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Opinions on Chinese strain wave mounts?

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28 replies to this topic

#26 psandelle

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Posted 17 October 2024 - 01:33 PM

I "implied" nothing.  I was simply asking a question, to which seems to have offended you.  That was not my intention.  You blurted out two Korean makers with no details.  And we still do not know what specific manufacturer makes the SWG units for them.  Nor do we know where they source their materials and parts to make the SWG units out of.  I am not "bashing" Korean made anything.  In fact over the years I have used many "Made in Korea" items and electronic components with complete success.

You must have read that wrong, as I wasn't offended at all. It just seemed the implication was that others were using Chinese SWGs  in their mounts (even if Korean-made or Greek-made). I pointed out this wasn't the case. I then pointed out to you where you could get the specific part information from (since I don't have that info off the top of my head). I'm not sure I blurted anything ("blurted" being an odd choice of words for a written response, but...C'est la Vie); I did mention that the Korean mount-maker Rainbow Astro used Korean-made SWGs in their mounts, which seemed to be the question. Never thought you were "bashing" anyone. Not sure where that came from.

Paul


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#27 dnrmilspec

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Posted 17 October 2024 - 02:14 PM

I have a good solution for your concerns.  Buy your mount, wherever it is made, from a reputable dealer here in the US.  I feel pretty strongly about this. 

 

I am an importer of stuff, much of it made in China.  In my industry, China represents the very state of the art in addition to its offering excellent prices.  But let me make this clear.  If there is a problem with anything I sell, I am the one with whom my customers deal.  Not the factory I use.  They never know who that is.

 

I am absolutely no fan of the very common thought these days that one can try something out and just return it if necessary.  It is often unfair to vendors and, as we see here all too often, abused by customers who just want to "try something out". 

 

If one is buying an XYZ mount from a reputable US reseller, upon receipt,  it is important to thoroughly put it through its paces  so that if a problem presents, one can either get tech support from the dealer or return it for replacement. 

 

If one decides to go directly to China (or any other off-shore source) and a problem is experienced, be prepared to ship it back at personal expense.  Be prepared to do business in a foreign language.  Be prepared to exchange emails rather than just picking up the phone. 

 

Because let's face it.  The very most frequent reason to go with an offshore supplier is to save money.  And that friends points out the reason that stuff costs more here than direct.  The seller is taking on your risk for you. And at least for a period of time, initially, the seller will offer expert advice or take it back.  This is worth money to me.  

 

And select your source well.  Buy from someone like Astronomics, where you can call an expert on the phone.  Someone who very much cares about your business.  Your purchase is not just a drop shipped part number on a web site.  There are large online sellers here in the US that do not have a clue about what you are buying, not to mention how it works or how to use it. 

 

My point is that I do not much care where something is made.  If you own General Motors stock you may know that it sells quite a few more cars in China than it does in the US.  We live in a global market and that is not going to change.


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#28 lattitrail

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Posted 28 October 2024 - 08:08 PM

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I was really tempted by some of the cheaper options, I even put several of them in the shopping cart at different times but couldn't quite bring myself to check out. I eventually ended up deciding on the WarpAstron WD20. I bought it from a U.S. retailer and had it in hand two days later. I even had several nights of beautiful cloudless nights but unfortunately Murphy's Law struck and I was too sick to do much those nights. The setup instructions are available online or you get a quick guide in paper form. They are quite clear and I didn't have much trouble getting everything to work simply by reading and following those instructions, but I did have one hiccup that was easily resolved. 

 

Since I was sick, I first tried to connect to and control the mount from inside my house. The instructions stated in clear terms that the mount needed an unobstructed view of the sky to receive GPS location data from passing satellites, but one could also go into ASCOM and allow the mount to receive location data from planetarium software. I did neither and the mount did not want to slew issuing a warning that the ASCOM driver was issuing a slewing error, coordinates outside limits. I assumed that not having location data was the problem and a few days later when I had more energy, I set up the new mount outside on my pier. Everything connected perfectly and the mount slewed flawlessly. I will say that I see no learning curve using OnStep as Cartes du Ceil already is programmed for OnStep along with several other options that I've used in my past. Seems like everything should be smooth sailing going forward, but the forecast won't be nearly as kind to me for the week to come. I was hoping to get some new moon imaging time in, but the astrophotography gods are a vengeful bunch so not this time around!

 

My only complaint with the mount is that the home position was not leveled with the mount itself, so the RA axis sits slightly lopsided when in the home position. This has been my normal experience with Chinese made mounts, so it doesn't really surprise me. This is one reason I was really tempted by the Emcan EM31 Pro which uses digital levels to establish the home position instead of encoders on the servo motors like WarpAstron, but I couldn't quite talk myself into one. A few degrees lopsided isn't a deal breaker for me, so I am happy with the mount and will keep the copy I currently have. Clear skies everyone.


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#29 AstroAlexN

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Posted 28 October 2024 - 11:08 PM

Congrats on your mount! I went the opposite way, I was right about to buy the WD20 then jumped on the Emcan EM31 Pro. Couldn't be happier with it. 
I purchased directly from Emcan, after a number of conversations with them regarding the mount and a few of its features etc... I feel quite comfortable that in the event of needing assistance, I will be able to communicate quite easily with them.




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