curious how that works out.. I expect it to work in EQMOD and wouldn't be surprised if it worked more consistently than the hand controller's USB port.
Hey Chuck, I'm on theshort list for a EQ6-R in a couple of weeks :) Can you keep us updated on the USB connection ? Is it a direct connect to the laptop ? and what software works with it ?
Cheers Ivan..
I'm going to install EQMOD today and test it out. From what I've read, it's a direct connection to the laptop, but I'll know for sure later today.
My old eq6 needs a bolt thru the tripod side into the mount so the mount does not fall off..does the new one have similar? If so I would get that sorted as unless I am mistaken the mount can fall off when you put the scope on..hope this reaches you in time☺
A screw comes up from the bottom. No worries, it was in no danger of falling, but thanks for your concern.
What made you buy this mount? CGX giving you issues? I couldn't resist and bought this mount too last weekend, should arrive today and will hopefully blow my cgem dx out of the water
I wanted a secondary setup for wide fields targets so I wouldn't have to tear down my primary setup.
My dream mount, just can’t afford it any time soon
Yeah, it's certainly not a cheap hobby to have.
Chuck's Astrophotography that’s the truth, I still have to buy my Explore Scientific ED102
Nice I have the same mount as this but it doesn’t have the usb on the mount head at all and the HC/guide ports are round the other way.
Oh ok, well I hope that USB on the mount head comes in handy.
Chuck's Astrophotography also chuck would be nice to know if you got the serial to RJ12 cable with the mount?
@@LAshotts It appears their is no need for an RJ12, I think I may have the very first model that has a USB connection on the mount head.
Chuck's Astrophotography oh ok can I ask one more thing... on the bottom of the hand controller how many ports are there.
@@LAshotts Three and one of them is USB.
Hey Chuck,
Check out this thread for links to information on the USB connection and EQMod.
Enjoy your new mount,
Miguel 8-)
Will do, thanks Miguel.
Curious why you got the EQ6 R PRO and not the AZ/EQ6 version when the AZ has a few things it does better, why is the AZ version not overtaking the EQ6 R PRO? Is it the price? At least for me could not justify the Extra $1000.
Arw astrophotography just stuck on the EQ6 pro is the one to get only as so many have them and fewer have the AZ/EQ version
Chuck. Have you solved your stripped alt az gear adjust problem? I just got my unit. I am wondering if I should grease them up to prevent stripping as I know you've had that problem. Any thoughts? Thank you.
Nice! Did this replace the CGX? I was strolling through your videos because I am thinking about getting a CGX.
Thanks. No, this EQ6-R mount is for a lot of equipment and telescopes that weren't being used. My CGX is still going to be my primary rig.
This video is over two years old, I just ordered my EQ6-R Pro, this video may be 4 years old by the time I get mine.
That's what I look like when I order something new and then proceed to go observe the clouds. I'm that fast and everything.
lol, the 10-day forecast looks terrible here.
Hey Chuck. I have the same mount and I put it on a pier and I am using stellarium to control it. I was allays wondering is there a way that your telescope knows where it is so you do not have to align it every single time you start it. If you have a clue I will be very grateful. Thanks!
If you have it on a pier, that's great - then you don't have to do polar alignment every time out. So each session, you could just do a 1- star alignment, it doesn't even need to be accurate - it's just to start your mount tracking. Then let Plate-Solving take over and find your object.
Thanks Chuck! The only thing I should find out about the Plate-Solving .
Congrats Chuck for your new mount!
Do you think it is any better than the CEM60?
Thanks Wissam, the CEM60 offers a higher payload capacity - more than I needed and certainly more expensive.
I went with the CEM60. It's a great mount but the way they engage the gears is tricky because they arnt clutches. I'd go with the EQ6 if you want a more normal gear system. Once you get used to the CEM60 gears though it's amazing. I can get up to 2min subs with no guiding and potentially 10min subs with guiding though I haven't gone past 5min personally
@@therealalexmullins I've heard nothing but very good things about the CEM60, nice mount!
Thanks all, I have the CEM60 and I am very pleased with it, and you're very right Alex about the gear engage disengage feature, now I am very used to it.
g`day chuck i will be interested in your thoughts on both mounts guiding and stability etc etc and if the cgx is worth the extra expense been thinking or buying one for a long time now been shy at pulling the trigger at $3600 aussie $ never owned a GEM mount only alt az ...please do some more videos on your mounts.... love your work
cheers
james D
Thanks James. The CGX has served me well, it will be very interesting to see how the EQ6-R performs.
Quick question Chuck, I have the EQ-6 and looking to upgrade. Does this mount have the HOME feature like the CGX? Thanks.
I was wondering that too. I don't know if it's part of EQMOD. I'm going to install EQMOD today and see what happens.
Hi Chuck,
Do you know if it possible to change the EQ-6R Pro mount circuit board that doesn't have USB connection to include USB connection?
I bought my mount in Jan 2019 but didn't come with USB interface?
