Losmansy G11 - size shock

[sejanus]

Hey Guys

Dropped into Bintel to look at the G11 up close as I continue my ridiculous campaign of changing my mind every few days, but I have narrowed down the gear to a few final choices :p

The size of the G11 blew me away :lol: :eyepop: - Is this something you'd get used to over time? i.e. I imagine moving it around would be a pain in the butt but is it not too bad once you are used to it?

Putting it on wheels might be an idea? (i.e. scopebuggy)

My old eq6 I could have going in a few mins, it's heavy but not outrageous heavy.

cheers

Gav

[Octane]

You get used to it.

I got a roadie case from Jaycar, after having seen Chris' (Omaroo). The head fits in snugly with enough room for the counterweight bar, cables, Gemini, and motors.

I need to get a sports bag or something similar for the legs, though.

H

[[1ponders]]

Its a damn fine piece of machinery that for sure Gavin, but yes you do get used to having to move it around.

[multiweb]

It's a love/hate relationship. Love him when it tracks without a glitch... and teach him some new French vocabulary when I need to haul it around. But it's a great piece of engineering. No doubt. Highly recommend. :thumbsup:

[sejanus]

thanks guys.

[allan gould]

All of the above. Love mine and will never sell (I think) as it does track and find objects brilliantly. I think the head is in the same weight ball park as the eq6.

[sejanus]

I know it can hold more than the eq6 - but that aside do the newer eq6's and the new cgem mounts compare in any way in accuracy & so on to the g8/g11? Or does the g11 still destroy them?

I don't mind spending the $5,000 odd on the g11 if it really does whip the butt of the eq6/cgem and I don't have any urge do the whole sell/upgrade thing down the track.

I know the gemini interface is prob not as slick/user friendly as the celestron but that doesn't bother me.

[multiweb]

You can't go wrong with a G11 IMO. It's well designed and built like a tank. Have a look around on the web at pictures you really like and compare the ones taken on a G11, CGEM and EQ6. That's what I did.

[wasyoungonce]

Yes...mine is around 7 arc sec's PP PE straight from box (http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=lxd55&Number=3634258&fpart=&PHPSESSID=#3637063), (No PEC) (post #3637063). It was a little better with my ED80, around 5 arc sec's PP. This is typical of G11s these days. With a little fiddling I could probably get this better but ATM it's not an issue at all.

Factor in if you use the Ovision (http://www.ovision.com/Losmandy_PresentationNS_english.htm l) or New Losmandy one piece worm block. (http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Number/3847592)..you are looking at between 3~5 arc sec's PP (PE) as a typical max value. These is outstanding values for the any mount in this class.

Anyway have a look here (http://lambermont.dyndns.org/astro/pe.html) for typical values recorded by many users & their mounts.



edit:
I just noticed on the bottom of the page for the last link above (http://lambermont.dyndns.org/astro/pe.html), has a link back to the IIS pages about a post from g__day (Mathew), back in 2006 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=8135).:thumbsup:

[sejanus]

cool, thanks for the info. reading all now

cheers

[wasyoungonce]

Sorry forgot to also say...the cloudy nights forum can get a little... one eyed defensive especially wrt anything made in USA such as Losmandy!

No offence to our American members:D

[wasyoungonce]

Oh and one last snippet.

From Losmandy...I can buy every last nut, bolt/screw (http://www.losmandy.com/pricelist.html#replacement), dovetail, (http://www.losmandy.com/secondary.html) bearing or cct board (http://www.losmandy.com/pricelist.html) & accessories (http://www.losmandy.com/access.html) from Losmandy (http://www.losmandy.com/), if I have the inclination to, for reasonable prices.

This is very important to me (in far far away land) as I don't have to send the mount back for fixing..aka Celestron!

[sejanus]

or takahashi I presume

[el_draco]

Hi Gav,
You are tracking my experience exactly. I had an EQ6 and moved on to the G11. I got the folding field tripod and added keyless bolts pretty soon after. The size is impressive but once the head is off, the components are easy enough to manouvre.

G11 is a beautiful mount, but I hate the hand paddle. Use a Laptop if you can.
Apart from that, you will love the thing to death, as long as you are prepared to tinker a bit now and then.

