DXVictor
member
Reged: 02/01/10
Loc: Clark, CO
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New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
#4336703 - 01/24/11 12:54 PM
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Hello all,
I just bought a new CG-5 Advanced series ($599 shipped from OPT. Invoiced marked "Clearance" - fuel for the replacement speculators).
I'm familiar with the Celestron HC and its capabilities, so I'm fairly competent with that. I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are on load capabilites or the CG-5. Right now I have my old C-8 mounted on it. I also have a C-9.25 I was hoping to use on it as well.
Any ideas on what I should do to the mount for best performance? Any mods or recommended accessories?
I did replace the top piece with an ADM adapter and the ADM combination clamp (Losmandy and Vixen compatible) - the one that uses two spring-loaded screws and clamps to the 'scopes mounting bar with its entire length, rather than using just the pressure of the screw head.
Thanks,
Doug
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Phil Wheeler
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/31/05
Loc: 3 miles WNW of Celestron
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: DXVictor]
#4336823 - 01/24/11 02:04 PM
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I just bought a new CG-5 Advanced series ($599 shipped from OPT. Invoiced marked "Clearance" - fuel for the replacement speculators).
Interesting. Plus the OPT on line price was $650 last week when I looked, or I would have driven to Oceanside Saturday and bought one (Woodland Hills had a lower price but none in stock at the time). WH is closer but Oceanside is about the same drive time due to traffic patterns -- and more scenic 
Likely there are some threads here on improving the ASGT aka CG-5 GT mount. I'd try a search in the Mount forum using each of those search terms.
And be sure to look in the Forum Archives:
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbarchive/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/lxd55
since the CG-5 has been around a while.
Edited by Phil Wheeler (01/24/11 02:11 PM)
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Fred1
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/19/07
Loc: Somewhere in the Orion Spur
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Phil Wheeler]
#4336868 - 01/24/11 02:23 PM
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The $600 price seems to be the going price. I bought my first CG5ASGT from OPT in March '08, my 2nd from Hands on Optics in April '10. Both were $600. I presume that there are so many of these produced by the manufacturer and stocked by the dealers that discounted sales are pretty common.
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CarolG
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/16/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: DXVictor]
#4336906 - 01/24/11 02:41 PM
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I'm also a new CG5 owner. I got mine about 2 weeks ago from OPT. The price then was $599. Looks like they have gone up $50 and no more free shipping. You were lucky to get it at the price you did. Anyway, the first addition I made was like you. I replaced the stock mounting bracket with this adapter. It is rock solid and should hold the telescope securely. I say "should", because I haven't gotten to use mine yet due to the weather. I did add a StarGPS, but only because I already had one for my Nexstar 11 (the NS11 has been trying to 'link' for the past 5 years and finally 'linked' about a couple of months ago, but that's another story). For now I can't think of anything to add. Do you have vibration suppression pads? I'm going to use mine for awhile to see if there is anything else the mount could use. Let us know what you do with yours and post pictures if you can. I love to see what others have done to enhance their equipment.
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Trev
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/18/05
Loc: Fort McMurray, AB
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4336996 - 01/24/11 03:28 PM
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If it has the black "Synta Glue" in it, replacing the grease would be the best mod. You don't have to do a tune up on the mount to get rid of the lousy grease.
Some people have shortened the tripod legs, I replaced mine with a heavier wall tube which made it a little more stable.
I use my ASGT with my 6" refractor which tops out at 32lbs with no problems.
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letimotif
No Complaints
Reged: 05/20/07
Loc: Actually, right here.
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Trev]
#4337133 - 01/24/11 04:27 PM
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Noisy bugger it is.
Other than that, I've used one with a C925 for visual purposes successfully. My only counsel would be to be certain you have the scope balanced properly to get the best results. I ended up marking the dovetail based upon what I added to the OTA to ensure I could do it easily, especially after sunset.
