Astrophotography with the GM-8
This is my favorite mount for astrophotography. I owned some of the cheap GP mounts, a Celestron CI-700 mount, and now this one. Its by far, the best one I have used. The polar alignment scope gives a very precise alignment. After alignment, Ill do declination drift alignment only to find that with the focal length Im using the star image doesnt move in 30 seconds. Alignment is easy with the alt-az alignment knobs. The mount works great with my SBig camera.
When I first received it, the RA drive was tracking in the wrong direction! It was an easy fix though, I just took off the faceplate on the drive controller and flipped the dip switch that controls which hemisphere you are in. I also needed a larger (10 lbs) counterweight for my scope.
This mount does have its limits. When Im shooting planets at extreme focal lengths (8000mm?) the planet does wander around a bit. I havent tried to use the PEC to fix it yet.
Still, all things considered, this is an excellent, stable, easy to use mount. Im sure you can pay a lot more to get better performance, but at this price point its hard to beat.
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Created on:
10/16/2009 1:48:53 PM
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Created on:
10/16/2009 1:48:50 PM
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Pure precision/user friendly
My first experience with a motorized EQ mount was a Celestron CG5; it worked but I knew there had to be something better, and I wanted a mount that was made to the same standard as my two TeleVue scopes. The Losmandy GM-8 was just what I was looking for.
The beautifully machined and anodized aluminum EQ head is truly a work of art, with a simple and purposeful design. The only plastic parts on the mount are the locking knobs on the tripod legs, azimuth locking knobs, counterweight screws, and the standard motor covers - thats all. Amazingly, the dust covers at both ends of the polar axis are machined and threaded from solid aluminum stock and anodized - like a TeleVue lens cover. I really like the way the EQ head bayonets into the tripod and is locked down with three large screws; secure enough to hold a 50 cal. machine gun.
All the controls and adjustments on the GM-8 are made by hand, with fine tuning adjustments requiring only a few Allen wrenches, thats all. My favorite features are the two hand adjusted clutches on the RA and Dec axes. With a lesser mount, you have to constantly loosen and tighten locking levers individually to manually slew the scope, but with the GM-8 you simply adjust the clutches to your preferred tension and forget them. To manually slew the scope just move it on one or both axes as the same time, let go and it stays put and continues to track. Wonderfully simple! The digital tracking control is also simple and equally user friendly.
Ive had two occasions to call the Losmandy factory to ask questions, and both times they were courteously answered by Scott Losmandy himself. Try that with a Chinese mount! The GM-8 isnt cheap, but I certainly belive I got my moneys worth. TRH
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Created on:
10/16/2009 1:48:47 PM
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A solid light weight EG mount
My first small EG mount was purhased along with my first 4 refractor but it was not something I felt would stand up to the use or could be a long lasting piece of equipment...After looking at various light weight mounts and with a limited budget, I decided to go with the Losmandy GM-8...Well, I could not have been happier...This is a solid mount and very well made for the beginner or novice as its easy to use and easy to transport...I truly like the Black machined aluminum and the overall quality of the GM-8 mount...If your looking for a very good EQ mount and tripod, I highly recommend this to everyone. J.E.
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Created on:
10/16/2009 1:48:42 PM
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