Re: [APML]: [APML] GM-8 Polar Alignment Scope

[Wil Milan <wmilan@airdigital.com>]

The Astro-Photography Mailing List
------------------------------------

Maybe these mounts have been shipped with two different reticles.
My G-11's polar reticle uses 3-star alignment for alignment to
the north pole; I don't know about southern alignment.

Re the GM-8 having no slow motions: Do you mean hand-driven slow
motions? Every GM-8 I've seen has had a controller which provides
multiple speeds from slow to fast. If your controller is like the
one on my G-11 (I think they're the same) the speeds available
are 0.3x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x. Is yours not like that?

Wil M.


Christopher Go wrote:
> 
> The Astro-Photography Mailing List
> ------------------------------------
> 
> But this polar scope if only built for two star alignment...  I do star
> drifting for better accuracy.  Having three stars would indeed be better
> but this polar scope is not built for that.  And from what I have been told
> by other people, the third bar is basically for southern hemisphere use...
> BTW, I'm not really a GM8 fanatic.  I have one but I get annoyed with it
> most specifically because it has no slow motion controls!  Worse of all, it
> has only one port for both the autoguider and the handcontroller.  This
> really drives me nuts especially when I have to do minor adjustments in the
> dark!  Sadly, I just live with it.  That is also the reason why I also have
> an AP900.  Honestly for me I would have prefered an AP400 (but it's more
> expensive than a G11!!) instead of a GM8.  But for what it's worth, the GM8
> is pretty good.
> 
> Chris
> 
> At 06:00 PM 7/12/98 -0700, you wrote:
> >The Astro-Photography Mailing List
> >------------------------------------
> >
> >>I have the polar scope for my GM8, I've been using 2 star alignment and I
> >>get good alignment throughout the night!!   I wonder if you guys read the
> >>manual before using the polar scope.  The manual states that this IS A TWO
> >>STAR ALIGNMENT!!  One of the grids is for northern hemisphere while the
> >>other is for southern hemisphere.
> >
> >Manual? We don't need no stinkin' manual. Actually, if you consider a
> >handfull of Xeroxed pages to a manual and if you take what it says to be all
> >there is to know about the polar scope, then you would believe it could not
> >be used in the southern hemisphere. There are no instructions for southern
> >hemisphere use at all.
> >
> >My understanding is that the dotted lines and broken crosses are for
> >southern hemisphere use, and the solid lines are for northern hemisphere
> >use. There are three solid lines with gaps for stars. For visual observing,
> >two stars are sufficient. I find I get better accuracy if I use three stars.
> >
> >Robin Casady
> >http://www.CarmelCoast.com
> >
> >Casady & Greene, Inc.
> >http://www.casadyg.com
> >
> >

-- 
Wil M.      
mailto:wmilan@airdigital.com
Astrophoto web site: http://www.airdigital.com/astrophoto.html
---
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, 
the moon and the stars which You have set in place, 
what is Man that you are mindful of him, 
or the son of Man that you care for him?"  -- Psalm 8