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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Hi,
I have a Synta 102mm f5 tube assembly, and am wondering if I can make it into a goto scope, by mounting it on the Celestron GT mount as used on the 114gt, with goto handset functions?
Has anybody tried this? I'm wondering if the extra weight would affect the motors or accuracy of the goto. There are a few of these scopes going cheap just now......
Thanks 
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Equinox 120 just arrived! 
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
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IDONTSEEIT
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/04/03
Posts: 900
Loc: NYC
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Hey Spyke,
I've got the same scope, mine's a celestron 102 f5(actually it's f4.9 ,even worse), and was wondering the same thing, there are a number of these 114's going cheap on e-bay. I have heard/read that these use an older version of the controllers and software, which are supposedly riddled with bugs. Hopefully someone knowledgeable could give us some more information.  
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Joe,
C8 OTA on UA Unistar Heavy Deluxe
SV-102V on same UA Unistar Heavy Deluxe(not at the same time)
WO-Megrez 80-II ED on UA Microstar Basic
Orion 80ED on same UA Microstar Basic(also not at the same time)
Miyauchi Bs-60ic "Pleiades" 22X60
Orion UltraView 10X50's
Orion MiniGiants 12X63 & 15X63
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22461
Loc: NE Ohio
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I've been expecting this to come up on this forum.
The Costco NX114GT's (and probably all of 'em but I haven't contacted any dealers to check) have a NEWER firmware in them that nobody has ever seen before. This is confusing lots of folks because the very first units of this series DID have lots of bugs, including one which made them nearly impossible to use with a PC. Celestron exchanged ROM's in those units to the later level which worked fine.
This newer rev, unfortunately, has inserted a new error. It doesn't affect PC communications and doesn't keep the scope from performing normally except when using the 2 star alignment option, which permits the operator to choose the two stars. For whatever reason, the list from which the stars are to be chosen is truncated - only stars beginning with A through F are available. Using the normal auto align, in which the telescope chooses the stars, results in normal operation.
I expect that Celestron will fix this at tremendous cost to them, as they did for the earlier bugs - but they haven't yet released a statement to that effect. With Mars traffic choking them completely, it may take a while before they do.
The 114GT OTA is lighter than the refractors being discussed. They may be too heavy for it. I don't know about that but wanted to at least straighten out the "bug" confusion.
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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IDONTSEEIT
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/04/03
Posts: 900
Loc: NYC
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Thanks alot John, appreciate the info. I noticed that for many of the scope/mount package deals, it's hard to find out the load limits of the mount itself. I've even read that on some of the packages being sold, from various manufacturers, the mount is overloaded already, with just the ota. Would you, or any one else, know a source to find out the various loadlimits of the various scope/mount packages, such as that 114gt, the nextars, 80, 4, 5, etc.?
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!
--------------------
Joe,
C8 OTA on UA Unistar Heavy Deluxe
SV-102V on same UA Unistar Heavy Deluxe(not at the same time)
WO-Megrez 80-II ED on UA Microstar Basic
Orion 80ED on same UA Microstar Basic(also not at the same time)
Miyauchi Bs-60ic "Pleiades" 22X60
Orion UltraView 10X50's
Orion MiniGiants 12X63 & 15X63
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Thanks, JRC-
That's an aspect that I hadn't really considered. I had assumed that the Celestron programming was now perfected and could be used easily straight out of the box.
Being in the UK, I'm really looking at ones that are becoming available on internet auctions like ebay. They seem to be selling for £200 to £250 ($400 ish) brand new, so I suppose they will be afflicted with this new bug 
As regards tubes, I have actually found another post somewhere here that pointed me to Alpine Astro, who supply kits for attaching different tube assemblies to the gt mount. They show Taks, 127mm Maks, Pronto, and suggest that it will handle a short tube 120, so I think my 102 should be okay.....if I decide to go ahead with this idea. I only wanna do it if it's dirt cheap! 
Thanks
--------------------
Equinox 120 just arrived!
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
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IDONTSEEIT
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/04/03
Posts: 900
Loc: NYC
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Hey Spyke,
Forgive me if I'm mistaken, as I usually am lol, but I believe that I've been seeing them on ebay lately, with "buy it now" prices at about $230-$250(U.S.).
--------------------
Joe,
C8 OTA on UA Unistar Heavy Deluxe
SV-102V on same UA Unistar Heavy Deluxe(not at the same time)
WO-Megrez 80-II ED on UA Microstar Basic
Orion 80ED on same UA Microstar Basic(also not at the same time)
Miyauchi Bs-60ic "Pleiades" 22X60
Orion UltraView 10X50's
Orion MiniGiants 12X63 & 15X63
|
Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Hi IDont...
Yep you could be right, but I'm in the UK, and have my ebay settings set to UK items only, as I'm "cautious" about importing big items from abroad. Over here anything that's fun is more expensive than in the USA! And that includes Astronomical Equipment.
I'll change my settings and have a look at these cheap US prices though- might be something interesting- Thanks!
--------------------
Equinox 120 just arrived!
