LOSMANDY GM8 v. SKYWATCHER EQ6R PRO

[@waltergold3457]

As with your other equipment reviews, I found this engrossing even though I don't foresee ever owning a large telescope - perhaps Tanya should thank you instead of the other way round. 🙂 And that's an impressive image at 1:30. About the worm-gear's eight-minute period (which, very coincidentally, you discuss beginning at 8:00) - I believe that's the time it takes the worm gear to rotate once, and that the more important spec is the wobble of the gear, which you didn't quote. I couldn't find a specific definition of periodic gear error while researching the fascinating world of gears - there's a reason why worms are used in mounts - but I did find this, in the description of a similar Losmandy EQ: "This can be quantified by measuring the amplitude and smoothness of the periodic error of a gear. The period of the Titan worm gear is 5.3 minutes. By measuring the up-and-down motion of a star being tracked over this period, we can measure this error [of amplitude]. The typical Titan will have 8 arc-seconds or less of periodic error, peak to peak [that is, every 5.3 minutes]." So every 5.3 minutes, a star will seem to rise and fall 8 arc-seconds from the straight path, its path in the sky, which a perfect mount would reproduce. The author goes on to say that a smooth rise and fall, as well as a small amplitude error, are very helpful to whatever computer program is used to predict and correct the gear error.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

That's interesting. So, I guess that is to say the computer program Losmandy uses predicts and corrects this gear error very well. I have to go back and see what image is at 1:30 because I can't remember. The comment on eight minute period at eight minutes was a random fluctuation in the universe.

[@waltergold3457]

@@tsulasbigadventures The image at 1:30 is of you at your refracting telescope - and speaking of the universe's random fluctuations, have you heard of predeterminism, also known as causal determinism? It was proposed by the 19th-century polymath Laplace (see "Laplace's demon"). In its modern iteration, to which at least one notable KZbin astrophysicist subscribes, it claims that every event in the universe was predetermined by atomic movement immediately following the Big Bang, and that if you only charted that movement, using the laws of physics, you could predict every event in the universe, including every thought and every action of every person, with flawless precision. It's as if mankind will always run in circles trying to understand reality's ultimate nature. For thousands of years, people believed the earth sat at the center of the universe, surrounded by an impenetrable sphere. Then 19th-century astronomers proposed an infinite universe in which the earth is randomly placed. And now the thinking, beginning with Edwin Hubble's discoveries, is that - guess what? - the earth sits at the center of the universe, surrounded by an impenetrable sphere! 🙂

[@waltergold3457]

@@tsulasbigadventures Tsula, I forgot to mention, but you may have already inferred, that predeterminism is the secular version of predestination - instead of a divine power, physics are what's causing me to type this: With earth's first clay, they did the last man knead And there, of the last harvest, sowed the seed, And the first dawn of creation wrote What the last dusk of reckoning shall read! -- The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@waltergold3457 Next time I do something disagreeable to someone I'm going to say physics made me do it. That's a beautiful quote from the Rubaiyat.

[@waltergold3457]

@@tsulasbigadventures "Physics made me do it!" That could be a meme. In case you don't know, Khayyam was a noted astronomer. "My calculations, some say, reduced the year to better reckoning? Nay! I did better to remove, from my own calendar, unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday." Up from earth's center, through the seventh gate, I rose and, on the throne of Saturn, sate, And many a knot untangled by that road - But not the master-knot of human fate!

[@edwardlee9890]

I have a non-goto GM8 I bought 23 years ago, and it is still going strong without a bit of trouble. In fact, it still looks new despite decades of heavy use.. Always enjoy your vids, thanks!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. That's wonderful. It's comforting to know that these things can and will last that long and more.

[@kevinhanley3023]

I’ve used the EQ6R Pro almost since it was originally released. The polar alignment is not affected by the position of the Dec axis. The polar alignment purpose, is to make the RA axis parallel to the earth’s spin axis. Once PA is completed, the Dec axis should be aligned again with Polaris in view. Otherwise You will not find stars easily for star alignments. That said, get a guide scope. Now, you will have computational needs. Try the ASIair for guiding. (Photography)

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I sold my ASI Air and my guide scope and guide camera. I prefer to polar align myself.

