Paramount MX - biting the bullet

[DavidTrap (David)]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

I can do that with the NJP too in many sky positions, it is a very useful capability especially without fast automated meridian flip and plate solving . After having shot Eta Carina for 70min of Ha at the start of the night, my recent M83 shot of nearly 6 hours total exposure was really only possible because of this ability

Mike

The AP mounts have Meridian delay too - it's noice!

DT

[gregbradley]

Yes the NJP does go about 15 -20 degrees past horizontal (1 hour -15 degrees) but its a physical stop if it goes too far and it can crush the little cable for one of the encoders or bang your camera against the pier if the orientation is that way.

The PME and I assume the MX has software limits so it stops at the assigned angle. I am sure with some study it can be made to do a meridian flip and plate solve.

By the way the Chuck Faranda Temma driver now also has an experimental meridian flip option. Not sure how well it works. My NJP polar alignment would most likely get the object in the image but not exactly as it was with a flip. It would need to be reframed (same with PME the way I am using it at present).

Greg.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Excellent Peter, excellent.

Maybe we should get the AP900 and the PMX together one night. Imagine the offspring from that. What a dream machine

Can't wait to see first light and hear your praises. Nearly went that road myself but the AP was ready to go. Delayed gratification has never been a strong point

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

Excellent choice. I am considering one in the future as well.

I predict they will be take over their sector of that market.

An AP900, Tak EM400, ASA, MI250 probably won't be able to match all the features. Bisque seem to understand electronics and software better than the other manufacturers and that is definitely one of the long term trends in mounts - more advanced electronics and superior software to improve the mechanical side of the mount.

Greg.

Thats a good point. As long as the mechanical movings are repeatable and the non-PE is low, software is more important than the drive method (harmonic, direct drive etc). Modeling and clever software generally is cheaper to produce in volume than fancy mechanicals if the end result is the same.

Im sure you will be very happy with it Pete, in my experience Bisque software (and Sky etc) is solid, albiet complicated at times.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

Excellent Peter, excellent.

Maybe we should get the AP900 and the PMX together one night. Imagine the offspring from that. What a dream machine

Can't wait to see first light and hear your praises. Nearly went that road myself but the AP was ready to go. Delayed gratification has never been a strong point

Hope your genetic engineering tools are upto scratch

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

I reacon a few of the subtle curves of the 900 would help soften some of the boxy rigidity of the PMX (not that it doesn't have a certain sexiness of its own )

[frolinmod]

Oh, it's the PME that is boxy, not the PMX. The PMX is curvy by comparison. And if you really want to see boxy, look up a GT-1100S. That was so boxy the edges actually drew blood.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments. I've been down in Tassie all last week with my long-suffering wife. I imposed a no-internet rule on myself, hence the silence.
Seems the A$ has indeed slipped a bit already but crikey, who could have imagined the reason (in Japan)? It's interesting to note that even doing an international wire transfer still involved an exchange rate hit of about 3% by my bank (ANZ) apart from the $24 fee involved so even though I managed to get it at the time of $1.02 rates, the effective rate was not much more than 98c. The banks don't miss out do they?

Peter

[GrampianStars (Rob)]

Mmmm..........
$8.5K not to shabby....
Now that the MI250 is no more.....

[acropolite (Phil)]

Originally Posted by mike

Excellent purchase, now you have something nice to think about while you doze off to sleep each night

The rest of us will lay awake running "what can I sell" scenarios to afford the same. I'll be very interested to hear what the final damage is, the price is affordable (at least if I sell HRH for medical experiments).

[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by pmrid

The banks don't miss out do they?
Peter

It's a great business model (for them). I've been on the painful end of it several times, Peter. About to do it again courtesy of some incoming USD funds...