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rmollise
Postmaster
Reged: 07/06/07
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: DXVictor]
#4337322 - 01/24/11 05:28 PM
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Hello all,
I just bought a new CG-5 Advanced series ($599 shipped from OPT. Invoiced marked "Clearance" - fuel for the replacement speculators).
I'm familiar with the Celestron HC and its capabilities, so I'm fairly competent with that. I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are on load capabilites or the CG-5. Right now I have my old C-8 mounted on it. I also have a C-9.25 I was hoping to use on it as well.
Any ideas on what I should do to the mount for best performance? Any mods or recommended accessories?
I did replace the top piece with an ADM adapter and the ADM combination clamp (Losmandy and Vixen compatible) - the one that uses two spring-loaded screws and clamps to the 'scopes mounting bar with its entire length, rather than using just the pressure of the screw head.
Thanks,
Doug
1. Leave the mount alone unless it has a problem internally.
2. Spread the pins on the mount side connector to ensure good contact.
3. Always run with a good, fully charged battery.
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Doug76
Long Achro Junkie
Reged: 12/05/07
Loc: Refractor Heaven
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: rmollise]
#4337395 - 01/24/11 05:56 PM
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What Rod said. On #2 he means the pins in the power jack on the mount. Just a very minor spreading is required. Do yourself a favor, if your power plug is the straight kind, replace it with a right angle type.
If the mount goes crazy on you during the night while using it, refer to Rod's rule #3.
And you'll find the Synta glue/grease is a thing of the past. There was none on my CG-5ASGT, bought in late 2006, and still running like the champ it is. Great mount.
Load rating seems to vary according to who you are listening to, but I never exceed 20lbs on mine. It just works better when not heavily loaded. Balance is critical should you wish to exceed that amount, which the CG-5 can do.
The mount tracks accurately, and when aligned correctly the Goto's are highly accurate.
And as a shameless plug, but not for me, buy Rod's book on SCT's. I bought two, and donated one to my local library. It is chock full of good info.
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CarolG
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/16/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Doug76]
#4337455 - 01/24/11 06:18 PM
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Doug, do you know where you can get a right angle plug?
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Doug76
Long Achro Junkie
Reged: 12/05/07
Loc: Refractor Heaven
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4337468 - 01/24/11 06:22 PM
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As I recall, I got mine from Parts Express.
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Fred1
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/19/07
Loc: Somewhere in the Orion Spur
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Doug76]
#4337512 - 01/24/11 06:45 PM
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You can get one of these: http://scopestuff.net/ss_rapc.htm
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Doug76
Long Achro Junkie
Reged: 12/05/07
Loc: Refractor Heaven
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Fred1]
#4337708 - 01/24/11 07:48 PM
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Yep, that'll work.
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Fred1
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/19/07
Loc: Somewhere in the Orion Spur
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Doug76]
#4337951 - 01/24/11 09:26 PM
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I think this was the one Doug76 posted about:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=090-489
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Doug76
Long Achro Junkie
Reged: 12/05/07
Loc: Refractor Heaven
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Fred1]
#4337982 - 01/24/11 09:39 PM
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Did my review give it away? 
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Phil Wheeler
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/31/05
Loc: 3 miles WNW of Celestron
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4338016 - 01/24/11 09:54 PM
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I'm also a new CG5 owner. I got mine about 2 weeks ago from OPT. The price then was $599. Looks like they have gone up $50 and no more free shipping. You were lucky to get it at the price you did. Anyway, the first addition I made was like you. I replaced the stock mounting bracket with this adapter.
Which version did you get (there seem to be three) and for what scope?
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CarolG
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/16/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Phil Wheeler]
#4338242 - 01/24/11 11:31 PM Attachment (36 downloads)
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I got the dual version. I am going to use my Televue 85, which I already had on a D style dovetail, on the CG5. Here's a picture of what the ADM system looks like with scope mounted.
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CarolG
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/16/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Doug76]
#4338268 - 01/24/11 11:46 PM
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I don't want to hijack this thread, but would the right angle adapter you got, Doug, work with the Celestron AC adapter? I noticed that Scopestuff said their adapter would only work with their AC adapter, not the Celestron AC adapter.