[@renepirolt]

Thank you so much for the review Tsula. I think a Losmandy gm8 or 11 will be my next mount for the larger telescopes. Happy to hear they have excellent customer service and also love that they are made here in the US.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. You will be very happy with it.

[@starpartyguy5605]

My G11 Gemini 2 mount is 23 years old. I have high precision worms on both axes. Runs great. Very few issues over the years and support is only a phone call away.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@starpartyguy5605 23 years old! That about sums it up.

[@k.h.1587]

​@starpartyguy5605 they will last forever, surely it began its life as a Gemini 1 or just with non goto digital drive system. As Gemini 2 wasn't around 23 years ago. Mine would have been even older, it was one of the celestron branded ones. When I got it used it had Gemini 1 level 3 on it, but originally they just came with the celestron digital drive system. I also had a GM8, I had to sell it, but if not I would have lost it anyway because tweakers raided my storage in 2018 and got everything, including my g11, but they didn't take the tripod or counterweights. I was able to trade the remaining parts for an old meade 10" with superwedge.

[@steveengleman9257]

Your comparison videos are the best on KZbin! Very detailed and informative. I will look into the Losmandy mount as I am in the market for a good quality mount. Thank you.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you found it useful and thank you for watching.

[@starpartyguy5605]

A couple hints. For those who will be doing astrophotography, don’t bother buying the polar scope. Instead, use the polar alignment tools in either Nina or Sharpcap. Also, you don’t need to go to bright stars to build a model. Nina will update the Gemini 2 as you plateau solve. You can also cut a circle of plywood and suspend it with a piece of all thread.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Excellent points. I know that most people use the Losmandy mounts for astrophotography but I think it's important to let people know that for visual astronomers they don't have to settle for a mount that may or may not be on the object at any given time.

[@Astronurd]

We don't all use a computer and a camera. Some of us use our god given eyes.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@Astronurd Including me.

[@howardnielsen3869]

Sharpcap is great for PA. I tried the Ioptron electronic PA "scope" but after using it twice, it failed.

[@JamesCormier]

I share your enthusiasm Tsula! My G11g is my lifetime mount! It carries my scopes and big cameras flawlessly through the skies ! I am glad to see you use German EQ mounts for visual. It's now considered old-school by the youngsters. These are photo-visual multipurpose mounts. They are flexible for all kinds of astronomy related projects. For visual they often don't have the ergonomics of a fork mount, like your LX-90. Still, they are a joy to use. Periodic error is very good. Go-to accuracy is excellent. The Losmandy support and parts are just a phone call away, and American made. I like that!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. I wish had some mechanical skills like you do. I have a C92 pier in the observatory with an extender and I had my EQ6R Pro on it but decided I wanted to sell it and replace with a dual Alt-Az-EQ mount. So, I got the Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 and it has problems and continues to slew out of control after I have let go of the button and I'm still waiting for Skywatcher to contact me about it. Maybe I should just return it and put a pier in the observatory with the Losmandy. But I am worried that the holes will be different than the ones that allow me to bolt the C82 Pier into the floor of the observatory and I won't know how to bolt a new pier there. I contacted Tanya at Losmandy and she said they don't make a plate that fits the C82 pier. Maddening. Why can't all mounts perform like the Losmandy?

[@JamesCormier]

@@tsulasbigadventures Losmandy makes the AZ8 alt-az mount. It fits the same MA base as the G mounts. Maybe you need more capacity? I've thought of this option for visual as well. I would standardize. This allows your G-8 EQ mount to swap out with an AZ8. Just a thought.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@JamesCormier Thanks for the input. I didn't know Losmandy made an alt az mount. I was wondering if I overloaded the Skywatcher AZEQ6 even though they claim it can hold 44 pounds not including the counterweights. I'm going to look into that Losmandy you mentioned. Thank you.

[@Dypuks]

finally new video from Tsula!!!

[@slapastronomy8646]

Excellent video Tsula. I am switching to all Losmandy mounts in the near future.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I love my Losmandy mount.

