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With all the hoopla about the new GOTO Losmandy system I wondered if
anyone else used one of the other aftermarket Losmandy GOTO retrofits
like "AIM Control" () or
Skywalker"()
They talk about servo based vs "brushless" motors..etc. What about
accuracy, easy of use and alignment procedures?
Thanks
Jay

Eddie,

I understand that the Losmandy GOTO upgrade will have its own version of
TPoint. Does the Astrometrics version have something similar? Is this what
you mean by drive corrector?

Greg Crawford

I have been using the Skywalker II from Astrometric instruments on a
G11 for months now and it is a fantastic system.

It needs a computer for full goto control, and is compatible with
theSky V5. The microstepper motors track almost silently and it slews
at 6 degreees per second with the sweetest singing I have heard from a
telescope drive system.

Astrometrics customer service is second to none and the system is very
well built with the Losmandy retrokit perfectly engineered to match
the mount with no problems.

It has loads of features, the only drawback of which, is that some of
them are still being implemented in software.

Even as a drive corrector only (with no computer attached) it is a
quantum leap over the standard Losmandy drive system. I am very happy
with it!

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Quoting Jay Stanley <jstanley@...>:

With all the hoopla about the new GOTO Losmandy system I wondered if
anyone else used one of the other aftermarket Losmandy GOTO retrofits
like "AIM Control" () or
Skywalker"()
They talk about servo based vs "brushless" motors..etc. What about
accuracy, easy of use and alignment procedures?
Thanks
Jay


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Greg,

By drive corrector, I mean just a hand paddle with the ability to
control the drives at varying speeds. Similarly to the standard
Losmandy drive system.

Astrometric have implemented TPoint with the Skywalker, but I am not
sure if it's part of the latest systems or requires the purchase of
TPoint seperately. I think it will probably run on the same PC as the
SkyGuide software which is the very comprehensive controlling software
for the Skywalker. Without a PC, the permanent error correction is not
implemented.

I beleive Astrometric are currently working on a completely stand-
alone system, self-cointained in the hand-paddle, ala Sky Sensor 2000,
Losmandy, etc.

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Quoting Greg Crawford <gc@...>:

Eddie,

I understand that the Losmandy GOTO upgrade will have its own

version of

TPoint. Does the Astrometrics version have something similar? Is

this what

you mean by drive corrector?

Greg Crawford



To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Losmandy_users-unsubscribe@...

eddiet@... wrote:

Even as a drive corrector only (with no computer attached) it is a
quantum leap over the standard Losmandy drive system. I am very happy
with it!

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie, do you have any images on your web site taken with this new drive
yet?

Rockett Crawford

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Capella's Observatory (CCD Imaging)

Hi Rockett,
All of the images I have taken with the C11 this year has been with the SW2
control system. I have posted them to abpa over the months, but as yet don't
have any one my web page.

If you want to see them again, I will see about posting them to my page. I
just managed to get my mount tracking well then i had to return my C11 to
the shop. So I am scopeles for a while.


Regards

Eddie Trimarchi
~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie Trimarchi wrote:

Hi Rockett,
All of the images I have taken with the C11 this year has been with the SW2
control system. I have posted them to abpa over the months, but as yet don't
have any one my web page.

If you want to see them again, I will see about posting them to my page. I
just managed to get my mount tracking well then i had to return my C11 to
the shop. So I am scopeles for a while.

I'm sure I can pull them up and look at them again in the binaries newsgroup.

thanks,
Rockett

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Capella's Observatory (CCD Imaging)

Regardless of the hoopla, the price of the system is quite amazing.
Consider the following based on Pocono's pricing.

G-11 Package with Polar Scope $1895
G-8 Package with Polar Scope is $1449

G-8 (same as G-11) electronics package separately is $400
G-8 without electronics is about $900
G-8 Polar Scope is $145

G-8 Package if bought seprately is $1445.

Now DSCs are $595
DSC Delrin covers are $70 (which I'm told you should buy)
Aluminum Motor Covers are $79 (which I'm told one should also buy)

Total for these is $744 and they are not needed with the GOTO, if I
understand correctly.

G-11 package with DSCs and 2 sets of covers = $2643
G-8 package with DSCs and 2 sets of covers = $2193

Difference to get GOTO with its features:

G-11: $3195-$2643 = $552
G-8: $2495-$2193 = $302

So for $300 on the GM-8 and $550 on the G-11 you get GOTO. That's
very nice, especially for the GM-8 I would say, unless I'm missing
something here.

The GM-8 is normally about $445 less than the G-11, but with GoTo on
a GM-8 only costing $302, the Goto version is about $700 less than a
G-11. That makes the GM-8 quite a buy I would say.

Now if this system also eliminates the motor problems and "periodic
error" problems that appear to be associated with the current motors,
then this is a very good upgrade.

The SkyWalker II + G-11 Combo is $3595 (about $400 more, so that's
about a $950 upgrade over the base G-11 with DSCs). It will be
interesting to see how the Losmandy GOTO compares with the SkyWalker
although one thing I like about the skywalker is the ability to
manually move the scope without the scope loosing position since all
positioning info comes from the encoders and also it can uses TPoint
adjustment values.

Even better, if you can't afford it all at one go and don't mind
tracking manually for a while, is that if you buy just a G-8 mount
with no electronics, you add the GoTo later for the same total price
as the GoTo package. From what I hear the GM-8 mount only comes with
manual slow motion knobs in place of the motors (which would be nice
to have any way if the power dies). It seems that G-11 isn't sold as
just a mount, so you've got to shell out the extra $400+79 for the
electronics as part of the mount price at the begining, even though
you'll junk this gear if you get the GoTo later.

So what am I missing here? Is the GM-8 GoTo much more than an
equivelant GP-DX system? (Can't seem to find prices for GP-DX GoTo
equipment anywhere)

--- In Losmandy_users@..., "Jay Stanley" <jstanley@m...>
wrote:

With all the hoopla about the new GOTO Losmandy system I wondered

if

anyone else used one of the other aftermarket Losmandy GOTO

retrofits

like "AIM Control" () or
Skywalker"()
They talk about servo based vs "brushless" motors..etc. What about
accuracy, easy of use and alignment procedures?
Thanks
Jay