The beauty of the mount, its versatility/upgradeability is also its one drawback, it needs TLC now and then. Things get out of whack, especially if you move it around.

I have had mine for a year, and have not regretted the purchase for a second.
NOTE: There are a couple on the second hand maket at the moment at kick arse prices! Grab one... :thumbsup:

[sejanus]

btw i spoke to claude earlier and I mentioned to him I was going to get a G11 - he pointed me to the tak em-200 mount saying it is a lot better for astrophotography. A bit of googling seems to confirm this but the $$$ are just too wild to contemplate.

[sejanus]

got any links? ;)

[leon]

Yep Gavin they are certainly worth to get loved ;) , beautiful I say,:thumbsup: mine is now in Perth. :sadeyes: :sadeyes:

Leon :thumbsup:

[DavidTrap]

While I don't have a G-11, my mount is in a similar weight category. I'm not sure that putting one on a scopebuggy would do it justice?? Firm contact with terra-firma would be preferable I think.

DT

[wasyoungonce]

Well what can you say...there is not a bad word about the Taks spoken...except possibly the price.:sadeyes:

If I had the mulla...I'd have one but ATM the G11 for me is more than good enough for the likes of me.

Although I am eyeing either the Ovision or Losmandy one piece worm block upgrades...one day...maybe.;)

[allan gould]

If you don't like the Gemini hand paddle and like eqmod then have a looke at the new ascom losmandy driver for the laptop. All the goodies of the eqmod including pulseguiding. This made me really happy.

[leon]

Allan what is there not to like on the hand paddle it :shrug: is magic, and only 4 buttons control the lot. ;) once you get used to it it, sweet :love::love:

Leon :thumbsup:

[sejanus]

I am sure the tak whips butt, but looking at photos on the web of astro photos taken with the g11 - there are some incredible shots out there. If I can get anywhere near those guys I'll be very happy - So if they can do that with a g11 thats good enough for me.

If the tak was closer in price it'd be interesting even if it did carry a bit less weight, but at just under 8k - without a hand controller - that extra $2700 or so over the g11 is a hard ask. That money could buy quite a few toys.

[sejanus]

I saw your ad, a few months too late I think. God damn I'd have bought that all in a blink of an eye if I was browsing this site actively back then :rofl:



From memory the scope buggy has something where when it's in the spot you want it you can push down something to make it make firm contact with the ground - memory a bit foggy here! Also there are others like scope roller and jmi. Just a thought, I haven't used any myself.

[leon]

G11 mate.

Leon

[Hans Tucker]

Of course Claude is going to say the EM-200 is better, and it is, but it is also more expensive than the G-11. The fact that users of the G-11 are turning out good results in the Astrophotography area is testimony to how capable the G-11 is. In the end it comes down to how much you can afford or be willing to expend on a mount. For the record I am a Takahashi fan..virtually everything bit of equipment I own is Takahashi except my APOMAX 130 Refractor...so I should promote the EM-200..but I have owned a G-11 Gemini in the past and it was an excellent mount.

[Octane]

Hans and Gavin,

I think it's a natural progression for most G-11 owners/astrophotographers, to progress up to the EM-200 or EM-400 if funds permit.

I'd like to take the EM-200 route one day, or even straight to a Paramount ME. For now, the G-11 is more than capable of supporting what I'll be taking ownership of and the STL.

H

[Hans Tucker]

I just purchased a second hand EM-200 USD II Mount....now that was a size shock ...it's nearly just as big as my NJP....maybe I should have looked for an EM-10/EM-11

[[1ponders]]

Oh and btw if you think the G11 is large, wait til you see a Titan.

[sejanus]

99.9% sure I'll get a G11 - even spending 5k on a mount makes me recoil in horror a bit, let alone near 8k on a Tak one.

[casstony]

Having owned a variety of 'built to budget' and 'well made' gear, it's a pleasure to use and own the well made gear like Losmandy - machined, high quality metal with a good fit is so much nicer than cheap castings with poorly fitted bearings ands worms.

