The CG-5 German equatorial mount supplied with this Celestron telescope does not
come with a motor drive as standard equipment, but its manual worm gear drive slow
motion controls will let you smoothly track celestial objects for visual observing
with only an occasional twist of the wrist. If family viewing is planned,
a motor drive means you don't have to worry about the object being observed drifting
out of view while changing observers. This is especially handy when observing with
small children or groups of people (at star parties or scout meetings, for example).
If astrophotography is in the cards, the #MDCG5D motor drive/drive corrector is
essential. Snap-on plastic covers keep the drive gears (and the optional motor drives)
free from small fingers, dust, and debris.

    The standard manual right ascension and declination slow motion controls
have the appropriate length solid or flexible cables to make it easy to reach the
controls with your particular length optical tube. Large easy-grip knobs make small
control adjustments a cinch. To make a casual polar alignment for visual use quick
and easy, there's a latitude scale and fine adjustment controls in both altitude
and azimuth. If astrophotography is in your plans, an optional polar finder is available
to increase the accuracy of your alignment.

    The mount's adjustable height tripod has 2" diameter steel legs, with
excellent damping characteristics. There's a center leg brace for rigidity. The
brace is drilled to form a convenient accessory tray that holds both 1.25" and 2"
eyepieces to keep them up out of the dew-soaked grass. A review in Sky & Telescope
magazine said, "When the mount was fitted with a short-tube 90-millimeter refractor,
vibrations damped out in just 1 to 1½ seconds after I gave a sharp rap to the tube.
When I placed vibration-suppression pads (a Celestron option) under each leg, the
damping time was cut in half. This is performance as good as by any mount I've seen
at any price."

    One or more counterweights are supplied, depending of the weight of
the optical tube. The sliding counterweight(s) are locked in place with a single
hand-tighten thumbscrew each, making it easy to rebalance the scope if you add heavy
accessories. The mount is easily capable of handling the scope and any reasonable
combination of accessories you might want to add. If needed, an optional 11 lb.
counterweight (#1711) is available to balance very heavy loads. The mount's payload
capacity is over 35 lbs.

    An adjustable dovetail slide bar allows the optical tube to be quickly
and precisely balanced fore and aft on the mount, eliminating the need for an extra
counterweight to balance a camera or other accessories. Setup and takedown times
are exceptionally fast, as a single large hand-tighten knob holds the optical tube
in place. A second smaller lock knob prevents the tube from sliding off the mount
should the hand-tighten knob loosen.

    The review in Sky & Telescope magazine concluded, "The Advanced
Series CG-5 mount is an ideal platform for a 3- to 5-inch refractor, a 4- to 6-inch
Newtonian reflector or Maksutov-Cassegrain, or a 5- to 9¼-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain.
The smaller, shorter, and lighter the optical tube assembly, the sturdier the combination
will be. When mated to a 4-inch short focus refractor or a compact 5-ince Maksutov
or Schmidt-Cassegrain, the Advanced Series mount forms an amazingly solid platform
that is virtually insensitive to vibration. Yet the complete package is light enough
to be carried outside fully assembled".