Hi everyone,?

Simple question I need to ask the group. I ordered GM811 in June, and it will be my first Losmandy mount. In the order I had added the CKS knob upgrade. I did not know if I should have added the knobs found in the accessories page; Altitude set, Tripod set, or Dovetail Safety set. I do seem to remember someone somewhere commenting that there was other items besides the CKS knobs that one should purchase.?

Any accessory that replaces using a wrench in the dark with a knob is a good choice, in my opinion. Happy shopping!

For me, the knobs that allow you to secure the mount to the tripod with no wrench are invaluable as I have to set up each night.
However, I have noticed they loosen up a bit during the evening (maybe due to the cold ?) so need to crank them down pretty tight

I picked up the following extras for my G11 (check GM11 equivalents - and I got the large tripod so TKS may not apply also) - if you don't have a power adapter buy one also as they don't come with the mount.

ACDC?? POWER ADAPTER - 120VAC TO 15VDC @ 4.3Amps
CKS??? CLUTCH KNOB SET (2) W/THREE (3) HANDLES, GM-8, G-9 & G-11 MOUNTS
TKS??? TRIPOD KNOB SET (3) MOUNTS GM-8 OR G-11 TO TRIPOD W/ NO TO
AKS??? ?? ALTITUDE LOCK KNOB SET (2)

开云体育

Hi Sean,

Welcome to the group. I am new to Losmandy as well. I just bought a used G11 mount and am reading and learning a LOT from this group.

There are a lot of very experienced people here. A real wealth of knowledge and lots of help and support.?

+1 what others have said
TKS? if you are going to be?setting up and taking down the mount each night.?

AKS if you intend to travel to multiple locations to do your observing.?

Sort out the power supply and power cables you'll need.

Totally agree with eliminating the need for small tools and wrenches wherever possible.

I might suggest you add to the list a couple small strap wrench.(Photographers may call them 'filter wrenches'). or flat rubber bungee for that purpose.

With machined tolerances tighter than what's typically seen it's possible that threaded parts can get 'stuck' from the small bits of debris especially if they get over tightened.? My mount is more than 10 years old and the fastener fit is still noticeably closer then other gear I have.?

Nice thing about a mount that is all machined is that you don't need to crank down?on the fasteners to have things stay put. In general, snug tight is just right.? I don't know what other
mounts you may have worked with, but for me it's so nice to no longer feel non-true castings flex as you torque a hex bolt realizing that whatever was set is now off. It's still advised to work with things 'snug' and then slowly tighten when doing alignment, but what a difference.
For me anyway it's really a pleasure even when dealing with a used mount and needing to fix up bits of accumulated maintenance and previous wrongdoings. It keeps me busy while waiting for a night that's not cloudy or foggy LOL.

Clear skies,

Michael

?

?

? ? ?Hello Sean,?