Skysensor 2000-PC availability?

Hi *,
I'm considering upgrading my old EQ5 which came with my C8 with GOTO
capabilities and I'm almost set for a Skysensor 2000-PC (I'd love a
Celestron CGE or a Losmandy but not for now )
Now the big question is where to find the toy (at a decent price, of
course). I found a couple of potential sources around USD1200 but with
no immediate availability. Is there a shortage or something similar? Do
you happen to know where I could buy it, preferable online, within a
fair timeframe?

Bonus question for existing users: is the 'PC' option worth the delta or
could you live without it?

Thanks in advance.

--
Frédéric

Fred wrote:
Hi *,
I'm considering upgrading my old EQ5 which came with my C8 with GOTO
capabilities and I'm almost set for a Skysensor 2000-PC (I'd love a
Celestron CGE or a Losmandy but not for now )
Now the big question is where to find the toy (at a decent price, of
course). I found a couple of potential sources around USD1200 but with
no immediate availability. Is there a shortage or something similar? Do
you happen to know where I could buy it, preferable online, within a
fair timeframe?

Bonus question for existing users: is the 'PC' option worth the delta or
could you live without it?

Thanks in advance.


Consider the Celestron CG5 Advanced Series GT mount. It seems to have
accurate aiming capabilities provided it heads off in the correct
direction (I've seen it fail this a couple of times), and there's an
optional accessory that provides an auxiliary port, hand controller
port, and serial port for Nexremote (formerly HC Anywhere) PC control.
It also has an autoguider port on the main controller board which is
mounted on the RA axis.

I just did a transplant of the complete GoTo system to my Vixen GP. I
_finally_ got it out for a trial run thanks to a break in the clouds the
other night, and the accuracy was identical to the CG5. Using just a
quick centering of Polaris in the polar scope, and rough centering of
the alignment stars in a 1 degree TFOV eyepiece, all objects were off
center in the same location, but within the field of view.

The next ideas:
remote control
aiming correction using the Meade DSI as a field star imager
autoguiding with the Meade DSI
remote focus of a DSLR

Why you had to move the goto to your GP mount?
Not happy with the Celestron GT?
All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard DC
motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate. For example, I can
be over 100x power or more and slew from one object to another and they all
come into my eyepiece field view. SS2K even locate objects on the Moon,
after proper alignment, controler has the database too.
I owned LX200 and Nexstars, but I'm very impressed with the SS2K. There is
the reason for the high price and demand for the SS2K. FCC killed it off
here in the US.
Julius


"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
Fred wrote:
Hi *,
I'm considering upgrading my old EQ5 which came with my C8 with GOTO
capabilities and I'm almost set for a Skysensor 2000-PC (I'd love a
Celestron CGE or a Losmandy but not for now )
Now the big question is where to find the toy (at a decent price, of
course). I found a couple of potential sources around USD1200 but with no
immediate availability. Is there a shortage or something similar? Do you
happen to know where I could buy it, preferable online, within a fair
timeframe?

Bonus question for existing users: is the 'PC' option worth the delta or
could you live without it?

Thanks in advance.


Consider the Celestron CG5 Advanced Series GT mount. It seems to have
accurate aiming capabilities provided it heads off in the correct
direction (I've seen it fail this a couple of times), and there's an
optional accessory that provides an auxiliary port, hand controller port,
and serial port for Nexremote (formerly HC Anywhere) PC control. It also
has an autoguider port on the main controller board which is mounted on
the RA axis.

I just did a transplant of the complete GoTo system to my Vixen GP. I
_finally_ got it out for a trial run thanks to a break in the clouds the
other night, and the accuracy was identical to the CG5. Using just a quick
centering of Polaris in the polar scope, and rough centering of the
alignment stars in a 1 degree TFOV eyepiece, all objects were off center
in the same location, but within the field of view.

The next ideas:
remote control
aiming correction using the Meade DSI as a field star imager
autoguiding with the Meade DSI
remote focus of a DSLR

Szaki wrote:
Why you had to move the goto to your GP mount?
Not happy with the Celestron GT?

I didn't "have" to move the GoTo to the GP. The price on the AS-GT mount
was too good to resist, and having the GP, I figured why use the clone
when I can use the original?

All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard DC
motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate. For example, I can
be over 100x power or more and slew from one object to another and they all
come into my eyepiece field view. SS2K even locate objects on the Moon,
after proper alignment, controler has the database too.

Well, like I said, "if the Nexstar system will meet your needs."

If you have an EQ5/CG5 with clock drive, you can pick up an AS-GT for
$600 (say), sell your current CG5 and clock drive for $250, and get the
GoTo, and that lovely 2" steel leg tripod, for $350.

The cost of the SS2K is going to run between $750 and $1100. If you can
justify that expense. Go for it. :-)

Regards,
Stephen

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
Szaki wrote:
Why you had to move the goto to your GP mount?
Not happy with the Celestron GT?

I didn't "have" to move the GoTo to the GP. The price on the AS-GT mount
was too good to resist, and having the GP, I figured why use the clone
when I can use the original?

