iOptron SmartStar PR German Equatorial Mount, GoToNova, 2" Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Tripod

2011-09-02T21:00:00

I had been using my Celestron 8SE happily for the last year, but finally decided to upgrade the focuser to a Moonlite, which is solid, heavy and exceeds the abilities of the Alt-AZ mount that I had. This gave me a perfect excuse to upgrade to a real mount. I had been considering mounts 2-3x as expensive, but was concerned about portability and many are too large and heavy. With my fully accessorized scope mounted, I can pick this mount up and move it a short distance without any problem. It's not light, don't misunderstand, but manageable. The tripod is the real deal and this mount is sturdily constructed with about the only plastic used to cover the motors. The hand controller's "home" large screen shows a lot of info I'm happy to not have to go through menus to see too. I'm more than pleased with my purchase, but there are some things I think I can clear up for anyone else considering this mount. First, it DOES come with the polar finder scope, which is great. I also added the GPS module, which is great, though be prepared for it to not have any mounting straps or Velcro. Be prepared to download some drivers to make it work with any software you're using too. The motors make a little noise, but it's quieter than my previous mount, which sounded like a power drill. iOptron support is excellent! Imagine actually having a knowledgeable human answer your questions in a timely fashion, it's a rare thing these days. The motor to motor cables are a little funky and the little loop for the hand controller seems odd, but it's very handy. The last comment I'll make is that this thing is not as cheap as it's price suggests.

NATE R.