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Doug76
Long Achro Junkie
Reged: 12/05/07
Loc: Refractor Heaven
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4338859 - 01/25/11 10:10 AM
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Mine had to be hardwired in to replace the original straight plug. I used to be an electronic tech, so soldering wires is pretty easy for me.
The Scopestuff adapter would seem to be just plug and play. Companies say those sorts of things to protect themselves from lawsuits should something go wrong. Lawyers made that necessary, with their unbridled enthusiasm for litigation.
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GaryML
sage
Reged: 02/16/09
Loc: San Diego, California
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: Doug76]
#4347747 - 01/29/11 01:24 AM
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Mine had to be hardwired in to replace the original straight plug. I used to be an electronic tech, so soldering wires is pretty easy for me.
The Scopestuff adapter would seem to be just plug and play. Companies say those sorts of things to protect themselves from lawsuits should something go wrong. Lawyers made that necessary, with their unbridled enthusiasm for litigation.
The ScopeStuff plug is designed to adapt a 2.5mm plug (used by Meade) to the 2.1mm plug used by Celestron. So it won't directly connect to a straight 2.1mm Celestron and therefore is not "plug and play." It has nothing to do with lawyers and the lawyer-bashing comment is inappropriate.
Of course you can cut off the existing Celestron straight plug and the 2.5mm female plug and just splice the wires, which is apparently what is needed with the alternative product.
Personally I've never had any problem with the stock straight plugs on my Celestron 12V power cord and on my Celestron AC adapter. My approach is that if it ain't broke then don't fix it.
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Doug76
Long Achro Junkie
Reged: 12/05/07
Loc: Refractor Heaven
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: GaryML]
#4348929 - 01/29/11 04:55 PM
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It has nothing to do with lawyers and the lawyer-bashing comment is inappropriate.
It's always appropriate, and besides, I wasn't bashing them, just stating the obvious.
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jimb1001
sage
Reged: 11/14/09
Loc: Florida
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: rmollise]
#4350496 - 01/30/11 12:22 PM
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Quote:
Hello all,
I just bought a new CG-5 Advanced series ($599 shipped from OPT. Invoiced marked "Clearance" - fuel for the replacement speculators).
I'm familiar with the Celestron HC and its capabilities, so I'm fairly competent with that. I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are on load capabilites or the CG-5. Right now I have my old C-8 mounted on it. I also have a C-9.25 I was hoping to use on it as well.
Any ideas on what I should do to the mount for best performance? Any mods or recommended accessories?
I did replace the top piece with an ADM adapter and the ADM combination clamp (Losmandy and Vixen compatible) - the one that uses two spring-loaded screws and clamps to the 'scopes mounting bar with its entire length, rather than using just the pressure of the screw head.
Thanks,
Doug
1. Leave the mount alone unless it has a problem internally.
2. Spread the pins on the mount side connector to ensure good contact.
3. Always run with a good, fully charged battery.
I had power problems with mine. Spread the pins in the connector as Rod suggested and worked fine. Then read about switch problems so I bought an aftermarket power cable with its own switch on the cigarette lighter adapter. Now I leave the scope's switch on and toggle the power from the cable.
If that switch fails it will be easier to replace than the power switch on the mount.
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rmallen
member
Reged: 09/30/08
Loc: Michigan
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4350648 - 01/30/11 01:23 PM
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I replaced the stock mounting bracket with this adapter. It is rock solid and should hold the telescope securely.
I am considering buying the ADM Saddle Adapter for my CG5. I am not real crazy about the scratches/gouges I'm getting on my dovetail from the screws in the stock saddle. I don't see any installation instructions on the ADM website. How difficult is it to install?
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tjay
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/03/07
Loc: just outside of Toronto
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: rmallen]
#4351419 - 01/30/11 07:00 PM
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Quote:
I replaced the stock mounting bracket with this adapter. It is rock solid and should hold the telescope securely.
