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Maintenance
5
Hi, My mount tracking has been rock solid for a while now but I moved my guidescope up the mount to avoid a bigger EFW and things have been worse since then. I don't think it is the guidescope move so looking for advice. The indications are :- 1. in PHD2 movements in Dec seem to go weird (walkabout to the Ozzies on this Topic) and then come good - all this after a Calibration run. 2. when parking at CWD the scope ends up at ~2am and stops there - says parked and tracking off. 3. Sometimes getting PHD2 error - Pulseguide command to mount has failed. I have rebalanced my mount/scope and cleaned/sprayed all cables. Any further suggestions on this and I do leave the mount out overnight under a Telegizmo 365 and I do get a little moisture on the mount. The temperatures here only get down ~40 overnight so I expect it is not temp related. I am thinking of replacing the cables and opening the Gemini-2. Appreciate any suggestions? Thanks, Ken
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No phone or internet at Losmandy
10
Hi folks, Tanya at Losmandy asked me to post an update. Losmandy shop has no phone or internet service at the moment due to LA fires. If you need to reach the shop, please email Tanya directly, at tanyak @ losmandy.com, but be aware that it may take her some time to respond. Regards, - Paul
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Hi, My aging hands are having problems loosening the lock screws (mainly azimuth) during polar alignments so I was interested to know if anyone has used knobs that are easier to grip. My ones are the round topped ones. Thanks, Ken
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I have an iPolar that I'm not using. I originally bought it for my AVX and then upgraded to the G11 so I have mounts for either. It is used but in excellent condition. Offering here first before I put it on CN. Asking $180 (Zelle or Venmo to my wife's Venmo) shipped and insured (if insurance is applicable) to CONUS addresses only. Regards, Joel
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So I am quickly coming up on my first winter....in this hobby, and I think a little more thought needed to go into the temperature limits. This mainly covers the mount, but I would like advise on other components as well if possible. My setup is GM811, WO 91MM, ZWO 2600MM, Pegasus Pocket powerbox, Beelink mini-PC. I have the mini-PC in a Home Depot storage tub I have the cover on during the night. Out of the Pegasus I have 2x RCA jack dew straps on scope & guide scope. But also use my older 5.5mm dew straps, one extra on the scope and another wrapped around the mini-PC. A 3rd dew strap I got off Amazon years ago has USB end which I plug into the 5v USB port and wrap around the Gemini close to the ethernet port. This is ultimately what worked well for me, and did resolve a lot of issues I had dealing with early morning dew. So now it is getting colder I need to know my limits. As I am not just dealing with electronics, but also mechanical aspect of the mount itself. If I want to play it safe, at least for this winter, what temperature limit should I set for myself where setting up risks damage to mount, camera, or telescope?
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For Sale ¨C Losmandy G11G w/ Light Weight Tripod - L6 Upgraded
As the title says I am selling my G11G. I have moved to a harmonic drive mount. The G11G is posted on Cloudy Nights below. https://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/item/396203-losmandy-g11g-w-light-weight-tripod/ If you have an Astrobin account detailed information can be seen in the Marketplace Listings below. https://app.astrobin.com/equipment/marketplace/listing/reazvd/losmandy-g11-g11g?utm_source=astrobin&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=notification&from_user=None I am asking $1,700 OBO ------------------------ Jim W Phoenix, AZ. USA ZWO AM5N, Losmandy G11G w/ L6, NINA 3.2 / ASTAP, ASI2600MC Pro, Sky-Watcher Scopes, Canon L Lenses.
