New iEQ45GT with 1arcsec PE!

[cloud_cover]

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/ ... ll/fpart/1

Wow! This is 7 times better than an Astrophysics, Takahashi or Paramount mount!

[orly_andico]

umm. That is the claim, whether it actually materializes is a different question entirely.

The low PE claim is done via error correction using a high resolution encoder on the RA axis, similar to the Meade Telescope Drive Master (TDM).

1 arc-sec PE is well within the capabilities of a typical AP mount with guiding. The iEQ45 with the encoder (or a Meade TDM) is basically that -- guiding, except you don't guide on a star, you guide on the RA gear rotation itself.

Anyway considering the less-than-smashing success of the original iEQ45 (not many people are daring to recommend it) I wouldn't get too excited about this.

[mymoon]

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/ ... ll/fpart/1

Wow! This is 7 times better than an Astrophysics, Takahashi or Paramount mount!

available for most mount for additional dollars not exclusive to iOptron.

click here

and Jinghua Optical purportedly owning a majority of ES

and the relationship with iOptron is here

International Trade it is called.

cheers

[orly_andico]

That Telescope Drive Master is not made by ES or iOptron. As I pointed out in my first post above, it is actually a product of Meade Europe.

To be more precise, an unknown German guy made the TDM, then he sold it to Meade Europe.

The biggest issue with TDM is the cost. It's $1800 which is enough to buy you an iEQ45. For this reason, I don't believe the iEQ45-GT is a TDM, but rather a shoddy copy.

If you take a CGEM or Atlas and put a TDM on it, you're looking at $3000+ which is already G11 territory. A G11 with the Ovision worm is under 5 arcsec uncorrected.

[cloud_cover]

And a G11 with Ovision and Gemini 4 is available on A-Mart for $2500

[orly_andico]

I gotta say though... the big advantage of the iEQ45 is the weight.

I set up the CGEM this morning to look at Saturn. With both C/W's on it.. I cannot lift the mount at all (bare mount, no scope). I understand the iEQ45 is half the weight of the CGEM.