kbastro
member
Reged: 04/20/08
Posts: 65
Loc: at the scope!
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A friend of mine bought an eq-6 pro from skywatcher and it has a small flaw when autoguiding, exceeding + 30" once every 4 minutes and only errors in the R.A.
Well he contacted the dealer where he bought it and told the dealer of the problem and that the 30" error makes this scope un-usable for doing fine astrophotography work. The dealer contacted skywatcher and skywatcher basically said that it was up to the owner to assess the problem by supplying data from the log on the autoguider and then we can determine what is wrong BUT don't ship the mount back to us, we can ship a replacement part if one is needed.
So my beef is when is it the problem of the NEW owner who has a one month old Skywatcher Eq6 mount???? to fix and determine what is wrong with a mount that should have worked proper from day one???????
What type of company is SKYWATCHER? they have no problem taking someones $1500.00 for a mount but won't help by replacing the mount or stalling to determine if it warrents a RMA repair or not at the expense of the owner's lack of an 100% fully useable mount.
All I know is that when I have had problems with astro gear it was replaced or repaired within days of them receiving it and I never had any delay problems.
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12" Dob
10" Parks newtonian
8" newtonian
8" Astro Tech f/4 newt
WO flt 132 apo refractor
127mm skywatcher refractor
5" meade reflector
5" mak cass
80mm megrez super apo triplet
80mm equinox apo refractor
Losmandy titan mount
QHY8
Canon 20d, canon 20da, canon 5D mk II
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 25195
Loc: NE Ohio
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This is a report of what somebody told somebody to tell somebody else - and then they told you! That's so far removed that it's impossible to tell who said what. A first-hand report would be much more useful to us.
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John C
Urban Observatory
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Meade ETX-125AT
C14
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
CI-700, NJP, GPDX/SS2KPC, CG5-GT
ST-10XME, DSI Pro
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gnowellsct
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 730
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Well presumably you bought a Losmandy Titan (in your signature) because you were tired of the issues with inexpensive mounts. (which is not to say there are zero issues with expensive mounts) So you might have steered your friend to a Vixen, Losmandy, MI-250, etc.
Your friend's mount is at 30 arc seconds peak to peak, does skywatcher spec better than that? The CGE Pro is spec'd at 18 arc seconds peak to peak, which is better, but neither spec is impressive.
Much as I like G11s, I did have to adjust the worm gear gap when it arrived, and I had to purchase the alternate UHMW disc clutch pads (instead of nylon, I believe nylon is no longer used), and take the thing apart and get it mo' betta' adjusted.
I think this is very common in Astronomy: it's like in the old days, very old, like Model T old, when it was assumed that car owners carried tools and knew how to get in and make the thing run. I do think there are more of these issues with Made in China product lines. Even mighty Astro-physics doesn't always get it right: I had to send my mount back to them after upgrades for some issues that weren't done right.
Good luck working it out, for now I would say just get the autoguider printout and send them the information and see what happens. As you are probably aware, the problems diminish as you spend more money but never go away completely. In spite of initial issues, my stepper version Losmandy g11 turned into a rock solid reliable piece of equipment.
regards
Greg N
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"Aperture will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no aperture."
featuring selected astrojunk:
bunch o' widefield eyepieces
bunch o' narrowfield eyepieces
couple o' Barlows
couple o' scopes
couple o' mounts
couple o' tripods
and a pier 'n' stuff
Edited by gnowellsct (10/05/09 11:07 PM)
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therocksal
sage
Reged: 12/02/08
Posts: 286
Loc: Everett, WA
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I received a SW DOB a few weeks ago...the dob had been somewhat damaged in shipping...a small dent and a locking screw broke off...they sent me a UPS label and told me to pack up just the O.T.A. and ship it back and they would send me a new one...very easy, very quick....of course, I haven't received the scope back yet so I'm crossing my fingers but they've been great so far.
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Skywatcher 10" Truss Dob
Astro Tech 6" Mak-Cass (on order)
Orion 80ED
Atlas EQ-G
Canon XSi
KWIQ guider
Celestron 15x70s
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neptun2
sage
Reged: 03/04/07
Posts: 277
Loc: Bulgaria
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I had problem with the DEC motor of my HEQ5 Pro upgrade kit. I gave the motor only to my local dealer and 2 movies showing the problem and in 1 week i received new motor so i am happy. It was not needed to send back the entire upgrade kit. THe upgrade kit was bought through opticalvision uk so maybe i should thank to them and not skywatcher directly but the key is that service was ok. And the movies i sent to them helped them to send me only motor and not replace the whole kit.