[@bbroastro]

Hi Tsula! Great video as always. I use the EQ6R Pro and have done for a few years, I love it. It's accurate guides at 0.4 arc second and was the perfect price point for me. The main issue for us folks outside of North America is that options like Losmandy or Explore Scientific just aren't a thing. No one here uses Losmandy, not because they aren't good, but because accessibility to actually buy them isn't possible unless you're willing to pay crazy high import taxes and shipping costs from USA. It's also really rare to bump into anyone with a Meade telescope here, despite how big they were and are still in the USA. The Losmandy mounts look SO nice. I especially love the finish and size of the counter weight shaft. The EQ6R shaft is comically thin for how much weight it can hold, but alas works though.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. i never really thought about the import and shipping fees for overseas shipment of a Losmandy. That's too bad because Losmandy really does make a high quality product. I didn't know that about Meade either but I wonder what will happen to Meade now that Orion has closed its doors. And I agree with you about that skinny counterweight shaft on the Skywatcher. When I put all three weights on it I wonder if it might topple over but it seems to work somehow.

[@4280blkpowder]

I have a GM811G and absolutely love it- I also use ASIAIR for polar alignment. USA MADE…..What more do you want?

[@lindafinch8983]

Hi Tsula, really informative! I have the EQ6R promount and love it’s stability. As you say, it’s not something you’d want to move around a lot, but it’s dependable and I love that!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks. I like mine too as long as I don't have to move it too much. It is very steady in the wind

[@ronm6585]

Thank you Tsula. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thanks, Ron. Thanks for watching? Did you see the aurora last night? It went on all night long in Montana.

[@ronm6585]

@@tsulasbigadventures Tsula, no I wasn't feeling well and was in bed by 9PM.

[@JoeJaguar]

thank you for the review all my eq mounts ( 4 mounts) are manual or manual with built in drives but no goto

[@tsulasbigadventures]

And what's your favorite manual mount?

[@JoeJaguar]

@@tsulasbigadventures the vixen super ploaris is good but may my two skywatcher eq6 cause they have tracking For solar and g&g i have a svbony 225az with slik professional 11 I like to have a tripod and mount for every telescope I have

[@StereoSpace]

Great comparison review. Thanks.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you!

[@Astronurd]

I've never moved the RA axis to polar align. I just place Polaris on the correct part of the circle reticle as highlighted by my polar clock app. On doing the handset polar alignment after. I've been pretty close. I always get it bang on with the handset polar alignment.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Well, this one requires that it be tilted slightly. I have it marked on the mount where to place it and then I have to remember to move it back after aligning.

[@cmaysc11]

I've lusted for a Losmandy mount for years but haven't yet been able to afford one. There are so many more reasons to go with Losmandy in addition to the excellent customer service you mentioned. Maintenance is far easier than with any of the Chinese mounts and a 30+ year-old mount is fully supported and upgradable to the current model. Every part is accessible, unlike with the Chinese mounts where electronics and gears are all jammed together in an enclosure. I've struggled for nearly 20 years with Celestron's abysmal tech support for my AS CG5. Most recently my hand controller failed and 3 different reps told me it was no longer supported and no HC currently sold would work, get a new mount. All were wrong. Went to Cloudy Nights with my problem and a man sent me a new AVX HC which works perfectly. I've heard that slewing is noticeably quieter with the new Gemini v. 6, so you might consider upgrading. One other thing - no mount is as beautiful as a Losmandy. They're works of art. From a Losmandy evangelist that doesn't have one, still dreaming.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Well, the slewing was only a problem when I took it camping and everyone went to bed at 10 pm just as I started slewing but good to know. I hope you get a Losmandy one day!

[@Jay0321]

I know what I am buying next year. :) I spent my limit on other things to include, a couple of cases, filters and eyepieces... last one was a Tele Vue Delos 17.3. Thanks for the info and helping me on my decision for my next investment.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching. That Delos sounds nice.

[@julianparks8485]

Thank you for this review Tsula! Just what I needed to make a decision. The Losmandy is it. I have two Vixen mounts and several OTAs. I needed a heavier mount. By the way did you get to test out the setting circles on the Losmandy? LOL! Clear Skies!

[@tsulasbigadventures]

You're funny.

