Mount Review (Preliminary)

The mount is not yet field-tested but the purchase decision was based on:

• Budget (no braking or robbing of a bank)
• Sturdiness, robustness, wind resistance
• Superior tracking accuracy for lunar imaging
• Built-in polar alignment scope
• Independence with bundled hand control
• Wi-Fi capable (with optional dongle)
• Similarity to my aged Orion Atlas EQ-G mount
• Reputation and user reviews, personal habit

When fully set up the mount weighs about 35kg with counter weights. A discount coupon for body building is not included. In turn the mount is stubbornly sturdy and is as unshakeable as the pole star.😉 The mount's carry handle is an invaluable asset -- seriously.

Description

The EQ6-R Pro bundles two 5kg counter weights. One of them fixed at the lower end of the also included Ø18mm shaft is sufficient for balancing the mount for an 8-inch SCT with a CMOS camera or a DSLR. The payload saddle is made for both Vixen and Losmandy foot-prints. The lock squeezes the dovetail without the scratches often left by a screw lock. Nice!

The conventional Ø5.5/2.1mm power supply receptacle has been replaced with a GX12-2 type BNC providing a more secure connection. The mount bundles a GX12-2 plug and cable with a car cigar lighter plug at its other end, ideal for use with power stations, say, in the field.

The mount can be controlled with the included famous SynScan™ hand control running firmware V6.x.x and higher. It further supports computer control via USB 2.0 (type B) or wirelessly with an optional Wi-Fi adapter which generates its own spot. Sky-Watcher's dedicated SynScan app is tailored to PCs (Windows / Mac) and smartphones / tablets (Android / iOS).

Note that the Wi-Fi adapter is optional and that the USB port of a smartphone/tablet must support OTG for wired control. Either the hand control or Wi-Fi can operate the mount but not simultaneously as both the hand control and the external Wi-Fi adapter share the same RJ-45 input port on the mount's main panel. A sister model, the EQ6R-W mount bundles the external Wi-Fi adapter, but in turn not the hand control. Else both mounts are identical. Bluetooth is not provided as basically expendable because of short range and poor connection reliability.

The mount is compatible with ASCOM, Luminos, Sky Safari, StarSeek, Stellarium, SkyTrack, etc. The author operates the mount via its USB port or Wi-Fi with a laptop PC running SharpCap 4.1 Pro, GS-Server and Stellarium (a matter of taste and habit). Here, the hand control is not in the loop, but can rescue an imaging session when unable to bring along or fire up a laptop (plan B). The latest verson of SharpCap 4.1 includes a fully fledged and automated (including plate-solving) GoTo database eliminating need for planetarium software, such as Stellarium.

A friend of the author's adds: "this mount works very well with EKOS Indi using EQMOD, which I run as Stellarmate OS on my Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 single board computers. Sturdy as a lion, but as quiet as a kitten".

When using the SynScan app instead of GS Server/EQMOD be sure to download and install Sky-Watcher's ASCOM driver for the SynScan App if you use planetarium or capture software in which to choose "SynScan" from. In any case, your controlling PC needs the ASCOM platform. This is the astronomy core engine comparable with a PC operating system. Vendors of ASCOM-compatible software usually supply proprietary driver software which seemlessly interface with ASCOM.

USB Cable Connection

When connecting the PC with the USB port (type B), after a little while the Windows Device Manager shows under LPT & COM:

Profilic PL2303GL USB Serial COM Port (COM3)

The COM port# may be different on your PC. This serial connection requires a baud rate of 115200 ! If you have used for instance 'EDMOD' or 'GS Server' with an older Sky-Watcher or branded mount, such as the Orion Atlas EQ-G, then please modify the baud rate setting from 9600 to 115200. The EQ6-R Pro will not connect at 9600 Baud. The SynScan app for Windows in Serial mode (via the USB port) selects 115200 by default and connects flawlessly. A label carrying this information would be a nice gesture to avoid user frustration in the first place.

