[Review&QnA] Celestron 93982 NexStar+ Hand Control, Compatible with all Equatorially Mounted (EQ) NexStar Telescopes, Black

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	[Review&QnA] Celestron 93982 NexStar+ Hand Control, Compatible with all Equatorially Mounted (EQ) NexStar Telescopes, Black GotoProduct About this item NexStar+ Hand Control works with Celestron equatorially mounted computerised telescopes Compatible with Advanced VX, CGEM, CGEM II, CGX, and CGX-L series telescopes and mounts 40,000-object database Dual line, 16-character LCD screen with adjustable backlighting
Review
★★★★★ Better Interface Using USB Verified Purchase I thought wow, a Celestron hand controller that now connects directly to a USB port on your notebook computer. You can flash upgrade to the latest Nexstar software with or with out having the controller connected to your mount. I flash upgraded my new Nexstar Hand Controller seamlessly without having to connect it to my CGEM mount. Of course in order to flash upgrade my mounts motor controllers I had to connect the Nexstar hand controller to my CGEM. Here again, no issues as the upgrade went smoothly. I think it would be better if Celestron would have included the USB cable as I had to do some research to find the correct mini or was it micro USB cable? I ordered the correct mini USB cable.   ★★★★★ Great Hand Controller Verified Purchase My hand controller had a few buttons that were sticking and did not respond instantly. I purchased this one and it is like magic in my hands. Instant response and it has the USB input on the bottom which makes updating firmware a lot easier than the RJ12 inputs on the older HC's. The only gripe that I have about this one is that it will not seat completely in the old HC holder.   ★★★★★ Purchased to replace the aged CGE hand controller. Verified Purchase Purchased to replace the old hand controller which has frozen up and erratic from time to time. It is clear to read and works with the old CGE mount very well.   ★★★★★ Great upgrade! Verified Purchase I had an older NexStar with the modular serial adapter that never quite worked right with my computer. I used this with an older CG-5 German equatorial. It was like getting a new mount when I hooked this up. It works great with my newer Windows 10 laptop and with a Raspberry Pi running Astroberry software.   ★★★★★ Works as expected Verified Purchase Does what the original one that died did.   ★★★★★ USB port Verified Purchase Nice upgrade to usb instead of using a serial port.   ★★★★★ Newer Version Verified Purchase Replaced an original NexStar hand control , this newer version adds features to AGT mount, be sure to install latest updates before using.   ★★★★★ Verified Purchase Report abuse   ★★★★★ Time saver Verified Purchase USB input saves time from aggravating drivers.   ★★★★★ Stop and Read This First! Verified Purchase Clearly there are people buying this HC who are NOT reading the specifications. This HC will NOT work on an AZ mount, this model is made for Celestron equatorial mounts. You need to specifically look up the Celestron AZ version of this hand controller if you do not have an equatorial mount, the Az version is an entirely different product! The AZ product number is 93981 So please stop leaving these one star reviews saying this does not work because it's obvious to everyone else that you are not paying attention to the details! As for the HC, this is going with my old CGE mount. I control mine with CPWI software and I constantly am bending the rs232 pins in the original nextar plus, I had to constantly reach into the base with a pair of tweezers and fix the pins. Not a fun chore in 16f weather at a remote darksite. This new HC uses usb instead of the finniky wire connections so its less likely to create problems.   See more reviews
Custom Questions & answers
Question: can I use it for cosmos 90gt wifi? Answer: No, you will actually need the NexStar+ Hand Control USB, AZ Item #: 93981 version because the Cosmos 90GT is not an EQ model.   Question: Will this work with a nexstar 8i go-to scope purchased dec 2003 . currently running version 2.2 firmware? Answer: I don’t know about your telescope. It was not compatible with my Nexstar 8 purchased in 1999.   Question: Can i use this one to cpc 1100 gps(xls)? Answer: Yes. https://www.nexstarsite.com/OddsNEnds/HCNexStarPlus.htm   Question: dose this hand controller work wiyh the celestron nextstar 114 GT Answer: You want the Alt-Az version, this is the equatorial mount version.   Question: Will this work with a az-gti mount Answer: No, it will not. Celestron and Sky-Watcher handboxes are NOT interchangeable. If you try using a Celestron handbox on an AZ-GTi mount, you will most likely fry the electronics in the mount.   Question: Will this work with a smartstar r80? Answer: I don’t believe so. This is a Celestron hand controller. SmartStar would be an iOptron product. Controllers are usually not cross-compatible between brands.   Question: Will this hand controller work with the nexstar gps 9.25 celestron telescope built feb 2004? Answer: You will need the NexStar Plus Hand Control - AZ, Item #: 93988, so it will be compatible with the NexStar 925 GPS telescope.   Question: Will this allow my celestron nextstar 4 g (no version in menu) to work with my skyportal wifi module? Answer: According to the Celestron web site, the Skyportal is NOT compatible will the Nexstar series mounts.   Question: Will this work with my older CGE mount? Answer: Here is a good resource for Celestron telescopes, which says yes... the newer version of this hand controller should work with your CGE. https://www.nexstarsite.com/OddsNEnds/HCNexStarPlus.htm   Question: Will this work with work with Nexstar 8se from 2009? My current controller turns on say initializing but then nothing else works on the controller. Answer: This version is for an equatorial mount will not work with an SE. You need the Alt/AZ version.   See more questions