[@k.h.1587]

Tsula, get the CKS clutch knobs from losmandy, they make it so much easier to adjust the.clutches, especially when you need to torque them down for heavier loads. I couldn't imagine only using the stock clutch knobs. I still have mine (stock), not sure anyone would buy them, so they are just souvenirs from my years as an owner of losmandy mounts. The cks have 3 captains wheel spokes which makes it so much easier to turn the clutch

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Keith: Thanks for the tip. I'll look for them.

[@mesenteria]

You can rotate the polar scope's eyepiece by removing the retainer and then using a small steel punch to tap at the slots to make the whole eyepiece rotate one way or the other a degree or two. At least, that is what I ended up doing.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I have never heard of that and the instruction manual tells you to rotate the entire RA axis. But if your method works it would certainly be more convenient. Thanks.

[@stephenc2738]

The Losmandy mounts are precision, machined aluminum with stainless steel and brass. No cast white metal like SkyWatcher with a plated counter weight shaft that rusts. Losmandy has been supplying replacement parts for 30 years. Made in the USA versus China, that sums it up.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Exactly.

[@tmrdarkstar85]

I have run my losmandy G811G for 4 years now. It's the best mount I have ever owned. 55lbs photographic or 65lb visual. I am actually surprised that not many people run Losmandy mounts. The whole Losmandy crew is awesome. I don't really consider my G811G portable but I also opted for the HD tripod, Bigger mount, their 12 in pier extension. So depending on scope its around 150-200 lbs total weight.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I agree. Their mounts are the best. Wow your set up is very heavy.

[@k.h.1587]

Losmandy mounts are tanks, but the internals are still old.school, and not as high precision as mounts from takahashi, software bisque (paramount), ASA, planewave and other high end mounts. Losmandy is like the reliable Chevrolet, and the others are more like Porsche Ferrari and Lamborghini. I was always a losmandy owner back when I was an imager, and i definitely had less accuracy than my friends who upgraded to takahashi and ASA and other more premium mounts. But any losmandy mount is going to blow chinese clones of takahashi (eq5hd/eq6) and vixen (eq3/5) mounts out of the water. That was the path we took back then, started with the chinese mounts, orion SVP, celestron CG5, meade lxd55/75, then upgrade to a GM8, then up to a G11, and either stop there like I did, or go down the high precision rabbit hole of takahashi and beyond. I am.retired from imaging for the time being, since having all my stuff stolen, no compensation, and being demoted from working class to disabled class, I was not able to afford to get back into it. And people keep stealing my stuff. But eventually I will get back into it. And if things work out the way I hope they do, money won't be an issue anymore. But that may take a few years.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@k.h.1587 I don't think I need a Porsche grade mount. But what you said makes sense. Well, I hope things work out for you the way you plan.

[@k.h.1587]

@@tsulasbigadventures many will benefit if so. Maybe even lead to a chance to save orion meade and coronado

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@k.h.1587 I sure hope someone comes in and at least rescues Meade.

[@markihde4381]

No doubt, these are both good equatorial mounts. My preference is for the Losmandy GM8, for a few reasons. I'm familiar with the operation of my G11T Losmandy, so no learning curve to get up to speed with a new mechanical and electronics system. I especially like the clutch operation of the Losmandy design. Also, there is the question of future parts/service availability and upgrades between a U.S. manufactured product vs one made overseas. I was able to upgrade the stepper motors with a servo system and an improved Gemini 2 electronics package on my G11, along with upgrading the stock RA with a Titan RA axis, increasing the payload capacity of the mount. After comparing the EQ6R with the GM8, I've decided to order the Losmandy mount for applications requiring better portability. Other upgrades for the Losmandy GM8 that I've made on my G11 are improved clutch knobs, toolless bolts for attaching the equatorial head to the tripod, a pier extension, 7, 11 and 22 lb. counterweights instead of just one size fits all and a GPS. The Losmandy website has all kinds of modifications and upgrades for their mounts, unlike what is offered by offshore manufacturers. I have an older Celestron mount that I also upgraded with GPS. It's now practically worthless because the computer thinks that the alignment stars it is pointing to go through the Earth to Greenland, China and Botswana. 😄

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Someone told me about those toolless bolts. I would like to get that too. That's funny about the old Celestron mount. I tried out an iOptron HAZ46 mount and it thought it was still in China. I returned that mount to IOptron. To their credit they fully refunded me.