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
|
techmgr
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/31/03
Posts: 765
Loc: Southeastern Indiana
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I purchased a N114GT from Costco and the Baader adapter from Alpine Astro (Bob Luffel is GREAT to work with!) to use as a travel mount for my TV-76 - $160US on special two weeks ago + $82 for the adapter. I received the scope this week and set about testing it. The N114 itself is actually not too bad considering the price. I did a rough alignment with it on the first night and got in about 30 minutes worth of Mars viewing before the clouds rolled in - polar cap and surface coloration with the 10mm EP and a 2x barlow. The mount isn't anywhere near as accurate at tracking as my CG-5, but for visual use it's not too bad - again, consider the price. The Baader adapter went on easily and I mounted the TV-76 (lighter than your 102) on it and played around a little. The mount doesn't seem to have a problem with the weight. Have not had it outside at night to test with this scope - maybe tonight. I did find that the factory adjustment of the alt and az tensions were too tight. Much less motor & gear noise once properly adjusted. I can confirm the A-F stars only on the two-star align feature. The auto align appears to work fine with all stars, however. The tripod is absolutely abominal - but it is easily transported and works ok if there's no wind and you have it set on solid ground. The go-to ability is pretty good - even with rough alignment I slewed to Mars and got it in the field of view with a 25mm EP on the 114GT. As a go-to travel mount at this price, I'm satisfied with it. I can even control it with my IPAQ and The Sky - Pocket Edition! 
--------------------
John Moore
Corydon Ridge Observatory
My CN Gallery
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Hi Tech,
That sounds like a really nice quick set-up goto system you have now! Am glad all the fitting went well! But $160 US? That is so unfair...Cheapest I can find over here works out to about $340 US!
So basically I'm looking for someone who's bought a 114gt, dropped the tube assembly and smashed it, given up Astronomy, and wants to GIVE the mount and handset away! 
Anyone....?
--------------------
Equinox 120 just arrived!
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
|
jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22461
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
So basically I'm looking for someone who's bought a 114gt, dropped the tube assembly and smashed it, given up Astronomy, and wants to GIVE the mount and handset away!
Anyone....?
There's a mount on Astromart for $160; just went up this morning.
--------------------
John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Thank you so much for letting me know, JRCrilly. 
I've just gone and contacted the seller, and can only hope for good news now!
Cheers
Cheers!
--------------------
Equinox 120 just arrived!
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
|
jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22461
Loc: NE Ohio
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|
Quote:
Would you, or any one else, know a source to find out the various loadlimits of the various scope/mount packages, such as that 114gt, the nextars, 80, 4, 5, etc.?
I hope someone pops in with some info. I can tell you that the N5 and N8 share the same mount & base, so the N5 can handle more than just the 5". Otherwise I have no experience with swapping OTA's on these things. 
--------------------
John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
152mm F/10 achromat
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Don W
Postmaster
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 13232
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
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If you keep the OTA short and under 10 pounds, you shouldn't have too much trouble. I've attached a number of OTAs to the N80GT mount:
Megrez 80
Celestron 5" SCT
TV Pronto and 76
Make sure you find the balance point and mount your OTA accordingly.
--------------------
Don Wyman
Obsession 18" f/4.5 #1166
W/Argo Navis DSC and Torus Primary
William Optics Megrez 90
Coronado PST
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Victor Kennedy
Pooh-Bear
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 9837
Loc: Slovenia
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Quote:
Hi IDont...
Yep you could be right, but I'm in the UK, and have my ebay settings set to UK items only, as I'm "cautious" about importing big items from abroad. Over here anything that's fun is more expensive than in the USA! And that includes Astronomical Equipment.
Hi Spyke, where in Scotland are you? I was born in Stirling, but my family moved to Canada when I was a kid. I've been back to Scotland almost every summer since then, and spend most of my time with relatives in Perth and Aberdeen.
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To err is human; to moo is bovine.
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Hi Victor,
Your roots are a bit further South than me. I stay in Cromarty, a village on the Black Isle, near Inverness in the Highlands. It's pretty rural up here, but light-pollution is getting worse, though not too the extent of other more populated areas. I have to drive (only a few miles) if I want to go to a True Dark Site!
Good Astronomy society here too. Have a look...
Highlands Astronomical Society
--------------------
Equinox 120 just arrived!
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
|
Victor Kennedy
Pooh-Bear
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 9837
Loc: Slovenia
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Hi Spyke, thanks for the link. That's an interesting article about dismantling a webcam. Think I'll try it.
I have to drive a bit farther to a True Dark Site, but on the other hand, I don't have to contend with midges, the midnight sun in the summer, and Scottish winter weather. I guess right now is Prime Observing Season for you.
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To err is human; to moo is bovine.
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Spyke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/22/03
Posts: 1941
Loc: Scotland
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Indeed- Along with typical viewing conditions of cloud, rain, cloud and rain, and rainy cloud. But the clear gaps we get make it all worth while!
Dark Skies
--------------------
Equinox 120 just arrived!
GSO 8" f6 Dob (Hi-Lux coated)
ED100 Pro, ED80
Skymax 127 Maksutov
Coronado Ha PST
Vixen GP, Porta-mount, multiple AZ-3 mounts.
Berkut 10x50 Binos, 'reasonable' no. of eyepieces
|
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