All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard
DC motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate. For example,
I can be over 100x power or more and slew from one object to another and
they all come into my eyepiece field view. SS2K even locate objects on
the Moon, after proper alignment, controler has the database too.

Well, like I said, "if the Nexstar system will meet your needs."

If you have an EQ5/CG5 with clock drive, you can pick up an AS-GT for $600
(say), sell your current CG5 and clock drive for $250, and get the GoTo,
and that lovely 2" steel leg tripod, for $350.

The cost of the SS2K is going to run between $750 and $1100. If you can
justify that expense. Go for it. :-)

Don't have to go for it, all ready have. (o:
When I started out in Astronomy use to do the same, swap parts, fix this,
change that, ATM parts, just too time consuming.
I buy quality and be a happy camper. If I don't want it, sell it.
I use to own a CG-5, sold it very quick.
Seems, you're still experimenting.

Julius

Szaki wrote:
"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...

Szaki wrote:

Why you had to move the goto to your GP mount?
Not happy with the Celestron GT?

I didn't "have" to move the GoTo to the GP. The price on the AS-GT mount
was too good to resist, and having the GP, I figured why use the clone
when I can use the original?


All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard
DC motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate. For example,
I can be over 100x power or more and slew from one object to another and
they all come into my eyepiece field view. SS2K even locate objects on
the Moon, after proper alignment, controler has the database too.

Well, like I said, "if the Nexstar system will meet your needs."

If you have an EQ5/CG5 with clock drive, you can pick up an AS-GT for $600
(say), sell your current CG5 and clock drive for $250, and get the GoTo,
and that lovely 2" steel leg tripod, for $350.

The cost of the SS2K is going to run between $750 and $1100. If you can
justify that expense. Go for it. :-)


Don't have to go for it, all ready have. (o:
When I started out in Astronomy use to do the same, swap parts, fix this,
change that, ATM parts, just too time consuming.
I buy quality and be a happy camper. If I don't want it, sell it.
I use to own a CG-5, sold it very quick.
Seems, you're still experimenting.

Julius


Just to clarify, I was addressing you and the OP at the same time. I'm
glad you are happy with the GP/SS2K setup, as I am happy with the
GP/AS-GT setup.

The OP has an EQ5/CG5, and is looking for SkySensor. I'm just suggesting
that he consider the CG5 with GoTo as a replacement for his current
mount. It is a much less expensive alternative to SS2K, the GoTo is
accurate, and the 2" steel leg tripod is a lot more stable than any
aluminum or 1" steel leg tripod. It is even more stable than the wood
legs that came with my Celestron branded GP mount.

For someone with a GP, a transplant of the GoTo is possible, as I have
shown. I only wish I could offer tracking error data, with differences
between the MT-1, and the Celestron GoTo RA drive.

Stephen Paul

"Szaki" wrote in message
...
All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard
DC
motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate.

The SS2K is a nice system; I used one on an Atlas for a while. Like the my
LXD75 and my CG5-GT, it gave the kind of accuracy you describe. Steppers
aren't one of the advantages of it, though. They are just another way of
achieving controllable motion. There's no reason why a stepper should be
more accurate than a servo of similar resolution. Remember that the Meade
and Celestron forkmounts are far more precise than any of the above, and
they use servos.

John C

"John" wrote in message
...

"Szaki" wrote in message
...
All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard
DC
motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate.

The SS2K is a nice system; I used one on an Atlas for a while. Like the my
LXD75 and my CG5-GT, it gave the kind of accuracy you describe. Steppers
aren't one of the advantages of it, though. They are just another way of
achieving controllable motion. There's no reason why a stepper should be
more accurate than a servo of similar resolution. Remember that the Meade
and Celestron forkmounts are far more precise than any of the above, and
they use servos.

John C

Fork mounts has large worm gears, maybe 3x larger than the GP mount has, may
be that's why. I owned a fork mount LX-200, was OK, you stuck with the same
tube though, so I prefer EQ mounts for many reasons.
I didn't own these newer EQ mounts from C or M you talking about, so I
can't compare them to the SS2K, which has been out 4-5 years or so. I'm
happy with the quality and accuracy of the SS2K .
Julius

