REVIEW OF THE LOSMANDY GM8 EQUATORIAL MOUNT
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2022
- In this video I discuss in detail the pros and cons and set up of the Losmandy GM8 Equatorial Telescope Mount. This mount is made in Burbank, California and is fully goto and computerized. It is highly accurate at locating and tracking. Yes, it has a hefty price tag but in my opinion is well worth it if you want a quality mount that is very reliable and capable.
If you are considering buying the GM8, here are a few things to consider. I have owned mine for 2 years and learned these things the hard way. If you are going to be using a 4” refractor or less, this will work great. The 8 in GM8 means that you can use a SCT 8” I had an SCT 8 and it worked fine. I sold the SCT 8 and bought a SCT 9.25. I then started to have some problems with the go to, sometimes it worked fine and other times it did not. I just ordered the G11 RA housing from Losmandy. I can couple the declination axis of the GM8 with the RA housing of the G11 resulting in a combination known as the GM811. This will increase the visual payload from 45 to 55#.
Thanks for this information. I never knew that about the 8 referring to an 8" SCT. I thought you just had to pay attention to your total payload. But my SCT is 8" and my Losmandy works fine for me. The 9.25 only weighs 20 pounds. Do you have massive accessories attached to it?
The 9.25 SCT only weighs about 5# more than the 8” but I had to put much more counter weight on it. I only do visual so all I have on it is 10x60 finder scope, red dot finder 2” diagonal and some 2# eyepieces.@@tsulasbigadventures
Excellent review. Congrats on picking up a mount that will serve you well for many years.
Congratulations, Tsula. Enjoyed the video and really nice image of the Ring nebula. Look forward to seeing more. Money well spent.
Thank you!
Thank you for your video. I'm considering the G8. I have a suggestion. There is a free software program called N.I.N.A. that would solve your polar alignment issue. It uses plate solving to center your target. It has a plug- in called 3 point polar alignment that uses your camera to take 3 images of the northern sky then instructs you to use your knobs to correct the Alt/Az pointing. You don't use your polar scope at all. I use it with my mount and it's very quick and easy. No more getting down on my 76 yr. old knees. You do have to use a laptop or tablet with ASCOM to run your mount but it isn't that hard to set up and run. There are several You Tube videos about NINA, plate solving and the 3 point alignment. NINA looks daunting when you first open it but it really isn't that difficult to set up and run. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Thanks for the suggestion. Now that I have had the mount for a while I actually find the polar scope very easy to use. It only takes me about five minutes to polar align. I am about 75% visual observer and don't need an extremely precise polar alignment.
Thanks for the great video!!!
Thank you.
Excellent review.
Only one, minor, correction: the stellar map imprint inside the polar alignment telescope is that of the *Little* Dipper, which has at its handle's end, Polaris., rather than the *Big* Dipper.
Thanks for the correction. Actually now that I have had this mount for a while I really like this polar scope and find I can polar align with it in seconds. The mount is very accurate after that.
I feel the same way about my GM8. It's a quality product and Scott was there to answer a question for me. I sent 2 Ioptrons back when they failed out of the box and then bought the GM8. I have mine on a dolly and I do like the Polemaster.
I decided to use the Polemaster but the adapter to use the Polemaster with the GM8 is on back order.
Very nice review. Clear skies!
Thank you! I gave up on that terrible polar scope that I paid $300 for and decided I would use a Polemaster I bought a long time ago instead. I looked at your channel to see how to use the Polemaster and you made it look pretty easy. Now I'm just waiting for the adapter.
@@tsulasbigadventures The best polar alignment method I found was using SharpCap, with the polemaster camera. The camera is fast and always in focus. SharpCap is spot on. I was looking at my hand controller last night and you can dim the screen. In the Menu find HC-Display. There you can change the them from night to day or let it change automatically. If you press the dim button several times it will get pretty dim in the night time mode. I purchased my mount used and may have been monkied with. My backlash is horrible. I am reaching out to Losmandy today to see if they can help.