I still have a cheap but ok EQ5 and a cheap and nasty EQ3C which serve their purpose, but the DM-6 on a G11 tripod is a breath of fresh air in comparison. You never regret owning quality, provided you can afford it.

[White Rabbit]

I'm heading down the G11 path as well, but when I went to pull the pin Bintels told me that the Gemini systems will not be available until after August. Insult to injury you cant buy and pay for the whole thing, take the mount now and wait for the gemini. If you by the mount now you have pay separately for gemini at full retail price not the package price.

What kind of BS is that??? Making me think twice, but I know I'll end up getting one come August.

[wasyoungonce]

To be fair here, Losmandy batch makes mounts & Gemini units and ships them as a whole unit or separate with differing price structures.

If they (Bintel) sell you a mount now this is a stand alone mount (with digital drive) Bintel/you will have to order and pay full "add-on" price for the Gemini which is considerably more than the price you get it for with the mount/Gemini as one.

Best to wait & get the combo..for a cheaper price...if the $Aust holds up that is.:(

[sejanus]

I'd be surprised if the g11 prices don't go up by the time they arrive :(

I've had no luck with the 2 x 2nd hand g11's I chased. The nsw guy just doesn't reply full stop. The other guy from south aust sent me some blurry pics and now won't answer email/sms ands his phone goes to voicemail. massive fail all round.

To be honest I'm getting tempted to just get a eq6 with eqmod or a CGEM and worry about the g11 a bit later. Problem is I keep changing my mind every day.

If that g11 at bintel wasn't already sold I'd have been all over it.

[[1ponders]]

Try Matthew Lovell at Telescope-astronomy.com maybe or Peter Ward at Atscope.

[sejanus]

I just left a message for matthew. I think Peter is in the same boat stock wise as bintel.

[[1ponders]]

:thumbsup:

The other option is to get it direct from somewhere like Optcorp in the states. The postage is a killer but it should be still cheaper. Unfortunately the downside is its a bugger to send back for repairs if needed

[sejanus]

yeah about $4387 aud including shipping, but not including customs rubbish

optcorp are saying "preorder". What Don @ bintel said was it's a worldwide shortage of gemini units - so the only places you can get them from are places that still have stock. Otherwise you order for an August delivery.

[Omaroo]

Why not consider the alternative, and that is buy the Digital Drive version, add Losmandy shaft encoders and an Argo Navis? Push-to is just as versatile in many respects, and you can share the Argo between several mounts. You still the have the ability to computer control it all if you need it.

With a Carinasoft SkyFi unit, the Argo can be optionally controlled via 802.11 from your Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod or iPad running Voyager. Fantastic.

[[1ponders]]

I did the same as Chris. It was a great option and i could still autoguide to image. Now that I've got the Gemini I've put the encoders on my GM8. :)

[sejanus]

yeah though I really enjoyed the argo on my old lightbridge, I'd really prefer the full blown goto on this eq mount.

[casstony]

There's a couple of G11's with gemini for sale on Astromart.

[sejanus]

I think I just missed out with matthew, he said the last one he had is being packed up to be sent off :mad2:

[sejanus]

they don't want to send overseas unfortunately.

[[1ponders]]

Where are all these G11's going????

[sejanus]

everywhere but here it seems. pretty tempted to just get a eq6 with eqmod then add a losmandy later on. Will keep looking in the meantime. Might email a few usa stores.

[[1ponders]]

Np selling an eq6 around this place later on ;)

[sejanus]

Yeah selling it would be pretty trivial I'd imagine.

Current idea is to get the eq6 with a autoguider and when I reach this sort of level or feel the mount is getting in my way I'll go the g11 route.

eq6 shots only ;

http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=eq6&w=25191652%40N00&m=pool

shrug. as mentioned I have this awful habit of changing my mind.

If I get the eq6 I could prob get a takahashi.

[blink138]

hello gavin just reading your plight
i saw yesterday on the atscope sight a g11 / c11 rig and i have emailed them today to see if they will split as i already have a g11 (thanks leon)
no reply as yet but if you want the g11 and i want the c11 maybe there could be some dancin happenin
though he wants 8k for it i think this is just about "new price" for the rig
however it was on there "astrotrader" page
pat

[sejanus]

hey guys

I ended up buying a neq6. sorry to waste everyones time with the g11 talk, it just didn't work out in the end. The hard availability and the pricetag in combo together worked against it. I probably will get a losmandy or tak mount down the track but will do it when I feel the eq6 is limiting me or making things hard.

