开云体育

I have used my G-11 G2 about a dozen times now. Based on that, this is how I feel about the need for add-ons.
I have the CKS on back order. IMO, it is needed. That said, I find there is an instinct to tighten the clutches too much. That sort of defeats their purpose. You should still be able to move the scope in RA and dec manually without much effort when the clutches are tightened. If you feel the need to choke down on 'em . . . back off. You're just making it hard on yourself. If your balance is good, not much tightening is necessary. Seems to me that you should not be relying on excessive force on the clutches to remedy a balance problem.
I already have the TKS and feel it is a more appealing solution than the plastic T handled set from Bob's.
The polar scope illuminator: I have already burned through a set of batts by forgetting to turn 'em off. I KNEW this would happen! Ideally, the thing would have a timer, eh? But the batts are dirt cheap . . . $2.13 for a card of 10 on Amazon. Mine are in the mail now. :) Dimmer? Nice but not necessary IMO.
An alt adjustment knob would be nice but AZ already has a T handle bolt on either side of the head so no after market addition seems necessary to me for that.
I have ordered the tilt-in head from Casady and succumbed to impulse and ordered their 23 lb bejeweled CW and CW shaft stop as well. Placed order with him March 7 but it has not shipped yet. I will say I would NOT have ordered the tilt-in plate had I experimented a bit with sliding the C-11 OTA into the stock plate a bit first.

My first attempts were by placing the dec axis horizontal. Seemed logical but it is incorrect. You can't see what you are doing as the OTA blocks line of sight to the bar. Place the mount in park with saddle oriented towards the NCP and CW shaft down. It is then pretty easy to slide the C-11 OTA into the dovetail clamp. You see the contact point between bar and clamp easily. The tilt-in will likely be easier still but I no longer feel the additional convenience will offset the steep price for the additional plate.

The telescoping legs: Bother me a bit. I plan to drill a hole for a small stainless steel bolt in each leg when I get to my semi-permanent site and decide on a height. This seems true with or without any supplementary leg lock lever set IMO. Friction fit stops allow for a slight possibility of catastrophic collapse and a single small bolt will preclude that completely and allow me to sleep more easily. Who knows what that friction fit will do over long periods of set up with daytime heating and nightime cooling and rain and frost, etc., etc.

Terry Danks
Nova Scotia
presently in FL
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