@@AmyAstro Thank you for the tip. I will see if I can lower the brightness more but last time I used it, it seems like it was as low as it would go and it was still pretty darn bright. I was not aware you could use Polemaster with Sharpcap. I'll have to look into that. I put that Polemaster away for a year because I found I didn't really need it with my EQ6R Pro. I'm sorry you are having a backlash problem. I found Losmandy's customer service very responsive. I hope you can fix it and thank you again.
thank you for the Review, i have an Ioptron GEM45, which is a spectacular mount, but its more geared to my Astrophotography. im considering a Gm8 or 11 primarily for visual, i like the idea of slow motion controls and slip clutches on a well built go to mount.
Thank you. I love the mount but I hope to learn more about the database on the hand controller.
Beautiful Scope on a beautiful mount. I myself own a G811G with the HD tripod. As well as a Stellarvue SVX080T 3sv. wouldn't trade either of them best mount and scope I have ever owned.
Thanks, Steve. I love both also. The Stellarvue is amazing.
Loved your video - an honest overview. I own a 2011 GM8 with Digital Drives and considering an upgrade to Gemini 2. As you mentioned, the mount is made from machined & welded aluminum, stainless steel and brass with no plastic and white metal castings like it’s Chinese competitors. Parts are always available for servicing or retrofitting. True the Polar Scope with illumination is expensive and I believe it is offshore, (Astro Hutech - Kenko) The precision glass reticule can be replaced when a post 2030 one will become available. Useful upgrades to consider - replace the 3 round Allen bolts with the Tripod Knob Kit ( Losmandy should supply them with the GM8). Clutch Knob Kit (captain’s wheel design) much easier to set tension on RA & DEC axes, especially with gloves in cold weather ( again these should be standard and not optional). The mount tracks with precision and I only needed one 7 lb counterweight to balance a 120 mm refractor with visual accessories. Losmandy needs more honest reviews like this one Tsula. All the best.
Thank you. I do want to get those knob kits that make it easier to turn the bolts. I saw that Brian uses them with his gigantic telescope in the Losmandy videos and I liked it. Oh and those Allen bolts seem to loosen as the night goes on no matter how tightly I tighten them.
Discovered your channel recently and really enjoy the content, has been helpful as a new astronomer. Don’t understand why you reviewed such a demanding mount, seems like there must be many better options out there. There must be better EQG2 mounts out there. I totally support made in USA but at a living wage price!
Hi El Ray and thank you. I agree that the price for the Losmandy mount is exorbitant and the price they charge for the polar scope is outrageous as well. I was really disgusted with that iOptron GEM28 mount which I had to send back for repairs. That mount is nothing more than a fancy SkyGuider Pro and I don't recommend it. I really love my Orion EQ-G mount, a highly capable mount that doesn't weigh too much, can handle up to 30 pounds for real, and is fairly portable. Pity Orion discontinued it (although they say they are bringing it back) but you can get the exact same mount from SkyWatcher-- HEQ-5. I would recommend that until Orion brings back the EQ-G. The other mount that I really like is the Skywatcher EQ6R Pro but it is very heavy and is a higher category mount in my opinion in that it can handle up to a 6" refractor. A lot of new astronomers really like the Celestron AVX mount which has a similar payload to the Orion EQ-G but I have never owned one and don't have any personal experience with it. In retrospect when my iOptron GEM28 disappointed and I had to return it I should have just stuck with the Orion EQ-G but I wanted two mounts-- one for photos and one for visual. I think for the price, medium range mounts, the Orion EQ-G which you might be able to find second hand, the Celestron AVX or the Skywatcher HEQ-5 or Skywatcher AZ-GTI would be your best bet for a EQG2 mount.
I never liked the "look" of these mounts but they do look quality built :)
Nicely done video!
Thank you. I think it looks fine but the hand controller needs to be put under control and I am still looking for an alternative to that polar scope.
