Thanks for the link. The reviewer pretty much has Losmandy's number, top level craftsmanship with a very good modern control system that works well with modern imaging hardware and software technology. All at a very high value price point for this level of payload, tracking performance and long term company support. Basically what I have been saying for over 10 years or so.?
The reviewer did not cover the real secrets behind why the G11 has continued to be a hit for over 30 years. I imagine probably because he is new to Losmandy ownership and has not had much experience with Scott and the Losmandy community yet.?
This is the secret sauce, GM8 and G11 mounts are mechanically elegant solutions to a simple problem. That elegance has allowed Losmandy to keep the basic mechanical core of the GM8G and G11 mounts the same for over 30 years. To the unsophisticated this might seem a poor practice but in reality the basic design was so good there has been no need to change the core mechanism. In the real world this has meant Losmandy never had to change his core design and all GM8 and G11 mounts ever built enjoy a deep supply of new replacement parts available for repairs and or upgrades.?
The elegant, straight forward core modularity and mechanical design also allowed Losmandy to be very forward looking and highly adaptable as the market changed from manual PUSH-TO visual use to computer controlled GOTO visual use to the current rage (or bane), imaging and autoguiding use. Losmandy has also never stopped development of the GM8 and G11 mount auxiliary hardware. These are the bits hung of the core GM8 and G11 mechanisms and has allowed the Losmandy mounts their extraordinary flexibility and longevity. Additionally Losmandy has never compromised or reduced the quality of their finished products. My favorite and possibly the most important part.is that Losmandy has a hard core group of users that support not only each other but also provide Losmandy with vital feed back. A few prime examples I was fortunate to be involved with include the spring loaded worm blocks and the new Gemini 2 L6.xx firmware.?
Scott and the crew got it right the first time and they continue to get it right. At least this has been what I have observed over the last 30 years.?
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astrospheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
Chip Louie