I don’t get it chuck your CGX is a better mount or am I wrong ?
I have no idea how well this new mount will guide. But the point of buying it was so that I can have a secondary setup that is more flexible. I get trapped into long projects with my primary CGX setup and never want to tear it down. I wanted a secondary setup that I can try shorter projects on, even different scopes on.
what do you need to hook it up to your computor
What is going on with the CGX? I have been using skywatcher for 2 years. No problem to report.
The CGX is fine, but it's so permanent because I am always in the middle of long projects. This EQ6-R will be more of a variable setup with short projects in mind.
The development of firmware is lagging the hardware innovations on this mount. I don't know about their other products.
I'll still give it a try, I'm not too worried about it.
A new toy, I see!
Yes indeed, I was getting bored.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I hope the excitement of new gear doesn't get damped by bad weather over there.
@@robsbackyardastrophotograp8885 The 10-day forecast is terrible of course.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I'm sorry about that, man. Hopefully it'll get better when the new moon rolls around so you can test it under good skies.
What scope do you plan to put on?
For now I am thinking of my wide field scope, the Orion ED80T CF.
@@ChucksAstrophotography looking forward to your new work, clear sky!
,what do you spec to get with this mount better than with the other one?
It's just a secondary setup that I will use once in a while on something new so I don't have the tear down my primary setup with the CGX.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I got it 😉 congratulation
hI, but the celestron mount?
The CGX will still be my primary setup. This is for a secondary setup that won't be tied up with long projects
@@ChucksAstrophotography multi setup, good!!!😉
what was that 3 legged contraption at 1:10 ?? ;)
lol
@@ChucksAstrophotography going on 8 years with an observatory has spoiled me! I don't miss the constant setup/tear downs at all !! purchased land at 10k feet recently w/bortle class 2 skys and will be building a cabin w/built in observatory in 2020! --- Today like you I also live near a large airport (in my case Chicago O'hare) and look forward to trips under dark skies
@@DeanJohnson67 Bortle 2, that's awesome!
@@ChucksAstrophotography I forgot to say great mount! I used EQMOD myself for years with a sky watcher and did eventually end up going direct with a shoestring adapter. That mount after 15 years has been retired ! Been using an iOptron CEM60 for a few years and so far been happy with it!
@@DeanJohnson67 Cool, the USB connection in the mound head is new I hear, so I may not need a shoestring adapter - I think.
Love your stuff and you should invest in a better camera
Thanks, which camera do you have in mind?
Chuck's Astrophotography Nothing to big maybe just a dslr that’s more up to date and I mean that for the video aspect instead of the astrophotography. Also keep doing what your doing chuck your great.
If I had more followers, maybe I would.
Solid mount but why didn't you consider cem 60?
Too expensive, and I didn't need so much payload capacity.
Unboxing of porn, the money shot. Nice! 2:46 not securing the head mount?
As of right now, it's still not secure, lol. But nobody else hangs out in the basement except me. It's safe.
@@ChucksAstrophotography PLEASE twist to secure head. Remember you falling down the stairs, 8SE getting crushed by your garage door, shit happens. You're going to love SYNscan, lol, I love it!
@@jefflucas_life You have a good memory, Jeff. lol
@Stever's Narrow-band Imaging Channel I secured it yesterday, sheesh. lol. But it was strange how they had the peg on the opposite so that there were two tripod legs forward. I screwed it to the other side so that when the mound head points north, there is on tripod leg forward and two behind.
@Stever's Narrow-band Imaging Channel If the mount head had fallen, that would probably be my first video that goes viral. I'd do it on purpose for that, lol. I wish I had a video of when the garage door collapsed and hit my telescope... The peg can screw on to the other side. I removed the mount head, screwed the peg onto the other side, then put the mount head back on. So the AZ-bolts can still grip the peg and now I have two legs in the south instead of north.
I am your 800th viewer and 80th liker LOL
Congratulations, you've won a new TV!
@@ChucksAstrophotography where is it?? I need it LOL if not give me free 6 month Amazon prime subscription 😂🤣🤣
@@utkarshmishra2766 LOL
Chuck, I have that exact same a
mount. I've tested both by connecting my computer directly from the Hand controller to my laptop and setting the hand controller to 'PC Direct Mode'. I've also tested it out by removing the hand controller from the RJ socket and connecting a Lynx EQDir cable. EQMod on my laptop works equally good. Below is a link to the cable which I'm using. www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq5-pro-heq5-syntrek-pro-az-eq5-gt-az-eq6-gt-and-eq8-mounts.html
Excellent, thanks for the info Jairo. So if I connect to through the handset, then I don't need EQMOD?
It appears I won't need that cable since everything seems to be USB on this model.
EQMod is just the software and can be used with both methods of cable connection. With the Lynx EQDir cable, you can eliminate the hand controller completely.
@@laidbackobs I think that's the way I'll go, remove the hand controller entirely.