I'm only 1/2 way through your review, Tsula. I am enjoying your candid comments. I have a strong, solid and reliably functional Alt-Az mount, but am interested in doing some Astrophotography later. I must say that so far ( and I will be finishing your vid and checking your site too ) my impression of Losmandy ( et all ) is quickly going down the tubes so to speak. In looking at the Losmandy web site, I am disappointingly surprised to find almost everything needed for a fully functional setup is a la cart. The lack of supplied manuals is also a sign that something is wrong there. Thanks for your presentation, It's been entertaining and informative so far.
Thanks, Gregory. Actually, I think that this mount is the most accurate mount I own (I also own an Orion Sirius EQ-G, Skywatcher EQ6r Pro, and an iOptron GEM28 which is not a good mount). It annoyed me that I had to watch all those videos about Losmandy to find the answer I wanted but I think that Brian does an excellent job explaining exactly how to set up the mount and get it going for you. Also incredibly you can email Brian and he will answer you. This mount is perfect for astrophotography because it is so accurate. Now that I understand better how to use the $300 polar scope I like it now. They do make you buy a lot of things that in my opinion should be included with the mount given the price, but I think for a mount of this caliber it is worth it. I highly recommend this mount for anyone wanting to get into astrophotography. You won't be sorry. I thought about getting that iOptron IPolar but I think most people just use ASIAIR to polar align and that works fine (although you do have to get Polaris in the field of view!). Hope that helps.
I'm on same lines...looking for my first eq mount and I was looking at skywatcher heq 5 pro and ioptron cem 26 but I have to see this g8 now in detail thanks for making video
@@tarang221 You're welcome. I love this mount. It's very accurate and reliable but somewhat heavy. Although I don't have the Skywatcher HEQ5, I do own an Orion EQ-G mount which is identical to the HEQ5 and it is also very dependable but much lighter.
@@tsulasbigadventures Indeed skywatcher Orion is reliable and tried and tested but losmandy has my attention now:p
I have a G11G, I agree with everything you said.
I love this mount but this fall it fell on me and in an effort to save it from damage it struck my face leaving a permanent dent. The mount was not damaged and is still incredibly accurate.
@@tsulasbigadventures Sorry to hear that, how did it fall? was there a scope on it?
@@peterleveillee1321 Well, I had taken the telescope off but I was dumb and tried to move the whole mount with the head attached into the garage and the leg got caught on the lip of the threshold and threw me and the mount backwards onto a concrete sidewalk. It was awful. I had a black eye and swollen check for a couple of weeks. If you watch my video on nebula filters for a telescope you'll see my hideous black eye.
That sounds like a terrible ordeal. I am glad you and the mount are okay. I try to pay extreme attention when I move my gear in and out of my 3 granite steps. I will have an observatory at some point so moving gear will be not so frequent.
@@peterleveillee1321 Yes, in the summer when it doesn't rain I leave it outside with an all weather cover over it. It gets harder and harder to move astronomy equipment as you get older too.
Great Video about the mount! And I love the shirts you bear in the video. After one year, you are still satisfied with the GM8-Mount? Best regards from Switzerland. Bruno
Bruno: Hello to Switzerland and thank you. I love this mount. It is very accurate-- the most accurate mount I own. I highly recommend it.
Do you have adaptive color enabled in the hand controller? It definitely can display red, and very dim red at that. Green is the daytime color and blue is dusk
I set it to the lowest setting possible and it was still very bright. I just put red cellophane over it now.
You can change the display to night mode which is red
Thank your that really useful review. One question tho: you mention that the mount weighs 40 lbs, and yet the spec sheet says it weighs 21lbs. This is important for me, because approx. 20lbs is the most I can safely lift. When you say 40 lbs, does that include the corner weight and its bar?
Is that referring to just the mount head? I think the tripod legs alone weigh about 15 pounds and the mount head is heavy. I don't have access to that mount at the moment or I would go weigh it. I think I was referring to the mount fully assembled which is how most spec sheets list mounts. The counterweight shaft weighs about five pounds and the tripod weighs 15 pounds I think. I am pretty sure I meant fully assembled it weighs 40 pounds. I hope that helps.
I own the same setup. I had the same problem with the brightness of the hand controller until I figured out how to set the night mode which turns the HC display red.