I am considering buying the ADM Saddle Adapter for my CG5. I am not real crazy about the scratches/gouges I'm getting on my dovetail from the screws in the stock saddle. I don't see any installation instructions on the ADM website. How difficult is it to install?
I'm sure Anthony from ADM can answer this question. He provides great service before and after a sale.
I'm considering the same adapter too.
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CarolG
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/16/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: tjay]
#4351658 - 01/30/11 08:46 PM
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The installation is very easy. I'm the kind of person who has to have almost 'plug and play' kind of things. The CG5 comes with a mounting adapter (the piece that accepts the CG5 included dovetail) that is attached to the mount with 3 screws. Simply unscrew those screws, and use those screws to attach the ADM adapter. The mounting adapter that comes with the CG5 is pushed in tightly, so you have to pull it out with a little bit of force. Once the ADM adapter is screwed down, just attach (with ADM supplied screws)whichever saddle plate you ordered. It took me all of 5 minutes to switch out. This really is a 'no brainer' installation!
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rmallen
member
Reged: 09/30/08
Loc: Michigan
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4351672 - 01/30/11 08:58 PM
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It took me all of 5 minutes to switch out. This really is a 'no brainer' installation!
Good to hear, thanks!
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tjay
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/03/07
Loc: just outside of Toronto
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: CarolG]
#4351698 - 01/30/11 09:15 PM
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The installation is very easy. I'm the kind of person who has to have almost 'plug and play' kind of things. The CG5 comes with a mounting adapter (the piece that accepts the CG5 included dovetail) that is attached to the mount with 3 screws. Simply unscrew those screws, and use those screws to attach the ADM adapter. The mounting adapter that comes with the CG5 is pushed in tightly, so you have to pull it out with a little bit of force. Once the ADM adapter is screwed down, just attach (with ADM supplied screws)whichever saddle plate you ordered. It took me all of 5 minutes to switch out. This really is a 'no brainer' installation!
Thanks Carol! I'll probably have to order one now...
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blave
member
Reged: 08/11/09
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: DXVictor]
#4351862 - 01/30/11 10:56 PM
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I have had one of these for a couple years, bought almost-new. Here are some general comments:
- just last week the power switch failed, costing me a night of observing. Fortunately I had read that this is a weak point of the mount so I took it apart and shorted the switch contacts together with soldered (large gauge) wire, and now just use the power socket as a "switch". My recommendation would be to leave the thirty-five cent switch "on" and plug/unplug for power control.
- The connectors on mine seem to be getting wonky. I get servo connect errors almost every time I take the mount out (at least this season) at some point. Fortunately I can press UNDO twice after an error, jiggle the cables, and try again. I have hit the connectors with contact cleaner with marginal results. This problem seems to've gotten worse over time and I still don't know where the problem is. (I use the Celestron add-on gizmo that allows PC control via some more ports - I'm not sure if the problem is in that but I suspect it's not.)
- Last week, after months of not using the mount, I took it out and did three successive alignments without getting good "gotos". However after a Factory Reset I had some of the best gotos I've had (i.e. several Messier and NGC objects were centered in my 80mm refractor/7mm Nagler EP after the go-to), over a wide swath of the sky. (2 Star Align, 1 Calibration Star, rough visual polar alignment through the mount's (optional) polar scope.) This happened to me at least once before so if things aren't working out, try the reset.
SO - I've had my share of problems but I still think the mount is a good value at its price point. At the moment I'm considering moving up to a CGEM but the weight aspect is putting me off - the AS-GT is pretty light and portable for what it can do. I have done some unguided and guided imaging with it with very satisfactory results.
Enjoy your new toy,
Dave B.
San Jose, CA
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CarolG
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/16/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: New CG-5/AS Owner... What should I know about it?
[Re: tjay]
#4351863 - 01/30/11 10:56 PM
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The ADM adapter really is nice. With the spring loaded knobs on the saddle plate, it holds the scope very securely and is easy to loosen and take the scope off when desired. I'm very glad I added this upgrade.
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