[@KJRitch]

I’m considering upgrading from an AVX mount due to inconsistent guiding. New to astrophotography, less than a year. I have a C8 SCT, Celestron OAG, ASI071MC Pro and use a Starizona 0.71x focal reducer. I just started researching Losmandy mounts. Looking at the GM-8 or GM-811. The EQ6 is too heavy and bulky as I have to set up and tear down every session. My best logistics option due to size, weight and carrying capacity is a strain wave mount but guiding performance is number one priority. I’m waiting to see reviews on the new AM5N for guiding on longer focal lengths scopes like an SCT. Not too much information on the Losmandy mounts in interested in regarding guiding performance on higher focal lengths. I use NINA and have an ASIAir Plus. I’m not in too much hurry to make a decision.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I think I saw one video on YT about the performance of the AM5 with a big Celestron SCT. He said great things about that mount. I'm trying to remember the name of his channel but it is escaping me at the moment. I have not personally tested the AM5. So, I can't say personally but according to this guy who tested it, it guided well with a somewhat large SCT. If I recall I'm pretty sure it was at least 8" if not bigger. ASI sent him the mount to review. So, just one thing to consider. The Losmandy mounts are made with astrophotography in mind. I think there isn't much information about them because they are expensive. The guy who makes all the videos for Losmandy has a gigantic refractor on his Losmandy mount with a massive amount of accessories. He uses it exclusively for astrophotography. I think it would guide fine with a bigger scope.

[@fredsaginario8895]

I owned the GM8 very nice mount one nice accessory a must have was called Tripod Knob set Or TKS They made it much easier to set the muont to the tripod no messing around with a allen key wrench. There a lot of fun toys to buy for it. '

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. I didn't know that. I will have to look into that because I am always worried I will drop one in the dark and lose it.

[@OlliesSpace]

Hey Tsula - That Gm8 certainly looks a very well built option although they are very expensive over here. The Skywatcher AZEQ6 Pro has much better Ra and Dec adjustment controls over the EQ6 Pro. It's a few hundred more also but better made. The polar scopes don't really factor down here as we pretty much have to align with software. Clear skies Ollie

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Hi Ollie: I would imagine so because of the extra shipping cost to ship the GM8 overseas. I'm no longer in the market but when I was I kept looking at that AZEQ6 and it was always on back order. Now that I no longer need it, it seems to be readily available. I have heard about the difficulties of polar aligning down there. I'm glad I don't have to do that. I am loathe to lug a computer along with all the other things I need when going out to a dark sky site. Clear skies to you too.

[@OlliesSpace]

​@@tsulasbigadventuresYe it's always the way when looking for gear. Yes I'm not a fan of the ASI Air personally (I hardly use mine) but I'm keeping it literally because I can polar align using it with just my phone and it weighs maybe 200g. Saves needing to cart a laptop.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@OlliesSpace I actually just sold my ASI Air because I hated it so much. It rarely worked and thank goodness here in the northern hemisphere we have Polaris so it's not that hard to polar align.

[@bofblog]

Nice reviews..I use a EQ6R and love it, if you use it Sharpcap has a good PA program

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Thank you. True but despite the extra steps it is pretty easy to polar align manually.

[@starpartyguy5605]

One other observation I made. If you look through the Cloudy Nights forum on equipment and mounts, you’ll see that few posts are asking questions about Losmandy mounts. But look at the number of posts asking for help with the Chinese mounts! Nearly every post mentions a Chinese mount. Just saying.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I hear you. I returned my iOptron HAZ46 that I had intended to put my 10" Meade on and instead but it on my Losmandy and I was so glad I did.

