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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Loc: Arizona, USA
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New CGEM last night
#3168839 - 06/17/09 10:55 PM Attachment (82 downloads)
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Howdy all;
Because I always felt that my Sirius mount was a little light in the pants to deal with my 6" f/8 refractor, I bought a CGEM yesterday at Starizona in Tucson.
Last night I set it up and it worked great. Command structure much like my old Nexstar 11 GPS and accurate GOTOs with great tracking. A little noisy, I may put in some grease, but that is only happening during the slews, once it in on an object it is silent unless you put your ear to the motor cover.
I really like the big handles and smooth motion to get it on the Pole. I tried out the Polar Align and I don't see any need for a polar scope. It tracked Saturn for half an hour and it barely moved in the field of a 6.7mm eyepiece.
The system takes about 3 seconds to calm down with same eyepiece, much better than the Sirius. This is a much beefier mount than the big refractor has had in the past.
Lots of fun;
Steve Coe
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Sky Captain
Metal Whisperer
Reged: 11/07/04
Loc: Loc: Loc:
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: stevecoe]
#3168950 - 06/17/09 11:55 PM
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Thats really sharp looking Steve. Congrats on the new mount!
How's the weight compared to the Sirius?
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jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan
Reged: 02/28/06
Loc: Petaluma, CA
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: stevecoe]
#3169020 - 06/18/09 01:11 AM
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That's a sweet setup Steve. I am sorely tempted to flip my Atlas for a CGEM. I really like the Nexstar firmware and the updates to things like the altitude adjustment embodied in the CGEM. One of the beautiful things about Nexstar is the ability to slew to RA and Dec coordinates. This is a godsend when working from lists and tables (double star lists, variable star lists, carbon star lists, etc.) that list objects not contained in the typical onboard catalogs.
Time to update the 'ol signature my man. You still list the Sirius for the 6" f/8. 
Regards,
Jim
Edited by jrbarnett (06/18/09 01:13 AM)
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: jrbarnett]
#3169540 - 06/18/09 11:42 AM
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Kerry, I would say the CGEM is about half again as heavy as the Sirius, so it is definately heavier, but there is only that one heavy lift and then you are set up. Not a big thing.
Jim, as I said I am very happy and the handpaddle is very similar to my old Nexstar 11, so very little training for me. You know I have made lots of observing lists over the years and so having RA-DEC Goto right at my fingertips and not having to put them into handpaddle memory is very convenient.
Yes, I need to update the sig;
Steve Coe
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cuzimthedad
Just Be Cuz
Reged: 04/09/06
Loc: Sonoma, Northern California
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: stevecoe]
#3169621 - 06/18/09 12:25 PM
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Nice looking setup Steve. Congratulations. I am giving serious consideration to upgrading to the CGEM and reading reports like yours really helps.
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RAKing
Postmaster
Reged: 12/28/07
Loc: West of the D.C. Nebula
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: stevecoe]
#3169956 - 06/18/09 03:42 PM
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Steve,
Congrats on the new rig. I wish you more happy years together.
Time to take a new photo and update the avatar, too. 
Ron
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: RAKing]
#3170022 - 06/18/09 04:18 PM
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Gentlemen;
You are very welcome. I have no doubt that lots of people will be taking a look at the new Celestron mounts. I have no need for the new big mount (CGE Pro?), but at Riverside it also looked really good.
Let me have a while to update the avatar, but I can do that as well.
Clear skies to us all;
Steve Coe
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Project Galileo
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/14/07
Loc: Jefferson County, Colorado
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Re: New CGEM last night
[Re: stevecoe]
#3171323 - 06/19/09 11:06 AM
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Sweet!
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