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David Pavlich
Transmographied

Reged: 05/18/05

Loc: Mandeville, LA USA

MX discount...
#5655198 - 01/31/13 10:23 PM

If you're looking for a top end mount, look here! That's a dandy deal.

David

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Hilmi
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 03/07/10

Loc: Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: David Pavlich]
#5655507 - 02/01/13 02:37 AM

I saw that. I just got my mount fixed so it works really well. I cant justify this purchase to my self.

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orlyandico
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/10/09

Loc: Singapore

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: Hilmi]
#5655544 - 02/01/13 03:41 AM

it is a good deal... if you are able to spend $8500. and use a PC with the mount all the time.

methinks the PMX even at its original price was more attractive than the AP900.. but you're married to the PC if you go with Bisque.

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mmalik
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 01/13/12

Loc: USA

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: David Pavlich]
#5655607 - 02/01/13 05:37 AM

That's a decent $1K discount from $9K to ~$8K for MX (90 lbs)...; currently 900GTO (70 lbs)... is at $8,750 which makes MX quite competitive and attractive offering. PC requirement is not a huge impediment if pricing incentives were to remain persistent. I feel premium mounts are over-priced to begin with; hope Astro-Physics and others will follow suit. Thx

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orlyandico
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/10/09

Loc: Singapore

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: mmalik]
#5655616 - 02/01/13 05:55 AM

Don't forget the MX comes with weights. I think also a saddle. Those are extra cost items with AP.

The problem isn't so much the PC - most people use PCs to image - but setting up the pointing model. Its not a "slap it down turn it on and observe" kind of user experience.

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Bowmoreman
Clear enough skies

Reged: 09/11/06

Loc: Bolton, MA

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: orlyandico]
#5655665 - 02/01/13 07:04 AM

If and when I move to, say, Texas and build another observatory, that is my next mount... I only do permanent mounted imaging so the pc and pointing model isn't an issue for me...

Of course I'd have to break a cardinal rule, why sell something that works flawlessly? (My MI250) in order to afford it...

It's so pretty, too!

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darbyvet
professor emeritus

Reged: 10/19/10

Loc: Seneca Falls, New York

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: orlyandico]
#5655885 - 02/01/13 09:21 AM

Quote:

Don't forget the MX comes with weights. I think also a saddle. Those are extra cost items with AP.

The problem isn't so much the PC - most people use PCs to image - but setting up the pointing model. Its not a "slap it down turn it on and observe" kind of user experience.

I have an MX and using tpoint to set up a pointing model was really not difficult to do.It wasnt any harder than drift aligning my cgem.

It took me an hopur to set up a 180 point model with 7arcsec pointing accuracy.Gathering the stars is automatic-I just sat and watched my set up slew around the sky for an hour and then I pressed the supermodel button and had a pretty accurate pointing model.If you have a permanent set up you only have to do the tpoint run once.

Polar alignment was easy too.tpoint calculates the error after you have 30-40 stars and the software tells you exactly how to adjust the mount.

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rmollise
Postmaster

Reged: 07/06/07

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: darbyvet]
#5655915 - 02/01/13 09:35 AM

Only 8,000? Hell, I'll take two!

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korborh
professor emeritus

Reged: 01/29/11

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: rmollise]
#5656021 - 02/01/13 10:19 AM

We need some price wars to bring these inflated 'high-end-mount' prices down to earth.

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orlyandico
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/10/09

Loc: Singapore

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: korborh]
#5656030 - 02/01/13 10:23 AM

That's interesting.... I don't really see these high end mounts as overpriced. I see them as incredible value for what you get.

If a price war means AP goes out of business, and we all get stuck with lesser gear, I'd see that as a minus.

That said - better bang for the buck is the Mesu.

Cheaper than a Mach1 and 200lb capacity. I just couldn't gamble on one......

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psandelle
sage

Reged: 06/18/08

Loc: Los Angeles

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: orlyandico]
#5656100 - 02/01/13 10:48 AM

Unc - hahahahaah! Pocket change!!!

Actually, I think it's a great price. I wish I could justify my need for one at the moment...ah, well, eventually.