The CGEM prices have gone up to $2800'ish so bugger that - the eq6 was $1895.

I haven't picked it up yet, bintel are drilling a couple of holes in a losmandy plate so I can have a camera & a refractor on a twin dovetail setup. I'm interested to see how my 200 f/2 goes when pointed up.

Now I need to decide over the next couple of days if I should just get a cheap rubbish scope to guide through, or get something quite decent to image through as well (i.e. tak 60mm or the tmb 80mm I tried to get). The choice of the "bigger refractor" i.e. a fsq-85 or 106 or something similar I'll leave for a month or two whilst I get this setup working.

[Terry B]

I wonder how the IOptron iEQ45 will compare to the G11 for price. It seems to be a bit more beefy than the EQ6 on the astromart comparison here (http://www.astromart.com/common/image_popup.asp?image=/images/classifieds/686000-686999/686672-2.jpg).
They didn't compare it to the G11 but only to an EM200.

[Octane]

Congrats, Gavin!

Look forward to seeing what you produce. Are you going to stick your 1Ds Mark III on the back or do you have an astro camera?

Did Gliman get back to you? Are you going down that route or looking at the Tak?

H

[sejanus]

1ds mk3 originally but I'm researching the qsi cameras, they look pretty cool

Gilman got back to me but hasn't responded to any more queries. I think I am going to end up with a tak. Don reckons televue so I'm looking at both but the tak's seem incredible. No rush on that though, as the "big" refractor is going to be 5-6k so I'm taking this one carefully :)

[sejanus]

Ok I changed my mind yet again - I changed the order to a g11 with Gemini - this is 100% confirmed and is not changing :) will give me 2 months or so to plan the scopes on it

[Octane]

Welcome to the club, Gav! :)

H

[sejanus]

now that I've put the $$ down I'm sure the wait will feel like an eternity :)

[Octane]

What's the waiting period?

H

[sejanus]

late august I think

[DavidTrap]

The wait for my AP mount was almost quicker than that (bless the struggling US economy for a lack of orders!). Unfortunately the wait for an AP refractor won't be as quick - currently over 11years!!!!! My wife just laughed when I put my name down on that waiting list.

All good things come to those who wait - if you enjoy your premium mount as much as I do, it will be worth it!

DT

[sejanus]

11 years? bloody hell!

[sejanus]

Still no G11, eta is just "soon". Does anyone have any inside gossip about losmandy supplies? This waiting is killing me.

[Visionoz]

Yep Gavin, it's always a waiting game when you want a Losmandy anything! Makes you feel that there's something wrong with your money ain't it? :P

It'll arrive eventually and anyway the weather's not too great so you're missing nothing really!

Hope it turns up soon!

Cheers
Bill

[wasyoungonce]

Don't forget Scott Losmandy makes the mounts as a side business to his main work for the movie industries.

That is they does production runs when business is slow. He also inspects and adjusts each mount.

[Mighty_oz]

U do know that they are waiting on a new version of the gemini for the g11
and hence are not making them atm ? See cloudynights forums for more info.

[el_draco]

I waited 3 months from order... but it was worth it. Going from EQ6 to G11 was a mind bending exercise and the first set up is something you wont forget. However, don't waste your time gnashing teeth. Read the manual X 20 and join the Yahoo users group. This beast takes a lot of learning and a lot of patience. I've done the manual front to back many times over and i am still learning!

[wasyoungonce]

Yeah thanks, know of that, though not everyone purchases G11 with a Gemini.

It would be interesting to see the new Gemini unit (specs) though.

[sejanus]

well, looks like it ain't going to be anytime soon i.e. prob early 2011.

sigh

wouldn't have bought the tak 106 if I knew it was going to take them this long. picking up a eq6 in the interim is pretty tempting, but of course a waste of $$ longterm.

[Octane]

Sorry to hear, Gav. : (

H