"Szaki" wrote in message
...
Why you had to move the goto to your GP mount?
Not happy with the Celestron GT?
All these cheap goto systems, that Mead or Celestron makes uses standard
DC motors, vs. SS2K use stepping motors, lot more accurate. For example,
I can be over 100x power or more and slew from one object to another and
they all come into my eyepiece field view. SS2K even locate objects on
the Moon, after proper alignment, controler has the database too.
I owned LX200 and Nexstars, but I'm very impressed with the SS2K. There
is the reason for the high price and demand for the SS2K. FCC killed it
off here in the US.
Julius
Incorrect.
The Meade, Celestron, and SS2K systems, _all_ use DC servo motors, not
steppers. The difference is in the quality of the motor itself (the design
in the SS2K, is a 'zero cogging' servo motor, while the ones used in the
Meade scopes, on early units, were basically 'slot car' motors - the
Celestron NS scopes, and the CGE, both use proper servo motors, while the
advanced series, and the current normal Meade units, use a slightly higher
quality 'normal' motor - more poles to the armature, but not a
zero-cogging design).
Steppers are _not_ better than DC servos. The former is an 'open loop'
system, and is reliant on having enough power to move as required, no
matter what the load. The servo system, actually measures how the motor
shaft moves, and will attempt to compensate as the load changes.
The SS2K, is one of the finest hand controllers around, but with some
significant 'caveats'. The connectors have historically been fragile, and
software updates almost non-existent (you have to replace the ROMs, and
getting these from Vixen, can be a 'struggle'...). It has some noticeable
'oddities', with (for instance), RA/Dec coordinates being 'rounded', when
received via the RS232, so while you can 'nudge' the scope a few arc
seconds with the autoguider input, or the buttons on the hand controller,
this does not give fine control if you try to do the same via the RS232. I
took a long time 'proving' that the coordinates were being rounded, and
after several emails to Vixen, they replied that it did round the
coordinates, but offered no 'fix'...
Unfortunately, there is no 'development' being performed on the SS2K at
all, and repair is likely to become harder in the future... :-(
Availability in the US, of the controller is poor, and given the current
dollar rate, when it does exist, it is expensive. The only ones around,
tend to be very 'old stock', because the unit does not have current US RF
noise approval...
Two 'bargain basement' routes do exist, to add a controller to such a
mount, both of which perform quite well. One is to take the
controller/motors of a Celestron advanced mount, and add them to the EQ5,
and the other is to add an Meade Autostar controller, with suitable motor
assemblies. The first is a relatively 'new' upgrade, and is possibly the
easier (The Celestron mount comes with the hand knobs to convert it to
manual operation, so can be sold without the controller to recoup quite a
large percentage of the cost). The Autostar route requires sourcing the
correct motor assemblies. These used to be available as a 'kit' with the
#494 controller, but in latter years this has largely disappeared, but
when available, often comes with the #497 controller (better), instead. A
couple of suppliers in the US, were selling these kits, and sometimes even
metalwork to attach them to common mounts.
http://bedair.org/ScopeStuff.html
http://www.data-plumber.com/autostarupgrade.htm
Do a search for Meade part number #493, for the motor kit.
Both routes work. I have a friend, who updated his mount using the
Autostar route some time ago, and does guided CCD imaging quite well on
this. I have also helped recently, with a user doing the 'Celestron swap',
and again this was not too hard, and appears to work quite well.
I have a SS2K, and still think it is my 'favourite' hand controller, but
the cabling is very untidy compared to the Celestron route, and the
pointing accuracy of all the units is quite capable of hitting any target
that is wanted.

Best Wishes

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
Fred wrote:
Hi *,
I'm considering upgrading my old EQ5 which came with my C8 with GOTO
capabilities and I'm almost set for a Skysensor 2000-PC (I'd love a
Celestron CGE or a Losmandy but not for now )
Now the big question is where to find the toy (at a decent price, of
course). I found a couple of potential sources around USD1200 but with
no immediate availability. Is there a shortage or something similar?
Do you happen to know where I could buy it, preferable online, within
a fair timeframe?

Bonus question for existing users: is the 'PC' option worth the delta
or could you live without it?

Thanks in advance.


Consider the Celestron CG5 Advanced Series GT mount. It seems to have
accurate aiming capabilities provided it heads off in the correct
direction (I've seen it fail this a couple of times), and there's an
optional accessory that provides an auxiliary port, hand controller
port, and serial port for Nexremote (formerly HC Anywhere) PC control.
It also has an autoguider port on the main controller board which is
mounted on the RA axis.

I just did a transplant of the complete GoTo system to my Vixen GP. I
_finally_ got it out for a trial run thanks to a break in the clouds
the other night, and the accuracy was identical to the CG5. Using just
a quick centering of Polaris in the polar scope, and rough centering of
the alignment stars in a 1 degree TFOV eyepiece, all objects were off
center in the same location, but within the field of view.

The next ideas:
remote control
aiming correction using the Meade DSI as a field star imager
autoguiding with the Meade DSI
remote focus of a DSLR

It turns up on AstroMart or Ebay used some times, you have to keep your eyes
opes. I got mine on AM for $750 over a year ago, works great.
Julius

"Fred" wrote in message
...
Hi *,
I'm considering upgrading my old EQ5 which came with my C8 with GOTO
capabilities and I'm almost set for a Skysensor 2000-PC (I'd love a
Celestron CGE or a Losmandy but not for now )
Now the big question is where to find the toy (at a decent price, of
course). I found a couple of potential sources around USD1200 but with no
immediate availability. Is there a shortage or something similar? Do you
happen to know where I could buy it, preferable online, within a fair
timeframe?

Bonus question for existing users: is the 'PC' option worth the delta or
could you live without it?

Thanks in advance.

--
Frédéric