[@ConnorRoss]

The tarp cover is great idea but mostly in dry environments. I used a BBQ cover which collected a lot of condensation and caused a bit of rust on the bolts, not a huge issue. I set a plastic box/bin over the top now which has a lot of open space for ventilation. it also good for leaving it outside overnight int he rain. (the EQ6 legs to degrade and can't be extended after a a few years in the rain though, but i've always used an extension pillar for height)

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Good points. You can also get one of the more expensive telescope covers made by Telegizmo that are all weather. You can leave the mount outside in the rain with those covers but I wouldn't want my tripod legs to rust.

[@thethirdman225]

In the United States the question basically answers itself. However, if, like me, you live in a whole different hemisphere, it’s a different matter. Sky Watcher are very much the staple here and Losmandy the outsider. In the United States those positions are reversed. The GM8 has always been my dream mount. However, as an Australian, the problems of dealing with US companies are nearly insurmountable. It wasn’t always this way. The value of the Australian dollar has changed a lot - mostly for the worse - and the cost of what Americans call ‘shipping’ is absolutely extortionate. The GM8 has almost doubled in price in the last ten years. There are no such problems with Sky Watcher. The other problem with Losmandy, from an Australian perspective, is that all their tooling is in imperial (US customary units). That’s pretty much poison here because, although imperial bolts etc. are still widely available, you never really know if the thread pitch is the same or not. I’d hate to strip a thread in a beautiful mount like that because of an incorrect thread pitch. That doesn’t happen with metric. Metric is metric. They don’t come up second hand either - probably a testament to how good they are. I have never seen one. That means they would almost certainly remain a very expensive mount for an Australian, even on the used market.

[@GregMcCall]

Once you polar align, rotating the dec will not change polar alignment so that statement is wrong. It will however change any goto after you align the pointing model with a 3 point alignment or similar.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I didn't say that rotating the dec will change the polar alignment. I said I don't like having to change the dec.

[@GregMcCall]

@@tsulasbigadventures which has nothing to do with polar alignment once it's done. Polar alignment aligns the RA axis to the celestial pole. Dec is not relevant (sorry about the mis quote. I got lazy and just guessed after hearing dec with polar alignment)

[@GregMcCall]

Although bad polar alignment will show itself in dec

[@stebecool]

“Orion, rest in peace” 😅

[@GregMcCall]

It’s not a proprietary power plug. Plugs are readily available. It’s just different.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I should have said hard to find.

[@GregMcCall]

@@tsulasbigadventures Hard to find made up. Easy to find if you know the name of the plug and can solder wires to make your own cable. But if not careful, also easy to blow up a mount circuit board like a friend of mine managed to do

[@anata5127]

Losmandy GM8 is small mount. Both are relatively reliable, but old fashioned and outdated mounts. Synta is a Taiwanese company.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

I said the Synta Factory is located in Suzhou, China and it is. Skywatcher telescopes are made in China.

[@k.h.1587]

Scott Losmandy is good people. I still dont think the GM8 is a 55lb mount, it is a 35lb mount. The GM811 is, which uses the G11 RA and the gm8 dec. But they might have given in to the rest of the industry by over rating the mounts. Losmandy tripods are much better than eq6 tripods which are the same legs as a cg5/eq5/avx. If both were on piers, the eq6 would handle a bigger load than gm8, but the GM8 on Losmandy tripod is about equal to an eq6 on its stock tripod. I have done comparisons, i owned both a gm8 and g11 at the same time and a friend had an orion atlas eq G which was an eq6. I did image with gm8 with a meade 8" pre lawsuit "advanced ritchey chretien" SCT with an orion 90 mak as a guide scope, with heavy SBIG camera and optec IFW filter wheel, and even the guide camera was an old cooled celestron/sbig 255, i needed 2 computers to run it because both cameras required parallel port. We had to buy older used laptops to run those older SBIG cameras because they were much cheaper to aquire than the usb ones. Eq6 is a clone of takahashi em200, which slots between a gm8 and a g11 as far as payload is concerned. The weak points of the eq6 are the tripod and thin counterweight shaft, both sources of vibration. Celestron had come out with a cgem dx version that had a CGE/CGX class tripod and a much thicker counterweight shaft. My friend got one to upgrade from his atlas, and it was a huge improvement even though the head was the same size. Both losmandy and eq6 polar scopes use the same big dipper cassaiopia reticle, but Losmandy has the 2nd star and 3rd star lines, making it much more accurate. I dont know if synta changed this, but back then the polar scope illumination turned the whole field red, as it was just a red led inside the mount shining down into the polar scope, which made it hard to see the stars. Losmandy truly just illuminated the reticle itself, however the origibal losmandy polar scopes were different than the ones they have now, this happened even before i left opt in 2011. I miss my losmandy mounts for sure. But I wouldnt put 55lbs on a gm8 unless it had the g11 RA. The gm8 tripod is really good though, one time i used it with my g11 and c11, and it handled it just fine. The g11 tripod could handle a c14 on a g11, but i wouldnt attempt it on a gm8, stick to 35lbs max on those, which is how losmandy rated it. I think there is just confusion because of the modular GM811, which would make sense at 55lbs. Eq6 still has gears and backlash, the belt drive is just how the drives connect to the shaft, rather than the older versions which used gears to drive the shafts, but the mount is still a worm/wheel gear system like the losmandy and all other mounts other than direct drive and harmonic drive mounts (harmonic drives are now being called strainwave mounts. I used to sell the very first harmonic drive mounts, the chronos, which were large and expensive, for larger scopes, permanently mounted) Gemini 1 was tricky to use. Gemini 2 is easier