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Hi Everyone! I haven't been on here for a while, but I have decided to revive my old original Losmandy G11 with Gemini 1. Unfortunately I damaged the rj9 socket on my Gemini 1 rs232 port removing a cable that had corroded in place. Does anybody know where I can find a replacement pc board mount rj9 socket? And/or is it possible to use one of the other ports on the board (like the feature port right below it) to connect to a serial port? Thanks! Tom
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Gemini 2 L 6.02 Needed to Be Re-Flashed
6
I've been running L6.02 for 7 months, since May, and it has run beautifully.... my guide error went way down as compared to L5, and my plate solving got a lot more accurate. Then, about a week ago, my plate solving all of a sudden crashed. Normally, I can get within 10 pixels of error for both RA and DEC, but all of a sudden, I could not get any better than 600 pixels error for RA, and around 3000 pixels for DEC. The error started initially at much larger values, and would get better for successive solving attempts, but never got better than 600/3000. I use ASTAP in SGP for my plate solving, and I kept double checking all the specs for camera and plate solving, and could not come up with any setup mistakes. So..... I re-flashed Gemini to L6.02 again with the GFU. I did a Cold Start and synced on a bright star. I then slewed to 2 different objects, 2 different solving attempts. On the first object, I solved to less than 10 pixel error for both axes on the 3rd attempt, and on the second object, I solved to less than 10 pixels both axes for the second attempt. I am convinced a re-flash of L6.02 was necessary, and fixed my plate solving problem. Has anyone else had to do this? What could have caused this? It seems as though somehow L6.02 got corrupted. Thanks in advance. Dan
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I really prefer using the 492 system in conjunction with the DSC Pro but I've got a G11 and a GM-8 with Genesis I systems that I'd really like to convert over to the 492 system on each. I'd need the whole shootin' match - including motors. I may end up placing a wanted ad on CloudyNights but figure most everybody here already reads those posts and I feel safer here. Please let me know whatcha got! Warren
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Hello All, I am brand new to both AP as well as this forum. Really looking forward to getting to know both intimately. Although I am new to AP, I have been shooting with long lenses for a while and I have good collection of them that I would like to put to good use. I have a iOptron SGP which has so far served me well for WF imaging, but I am looking for something a bit more heavy duty. I am not at all interested in fully computerized goto mounts as I want to grow into the hobby organically and upgrade only when I am ready for it...I feel quite strongly about this. I have been offered a CG11 (or G11) locally, but not knowing a whole lot about these, I wanted to solicit opinions here. What I know so far: I think it's an early Losmandy non-goto model when they were making mounts under the Celestron brand? It comes with the Celestron Digital Drive system. I am waiting to get the serial number. Seems like the full setup with tripod, polarscpe etc. Checking to see if the polar scope is illuminated or not. My questions: is how risky is this purchase given the age of this mount and potentially availability of spare parts in case something goes wrong? I have read only good things about the reliability of Losmandy mounts, but still. Are these still supported by Losmandy and if something goes wrong, how much money am I looking at dropping in getting the mount fixed? What is a "good" price for the mount? And finally...if I do decide to purchase this mount, what kind of tests should I look to do befor getting it? My backup option is the Orion Skyview Pro which is a whole lot cheaper, but also has a lower payload capacity. Would really appreciate any/all advice. Sincerely, Avi
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ASI Air Communication with Gemini 2 L6.02
14
My astronomy club has a Losmandy Titan mount, recently upgraded to Gemini 2 L6.02. We are looking at purchasing a camera for our scope, and we're looking at the ZWO ASI 2600MC Air, with the built-in Air feature, that could wirelessly communicate with mount. I am used to using a laptop PC to control the mount via Ethernet. I don't think ASI Air, or this camera, has an Ethernet port. It does have USB, and I know the control board on the Gemini 2/Titan has a USB port.... which I've never used. Has anyone used ASI Air successfully to control a Gemini 2 mount? Thanks in advance. Dan
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Losmandy tech support
10
Do these people answer tech support questions? I get no responses to any questions.
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Question about selling gear
5
Folks- I don't want to veer out of my lane and misuse the group. What is the procedure for posting info about some gear I have for sale? (apart from going to AstroMart, Cloudy Nights, etc.) Thanks.
