Does this look like a good deal?

[Kylee]

Skywatcher HEQ-5 Equatorial Mount with 3 weights (2 not shown).
Heavy duty (up to 18kg), built in polar scope, locking clamps, dual axis motors and dual axis tracking.
£250

Accessory plate missing...is this a good deal?

[mickw]

Be wary, this may have been overloaded, I think the HEQ5 is rated at around 15kg max, less for imaging,  and 3 balance weights suggest a lot more was put on it.
HEQ5 is not heavy duty, EQ6 and NEQ6 are.
Accessory plate is not an issue, get aftermarket one.

HEQ5 Pro Synscan is the one to get

Link to HEQ5 Pro Synscan
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-heq5-pro-synscan.html

[Kylee]

How would I know if its been overloaded? Does this seem like a good deal though?

[Kylee]

Could this mount be guided by a laptop?

[mickw]

Yes it seems like a good deal - unless it's broken 

You can get an idea if it's been overloaded or otherwise damaged by -
Loosen the clutches and rotate parts by hand, check for tight spots.
Tighten clutches and rotate under power with the controller and listen for bad noises, this is actually done better with a load/scope on it which is a bit tricky without the plate.
If no nasty noises, it could be OK you would only really find out when you used it.

It's possible you could control it with a laptop - ask the seller what he uses it for and how he controls it, you could always ask for a demo with it all set up

[Kylee]

I will certainly have a look at those things to the best of my ability! Can I hope to do some deep sky photography with this? That is the main point? I have looked a lot on the net...not much about the mount without the syntrek.
My budget cannot stretch to that but if this can at least get me started I will be happy.

Cheers

[Kylee]

I'm getting worried and doubting my ability to know what I'm buying. He is a member of Flamsteed society and known to everyone but its a lot of money for me and am scared that I'm doing the right thing. I know there are better mounts but with funds these are not within my range. At the moment I am using an alt-az mount so its use is very limited and I want to do more with photography. Oh god I'm unsure now

Heeellppp???!!!! He has lots of others interested....I am looking at it this afternoon.

[Carole]

Kylee, the mount is a good one (in good condition), and the price is good, but I am inclined to agree with Mick's reasoning that he might have overloaded it in the past since he talks about using 3 counterweights.

It will guide and if it doesn't have a handset then you'll need to use EQMod from a laptop or buy a handset if you wish to do that, but many people actually just use EQMod.  

As said above, find out what equipment he has used on it and maybe ask to see some images.
It also says the accessory tray is missing which I assume is the eypiece tray, so you'll have to find one of those as it is needed to keep the tripod legs stable.  £250 is a cheap price for one of these mounts, so I am wondering whether it is old or has some faults.  

A word of warning Kylee, if you say this is your budget, that you'll need lots of other kit to achieve DS imaging, all sorts of other accessories so getting the mount is only the first step, so be prepared to carry on spending.  But without a decent mount you won't be able to move forward.  As you say this might get you started.

Carole

[mickw]

Doh
Accessory tray - I was thinking of the wrong thing (saddle) 

[Fay]

I am always wary of second hand, Kylee, if you buy it & it is no good, it may turn you off for ever, there is so much more money  that will have to be spent anyway.

May be better to save your money until you can afford a bit more, as it could be £250 wasted, or not, which ever way luck swings, depends on if you are willing to risk it.

[Carole]

I've just had a good chat with Kylee, and it seems that this mount is the black HEQ5 which does not have a guide port or GOTO (even apart from having no accessory tray). 

I have advised her to save up a bit more and look out meanwhile for a 2nd hand CG5 GT Pro or even a new one which retails at £525 at FLO if her budget is limited. 

Carole   

[JonH]

EQ5's come up on astro buy and sell all the time, but get snapped up fast so it good to check a few times a day if you can.
Almost all of my kit I got second hand from there, I didn't have much of clue what I was doing (still don't) but haven't had a problem with anything. I might have been lucky, but get the impression most astronomers treat their kit with respect.
Of course there will always be exceptions though....

[Kylee]

Thanks for everyone's advice and after a long chat with Carole I came to my senses. Think i would have become very frustrated after a few months!!!

[JonH]

There is an EQ6 on Astro buy & sell right now for £500, I'd say that was a pretty good deal if got the money now!

[Kylee]

Already purchased something else...very excited now 
Had a pretty tight budget but managed to get a fab deal.

Cheers though