[@tsulasbigadventures]

My EQ6R Pro polar scope is just like the polar scope on an Orion EQ-G mount. It has lines and no pictures of constellations. But I agree with you that the led light on the EQ6R Pro lights up the whole thing and then you cannot see Polaris. It's infuriating. Most of the time I have to turn it off and see where Polaris is and then turn it back on again and keep trying to get Polaris where I need it to go like that back and forth off on off on.

[@k.h.1587]

@@tsulasbigadventures the old ones had the pictures, losmandy had pictures and lines for 2nd and 3rd star. But this was mid late 2000s

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@k.h.1587 Well, SW at least updated the reticle but it still needs work. Yes, my Losmandy has lines for a second and third star to help get Polaris in the correct position.

[@GregMcCall]

iPolar is iOptron. It’s strange that Losmandy recommends iOptron. Or do you mean QHY PoleMaster? Other electronic polar alignment also exist such as built into programs like NINA

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Losmandy was pushing the iPolar when I bought my mount from them. So, yes, I meant iPolar.

[@GregMcCall]

@@tsulasbigadventures wow and interesting. I have both PoleMaster and iPolar and I like both (although hate PoleMaster software so I use the polar routines in Sharpcap with polemaster camera). In the southern hemisphere, you are best with some form of electronic polar alignment as we have no pole star and the other stars are hard to find in polar scopes unless very dark areas.

[@matthewbrown8679]

Nice thing about ipolar is that you can usually polar align quite a bit earlier.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

@@matthewbrown8679 The reason I don't like iPolar is that it came with a mount I had bought and something was wrong with it because it would never turn green even though Polaris was dead center and I got so annoyed after 30 minutes of trying to get it to turn green that I returned the mount and the iPolar and am determined to Polar align myself from now on.

[@matthewbrown8679]

@@tsulasbigadventures I wonder if it was a software issue. Ioptron products can be great bang for the buck, but they seem to take more updates and customer service to get there than they should.

[@gabrielcintron3977]

Would you be willing to donate both mounts to my favorite youtuber? Their name is Tsula's Big Adventures.

[@backgammonbacon]

Aren't mounts like these dead now the harmonic drive ones are here? These two mounts make the new wave look cheap, $3000 for dead end technology is a bit steep.

[@tsulasbigadventures]

Perhaps but there is still a place for them. Strain wave mounts do not come with polar scopes and so you are forced to use some other method to polar align which means despite their small size you still need to take a computer or other electronic device to polar align. Or get an Alt az strain wave mount. But these mounts are equatorial mounts.

[@anata5127]

Yes, they are.

[@dce21b59]

Losmandy is not dead end technology. It’s accurate, well made and serviceable. While the less weight of strain wave mounts equals more portability, these mount are rock solid. They will last a lifetime. I got my g811 for $2k, with the RA adapter and all the bells and whistles second hand . Very happy with my buy.