Hi Glenn1
Welcome to the group.
This is the Group,
Where you'll get the straight poop,
From devotees all around the Globe!
I'm a GM811G HD owner. I've wow'd mine up a bit. One of the very attractive things was how I could make mine a semi-Pier configuration with the 12" extension.
Later I realized I needed the RA EXT so I could stop unscrewing the counterweight shaft all the time. I found a huge bonus in that I could continue to image through the meridian without doing a Meridian Flip.
That night I had no trouble staying awake until 03:00 Hrs. I was fascinated!
My passion is Deep Space Objects, Nebula specific. I use an Orion ED80T CF as my telescope, Atik Infinity OSC as my camera, and an Orion guide scope and camera for guiding.
I have to bring mine in and take it out. So I have mine in 4 manageable "Chunks". Tripod, RA section with 12" riser, Dec section with CW shaft and weight, and on top is the telescope and all the electronics.
I hope you get to enjoy your new 811 soon. I'm under the same poopy skies. When mine came home in February, I kept it hidden for 2 weeks. But the inevitable happened. One tiny little dark cloud came by and stopped looking down on me in my backyard.
That little brat told all the clouds and it rained or was cloudy for about 6 weeks! I was sure we wouldn't have an Brush Fire Season because surely all the brush had drowned.
Maybe your new 811 will bring some rain to put the fires out?
Scott told me, "Don't mess with it. Just use it."
Because even though a Losmandy mount invites tinkering, if left alone it will stay in the precise "State of Tune" Scott put it in before it was boxed for shipment.
--
SonnyE
(I suggest viewed in full screen)