The EQ6-R Pro mount internally employs the serial protocol for receiving commands and returning responses. Behind the USB port is basically a USB-to-Serial converter.

Hand Control

The bundled SynScan 'V5' hand control, HC, arrived with firmware version 6.00.07. The display of V5 is smaller than that of the V3 hand control. It has a RJ-45 (8-pin) socket for its coiled RJ-45 cable, further an USB type B port primarily for firmware updates and an universal RJ-12 (6-pin) port for accessory.

Ad-Hoc Dislikes

Polar Scope Illumination

The EQ6-R Pro incorporates an illuminated polar alignment scope with adjustable brightness, quick and helpful in various imaging or observation conditions. The adjustable LED light of the polar scope is set to maximum brightness by default (outshining Polaris) and will return to maximum at next power off and on. Thankfully, the brightness can be adjusted not only by using the hand control but also with ASCOM interfaces such as the SynScan App, GS Server and EQMOD all of which save the last applied brightness level. Nevertheless, default brightness on minimum would be a nice gesture.

Flashing Power LED

According to Sky-Watcher's manual, the power LED will flash in case of a voltage drop below 11.1V. When powered up, the power LED is on but starts blinking after the first slew (Ecoflow River 2 power station, 12V/10A outlet). The EQ6-R Pro is rated from 11.1V to 16V. This issue could be limited to a certain production lot. Anyway, awaiting reply from the distributor.

Wi-Fi Control

For this purpose the EQ6-R Pro requires an optional Wi-Fi dongle which connects with the SynScan app or GS-Server. The dongle came with its first firmware version which is not up to the mount. A painless and wireless firmware update did the trick. When using the SynScan app or GS-Server as mount driver a PC can be connected via Wi-Fi (optional dongle required) instead of the USB-B cable.

The SkyFi 3 Wi-Fi adapter from Simulation Curriculum Corp, too, is said to be compatible with Sky-Watcher's SynScan.

Motor Noise

The motors purr like a kitten (with a little high pitch) even at maximum slew speed. No need to worry about bothering neighbors (they are welcome to turn their outdoor lighting off).

In the Box

The mount bundles all it needs including a GX12-2 power cable with car cigar lighter plug at the other end. Even allan keys are in the box in place of which an USB cable would be fantastic as most people have USB type A and C in their drawers but rarely an USB 2.0 type B cable (mainly used for printers). Also on the wish list, an adapter (BNC to, say, Ø5.5/2.1mm) for AC power supplies from the shelf. The dual-layer card board box itself is sufficiently filled with foam to protect the mount as is the separate box for the tripod which also includes the two counter weights.

Power Adapter Cable

If you don't feel like tinkering: For example, Starizona and Agena Astro are selling the right cable for this purpose. By the way, Pegasus Astro offers a wide range of adapter cables.

Lunar Tracking

Lunar tracking is accurate. The screen snap of Autostakkert!4 at the right shows the red crop rectangle on a *.SER video recorded at 170fps over 42 seconds through 2030mm focal length. For fairness, tracking accuracy also depends on how accurately the mount is polar aligned.

First Light

There is no "first light" event for a telescope mount execpt for its polar scope. So, we are talking about the "First Use". While the achieved image quality is related to optics, image scale and atmospheric seeing, the EQ6-R Pro contributed by accurately tracking a well balanced Celestron 8 at native focal length. The image shows the lunar Mare Humorum and crater Gassendi at its north border.

Pros (order by importance)

• Sturdy and robust
• Belt drive
• Direct USB control & Wi-Fi readiness
• Includes a polar alignment scope
• Includes a hand control
• Includes two counter weights

Cons (order by severeness)

• Power issue with blinking LED at first use.
• Main board without polarity protection.
• No quick guide for things to watch out for, such as Baud rate.
• Polar scope illimution at maximum by default.