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Skywatcher Explorer 200P 8" f5 newtonian reflector
HEQ5 Pro Synscan Equatorial mount
Nikon Action 12x50 , Nikon D5000
Nagler type 6 11mm , Pentax XW 7mm , Televue 2x barlow 1.25"
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jason_milani
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 1734
Loc: Northeast Ohio
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If they don't guarantee specs relating to periodic error (which they do not - and 30" is not really that bad for a mid-range mount) then there really is no beef. There may be an owner who expected plus or minus 10" and are not happy either. Are they supposed to exchange that mount as well?
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Celestron C-14
Celestron C-8
Celestron C-5
Orion/Vixen ED114SS APO
William Optics Megrez 72mm ED
Celestron CGE mount
Discmount DM-4
Mallincam Hyper Color Plus
Baader UV/IR Modded Canon 40D
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4572
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Quote:
A friend of mine bought an eq-6 pro from skywatcher and it has a small flaw when autoguiding, exceeding + 30" once every 4 minutes and only errors in the R.A.
1. SkyWatcher does NOT have a poor reputation.
2. A 30-arc-second periodic error is typical and acceptable and workable in a mount in this price class.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 25195
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
If they don't guarantee specs relating to periodic error (which they do not - and 30" is not really that bad for a mid-range mount) then there really is no beef. There may be an owner who expected plus or minus 10" and are not happy either. Are they supposed to exchange that mount as well?
If one wants a minimum specified PE it's necessary to move up quite a bit. Only the largest mounts by Losmandy and Celestron specify it; to get a spec on smaller or midrange mounts you have to go to upscale brands.
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John C
Urban Observatory
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Meade ETX-125AT
C14
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
CI-700, NJP, GPDX/SS2KPC, CG5-GT
ST-10XME, DSI Pro
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StargazerBill
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/27/07
Posts: 518
Loc: Catawba, VA
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Quote:
Quote:
A friend of mine bought an eq-6 pro from skywatcher and it has a small flaw when autoguiding, exceeding + 30" once every 4 minutes and only errors in the R.A.
1. SkyWatcher does NOT have a poor reputation.
2. A 30-arc-second periodic error is typical and acceptable and workable in a mount in this price class.
1. Correct. In my dealings with them I have found that they bend over backwards to help.
2. Also correct.
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37;23N 80;10W (Jet Stream Alley) 
Vixen ED100sf
Orion ST 120
Orion XT6i
Meade 8" SCT
Sky-Watcher 10" Dob
GSO 42mm Wide Field
Meade 5000 UWA 24, 18, 14, 8.8, 6.7, 4.7mm
Vixen NPL Plossl 30mm, 20mm, 15mm, 10mm
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Kaizu
sage
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 344
Loc: Finland
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I knew beforehand that the exceptable PE of EQ-6 was circa half arc minute and that was the reason to buy G11. The dot took one step left in the PE. The price was higher but not so much.
Skywatcher did not quarantee any PE. Losmandy did and kept it.
Kaizu
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Some thoughts are so wise that they don't make me laugh
http://www.kaiforssen.fi
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 25195
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
I knew beforehand that the exceptable PE of EQ-6 was circa half arc minute and that was the reason to buy G11. The dot took one step left in the PE. The price was higher but not so much.
Skywatcher did not quarantee any PE. Losmandy did and kept it.
Kaizu
I've never seen a Losmandy spec for PE on the G11 - what is it?
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John C
Urban Observatory
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Meade ETX-125AT
C14
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
CI-700, NJP, GPDX/SS2KPC, CG5-GT
ST-10XME, DSI Pro
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kbastro
member
Reged: 04/20/08
Posts: 65
Loc: at the scope!
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1. SkyWatcher does NOT have a poor reputation.
2. A 30-arc-second periodic error is typical and acceptable and workable in a mount in this price class.
1. If Skywatcher doesn't have a poor reputation why don't they just take back the mount test it and determine what is wrong with it? instead of saying don't send it in with out an rma # or it will be returned and the dealers expense.
2. I know one other person here on CN that has a eq6 and his peak to peak error is around 12" NOT 30" like the mount in question.
after all isn't customer satifaction a priority?
Us astro people usually form a loose but supportive clan and 99.9% of us come to the help of each other when possible.
I have personally seen this mount in action twice and have watched the red RA line dissappear off the graph of PHD and then slowly return to the centerline while the blue dec bounces a few arc sec's + or - of the centerline, one was with just a 80mm scope the other was with an 8" newt, same error regardless of the weight of the ota.