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Wanted in UK: Losmandy TItan or HGM-200
2
Is anyone in the UK wanting to unload a Titan (or even an HGM-200)? If so, I¡¯m interested. I will do a swap for a G11 plus whatever if you¡¯re down-sizing. Cheers, David Please click here to support DeepSkyStacker development
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So, the inevitable happened last night
6
I was out last night on a fairly nice, clear night watching and imaging the planets and around 1am decided to hit the sack for a few hours so I could look at the sun come morning. Since it was clear and not a single cloud out I thought I¡¯d save time and effort by leaving the mount out, already setup for the morning session. Well, you can guess what happened during those few hours. The mount was drenched when I went out. At some point a rain shower must have sprung from nowhere to spoil my plans. I was relieved I didn¡¯t leave the scope on as well. I¡¯m not sure where I¡¯d be if the scope got wet like that lol Now to my issues. I took the G2 control box off the mount and brought it inside for cleaning and drying. Thankfully there was no water inside the box but, should I be worried about the connectors? I¡¯m particularly worried about the DIN connectors as those seem to be more finicky and delicate? I sadly do not have immediate access to deoxit or something similar, any alternatives I could use if needed? As for the mount¡¯s mechanics, should I clean and relube everything? Just dry it all as best as I can and let it be? Something in between? My main concerns would be the motors, gearboxes and worm mechanisms. I wish I could say lesson learned but, I know myself lol. And to show Murphy does really exist, this all happened a few weeks before I get my telegizmos cover that I purchased a few weeks ago. Dangit Thanks for your help Jonathan
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Hello community, I recently took my Gemini Units to Losmandy for a hardware/software upgrades. On returning them to the mounts and turning on the power, I get an immediate and repeating RA Stall on the HC. I tried a number of things to get it working...releasing the worm completely, reducing Slew speed to 400, 2 different AC adapters @ 12V and 15V, tried a 12V LiPo (which is what it always ran on previously), swapped RA & Dec cables....nothing seems to work. I have an email out to Losmandy, and they are wonderful to work with so I expect to hear from them soon. I thought to ask the group here in the mean time. Thank you!
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New AZ8 owner
2
I just purchased a used but like new AZ8. I owned a G11 from the Celestron days so I am familiar with Losmandy products. I have the typical stiction in the movement of the axes and the stuttering of the slo-mo controls. I have read just about every online discussion on this mount and have dialed in the worm pretty good where there is little backlash and the stuttering is fairly minimal. But for the stiction in the axes, what I am referring to is the "pop" when an axis starts to move. It happens even with the clutches fully loosened but, of course, more so when the clutches are tightened up a bit. Everything I read about the clutch pads is that they need to be dry. This makes sense for the G8 and G11, but for the AZ8, we want the clutches to only be engaged enough to prevent any minor off-balance issues from moving the mount. So what I did was apply a very, very thin layer of a low viscosity telfon grease to the clutch pads. I mean a very thin layer. Now the axes move without any popping even with the clutches fairly tight. It is very, very smooth. With grease on the clutch pads, the axes will easily move with a little bit of force even with the clutches fairly tight. So beware of any major balance issues in Altitude before you let go of the scope. But there is still plenty of clamping force to deal with minor balance issues. This is not an issue with the AZ axis since it is vertical. For all you AZ8 owners, give it a try. You can always remove the grease.
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Hand controller opening up in ¡°Night Mode¡±¡
4
I¡¯ve been having a problem with the hand controller starting up in ¡°Night Mode¡± when I turn the Gemini 2 unit on. The battery is new, I¡¯ve reseated the SD card and reseated the screen. I can set it to ¡°Daytime Mode¡± and it turns green. I can set it to ¡°Dawn Mode¡± and it turns blue. When it starts up, it is marked as ¡°Daytime Mode¡± but displays red for ¡°Nighttime Mode¡±. The adaptive color box is checked. I uncheck it and it turns to ¡°Daylight Mode¡±. I can turn the unit off, turn it back on and it opens up in ¡°Nighttime Mode¡± and the adaptive color box is checked again. Can someone shed some light on how to solve this? It¡¯s got me scratching my head. Thank you in advance!
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PemPro settings for G11T
3
Hi folks, Does anyone know which mount or mount settings to use for PEMPro for the G11T? That specific mount doesn't show up on the list. Do I just input the settings manually? George
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I have used my G11 these past twenty years on a variety of different tripods. The standard G11 tripod it came with is excellent. The Berlebach wood tripod is easier to handle in snow. Less known and very pricey is the 10micron Aries tripod. The easiest to pack up and put in the car by a long shot. And takes up the least space of everything I've tried. (pictured is G11 carrying AP GT130 and CFF 92, with h-alpha and Herschel wedge respectively). -Greg N
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Image Name
Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am