And orly - quit pushing the Mesu's! Too tempting!!!

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frolinmod
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 08/06/10

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: orlyandico]
#5656224 - 02/01/13 12:03 PM

Quote:

The problem isn't so much the PC - most people use PCs to image - but setting up the pointing model. Its not a "slap it down turn it on and observe" kind of user experience.

You don't have to create a pointing model if you don't want to. The MX is very much a slap it down and turn it on. I do it all the time. Should one choose to build a model, the process is automated, quick and painless.

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orlyandico
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/10/09

Loc: Singapore

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: frolinmod]
#5656292 - 02/01/13 12:41 PM

frolin, good to know. however even if you slap it down and turn it on, you still need the PC, right? no option for completely dumb operation.

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drksky
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/01/09

Loc: Bloomington, IL

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: orlyandico]
#5656567 - 02/01/13 03:17 PM

Quote:

frolin, good to know. however even if you slap it down and turn it on, you still need the PC, right? no option for completely dumb operation.

If it works anything like the ME this is simply not true if you don't need GOTO. I use our permanently mounted ME all the time without turning on a computer. Just like using a push-to mount but with a joystick.

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frolinmod
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 08/06/10

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: orlyandico]
#5656901 - 02/01/13 06:18 PM

Quote:

....even if you slap it down and turn it on, you still need the PC, right? no option for completely dumb operation.

It will indeed work as a dumb mount. Without a computer connected it tracks and the hand controller can be used to slew in RA/DEC as usual. I've done this on rare occasions.

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Paul G
Post Laureate

Reged: 05/08/03

Loc: Freedonia

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: frolinmod]
#5657082 - 02/01/13 08:21 PM

Quote:

Quote:

....even if you slap it down and turn it on, you still need the PC, right? no option for completely dumb operation.

It will indeed work as a dumb mount. Without a computer connected it tracks and the hand controller can be used to slew in RA/DEC as usual. I've done this on rare occasions.

A friend more familiar than I with SB mounts said it will not track at lunar or solar rate without a computer. Do you know if this is correct?

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korborh
professor emeritus

Reged: 01/29/11

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: drksky]
#5657156 - 02/01/13 09:16 PM

Quote:

frolin, good to know. however even if you slap it down and turn it on, you still need the PC, right? no option for completely dumb operation.

No GOTO functionality and cannot go to RA/DEC, sync or anything without computer. So it is indeed severely limited without computer.

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David Pavlich
Transmographied

Reged: 05/18/05

Loc: Mandeville, LA USA

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: korborh]
#5657321 - 02/01/13 10:52 PM

When you consider its 90lbs of imaging gear capacity, I don't know that SB had its main function to be a portable mount to take to any place you wish. It's really meant to be in an obs or at least somewhere that has electricity to run everything.

I wouldn't consider the MX if I was looking for portability. There's other mounts that do that very well. But with what you get in the package, this is a mount that you can set up in an obs with what comes in the box, stick your imaging gear on it, let T-point do its thing and you're ready to make some nice images. Counterweights and saddle come as standard fare as does the SkyX.

David

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mmalik
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 01/13/12

Loc: USA

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: David Pavlich]
#5657353 - 02/01/13 11:19 PM Attachment (15 downloads)

I like Paramount mounts; my problem has been using devices like iPad/SkySafari Pro... which are a breeze to use with Astro-physics mounts while it becomes a daisy chain kind of affair with MX/ME; SkySafari Pro going through TheSkyX I mean to control MX/ME.

FYI: I never got iPad/SkySafari Pro/SkyWire... going for ME and finally gave up being frustrated [I use it all the time with elCapitan for navigation, pointing, aligning, framing, etc.]; more details of the ordeal here.... Thx

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orlyandico
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 08/10/09

Loc: Singapore

Re: MX discount... new

[Re: mmalik]
#5657495 - 02/02/13 01:30 AM

well the "portable" comparison is with the AP900. because i do know that a number of AP900 users don't use them with permanent setups..

so... dumb mode. can it autoguide in dumb mode?

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