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12" Dob
10" Parks newtonian
8" newtonian
8" Astro Tech f/4 newt
WO flt 132 apo refractor
127mm skywatcher refractor
5" meade reflector
5" mak cass
80mm megrez super apo triplet
80mm equinox apo refractor
Losmandy titan mount
QHY8
Canon 20d, canon 20da, canon 5D mk II
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4572
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Quote:
1. If Skywatcher doesn't have a poor reputation why don't they just take back the mount test it and determine what is wrong with it? instead of saying don't send it in with out an rma # or it will be returned and the dealers expense.
2. I know one other person here on CN that has a eq6 and his peak to peak error is around 12" NOT 30" like the mount in question.
Skywatcher may have a poor reputation with you, but not with most of the rest of us. They make good gear given the low prices. If you don't like the mount, I suggest you return it TO YOUR DEALER for a refund and buy a G11, which is the next step up. You are not going to get a 3000 dollar mount for 1400. You will get a mount that is more than useable, but it that does not fit your agenda, I'd return it.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 25195
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
If you don't like the mount, I suggest you return it TO YOUR DEALER for a refund
He doesn't have one, Rod. He's just talking about one. Unfortunately, the fellow having the problem isn't here to clarify and seek help so we're apparently just chewing the fat.
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John C
Urban Observatory
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Meade ETX-125AT
C14
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
CI-700, NJP, GPDX/SS2KPC, CG5-GT
ST-10XME, DSI Pro
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chicot
super member
Reged: 09/30/08
Posts: 189
Loc: Liverpool, UK
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It's quite possible for one EQ6 to have an error of 12'' peak to peak and another to have 30''. The thing about lower priced mounts is that performance can and will vary from mount to mount. If you want guaranteed performance you need to go to the higher end of the market, as others have said.
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Meade 10-inch LX200 classic
Williams Optics ZII80
Starlight Xpress SXV-H9
Starlight Xpress Lodestar autoguider
Meade DSI III
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BKBrown
member
Reged: 08/23/09
Posts: 53
Loc: Ashburn, VA USA
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Maybe he should look into having the EQ6 Hyper Tuned. A good cleaning, lube, and general tidying up may help him out.
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Skywatcher 100ED-5QP 100mm f/9 APO, Synscan & GPS
C8N f/5 Newt, WO 66SD ZenithStar APO
Atlas EQ-G w/ Synscan & GPS
Baader Hyperion 8-24 zoom; 31mm, 36mm ASP
TV 19, 24 Pan; Nag 9T6,13T6
Siebert 1.5/2.0/2.5/3.0/3.5 Barlow,
Celestron 2x Ultima Barlow, TV 3x Barlow
Celestron 15x70 Skymaster
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jason_milani
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 1734
Loc: Northeast Ohio
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If there is a Skywatcher mount out there with 12" of periodic error out of the box i want one. For that price you better count your blessings. I seem to recall a CGE mount review in one of the 2 major astro mags that stated a P.E. of 40". There is a review on this site of an LXD750 (not LXD75) that had a P.E. of 4 arc MINUTES. Enough said.
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Celestron C-14
Celestron C-8
Celestron C-5
Orion/Vixen ED114SS APO
William Optics Megrez 72mm ED
Celestron CGE mount
Discmount DM-4
Mallincam Hyper Color Plus
Baader UV/IR Modded Canon 40D
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Skylook123
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/30/05
Posts: 4781
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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I've had my Atlas for almost four years, and have been a regular participant in the EQ6 Yahoo group since prior to the purchase, and the EQMOD group from the very beginning. NO ONE in those fora has ever made such a sweeping statement that Skywatcher has a poor reputation. I notice no ground swell of support for such an unfounded statement. One mount with a purported "issue", is certainly NOT equivalent to such a broad brush vendor bash as "x company has a poor reputation." Far from it! That is equivalent to saying the sun rises in the East, therefore 2+2 = 4. The premise and conclusion are not related.
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Jim
A Bad Night With A Telescope
Beats A Good Night Doing Anything Else
Tectron 18" Truss Dob/Sky Commander DSCs, "Derrick"
Meade 10" LX-5 SCT/Atlas-G "Ol' Blue Eye"
Orion 90mm refractor,
Meade 10" Starfinder Newt/JMI NGCMax DSCs,
Celestron 10x50 Ultima Pro
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Charlie Hein
Postmaster
Reged: 11/02/03
Posts: 7965
Loc: 26.06.08N, +80.23.08W
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...and with this I think it's time to close this one down.
Charlie
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"He's dead, Jim - I'll get his wallet, you get his tricorder." - Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Weston CSC:
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