开云体育

Hi Mark,

No I never deal with the dealers. I've done all of my business directly
through Scott. I've found Scott to be extremely helpful and excellent to
deal with. Frankly, none of the dealers even mention the 200. If you
didn't know it existed, you would think Los only make the 8 and 11. I
called Scott and ordered the 200 off of him and was apparently extremely
lucky in getting it so fast. I have been very satisfied with it. I've used
it with a Q7, C14 and 10" f/6.5 Parallax. Soon, I will add a TMB 6" APO.
The AP1200 seems easier to detach the dec shaft from the polar shaft, but I
am soon going to machine my 200 to modify it and address that issue. The
200 has a superb clutch and dovetail system, however the dec axis IS
top-heavy in that regard and that can be a little trouble (requires
additional counterweight). Also, the AP1200 uses the much better Amphenol
connectors and the wire routing is generally a better scheme. However, I
like the black anodized machined surface and adjustable pier-pod legs (I'm
seldom on the level) of the 200 over the cabled legs with tensioners that AP
uses and the white painted cast surfaces, plus the lack of a dovetail
(though this probably has advantages to the orthogonality of the OTA). And
the 200 is less expensive. The steppers have not been a real issue, but I
can replace them with a system from Sof-Tec if I should choose. All in all,
the AP is probably the ultimate mount for some people and I confess a deep
admiration for it. But it is also significantly at a higher cost and
waiting time as well. Since you previously had the 200 and then bought the
AP1200, I assume there was some issue with the 200 that you found
problematic? I know the 200 is much more "tweeky" and requires much more
fiddling around with the gears, etc., to get the best from it. I'll say
that I think the HGM-200 is the best "under $7,000" mount I know of.
Correct me if I'm wrong! :-)

I have also made a tool which attaches to the mount and allows one to polar
align while in daylight, which is an aid in places where you are not
familiar with the settings and directions, and allows one to get polar
alignment close enough that no additional adjustments are needed after dark
for visual use, and only minor tweeks for photography. Thereby, I do not
have to wait for dark to align on polaris and waste time, nor do I ever have
to re-setup because I wasn't close enough to north to reach alignment
through the range of adjustment in the mount (necessitating picking up and
moving the entire mount). Once dark arrives, I'm totally ready to go!

WayneG