How can I use the CGE Pro at low latitudes?

The CGE Pro is designed to be used at latitudes greater than 10 degrees.

However, there are ways around this limit.

For lower latitudes, here are two possible ways to go.

1) Shorten the polewards leg of the tripod enough to compensate for the difference the mount is set at minus the actual latitude. For example at latitude 5 degrees this is 10 - 5 or 5 degrees. This is a common technique but it must be used carefully as this mount was designed to be used with the tripod legs essentially extended the same amount. Using it this way may cause the whole heavy mount and scope to be precarious and caution must be used. Securing the legs to the ground is recommended if you try this.

2) You would need to place a custom-designed wedge between the tripod and cylinder to make up the difference. For 5 degrees location latitude, the difference would be 5 degrees, so the wedge would be a 5-degree wedge. Celestron does not provide such wedges but they have been made for similar mounts by third parties.

Other low-latitude issues to bear in mind:

The electronics pier would need to be rotated 120 degrees relative to the equatorial head to avoid the cables being hit by a counterweight (CW) with the CW in certain positions.

The counterweight itself may still hit parts of the mount and would have to be repositioned or only used on certain parts of the CW shaft, so this might limit what payload your can carry. You may be limited to smaller scopes, for example an EdgeHD 925 instead of an 11” optical tube assembly. This is the case even at latitudes up to approximately 13 degrees.

Updated 12/27/13