It is red but it's still very bright. Recently I installed the firmware upgrade and apparently they made it dimmer because it's better now.
Yes, it is bright, I try to look at it with averted vision. Was the firmware worth it? I have not bought it.@@tsulasbigadventures
@@timothybaer6596 Well, I thought it was ridiculous to charge the customer for a firmware upgrade but I did like some of the improvements. I refused to attempt it myself because I know how that goes but they completed it quickly and I was happy with it.
You can turn the brightness of the controller down. First go to night mode. Then turn the brightness down even more.
Thank you. I'll check that again and see but I'm pretty sure I turned it down as low as it would go and it was still overpowering.
Great review, as always. The only other thing I would have liked to seen / heard was the mount sound / noise level when slewing. I was considering one of the larger Losmandy mounts a while but when I heard how noisy the large ones are it put me off. I'm glad you like your GM8 :) Have you tried using a Polemaster with it? Can one be used with it??
Thank you. I don't think it's that noisy. It's about the same as my Sirius EQ-G or my Skywatcher EQ6r Pro. I have a polemaster but I am unable to attach it to the mount because I don't have the correct adapter for it. I ordered one about two months ago and it never came. Because of the way the mount is made a standard adapter will not fit. Now that I have had more practice using the polar scope I actually like it. I like that you don't have to turn your mount in any day to get it polar aligned other than the alt az knobs. To line it up you turn the entire polar scope instead of the mount itself which is a nice feature. Also the alt az knobs are very easy to turn and I like that. So if you can find the adapter you could use a Polemaster but so far I don't own one. I really like this mount and it is by far and away the best mount I own.
@@tsulasbigadventures So glad you like it :) I totally get what you mean about the Losmandy build quality, Michelle. I haven't seen one of their mounts in person but I have seen lots of reviews etc and they look awesome. I, like you, am very much into that - something that looks as though it was formed from a solid piece of metal rather than a casting........
I hope you find the Polemaster adapter. I'll give you the details of the guy I got my adapter from and see if it's the same person. Normally he is very good at responding. As you say though, you like using other methods now so maybe not needed. Although I always feel it's a good back-up to have.
I saw a Losmandy video very recently announcing a new Alt Az set up whereby you can adapt a current EQ Losmandy mount to alt az configuration. I like that because I want to get a refractor and would love to use it in alt az mode for visual. Skywatcher do a dual alt az EQ mount I have one on back order but no news of when it may be avialbel.
I saw a great view of Mars last night, btw! *Finally* the seeing was steady enough to get a good view
@@tsulasbigadventures If I said to you that I admire Losmandy mounts such that I could buy one and have it in a display cabinet in my room, I trust you'd know what I mean :)
@@HollomanUFOLanding I sure would!
@@HollomanUFOLanding Hmm. I had not heard about that new alt az set up for a Losmandy. I cannot justify any more mounts or telescopes. That Losmandy mount is in California and I have a whole other set of equipment in Montana. But when I get back to CA I hope to finally find out about that adapter I ordered ages ago. It's been so long I cannot even remember where I ordered it. Yes, ask that guy about it; maybe he has some insight into it. It snowed about a foot last night and I so I didn't see anything last night and it's cloudy tonight but I'm hoping it will clear for Wednesday's big show! Glad you got a good look last night.
That polar scope sounds like it's absolutely horrible to work with. I don't understand how you could get any real accuracy with a scope like that, especially when they claim to cater to astro photography. Also, your comment about the hand controller being a source of light pollution gave me a good laugh! My main imaging mount is an iOptron CEM25P, and I've thought about getting an iPolar, but I've tried several polar alignment routines in Sharpcap, PHD2 and NINA, and I've found that I can visually polar align faster and more accurate than the software can. My guiding is usually around 0.11" after visually aligning, where the software routines would give me around 0.90-1.09".
I agree with you and I cannot understand why they don't sell a polar scope with circles and crosshairs. In the Losmandy polar alignment video, Brian says that Losmandy likes the iPolar so much that they are now selling it. I do not want the iPolar. I have emailed Losmandy and asked if there is another polar scope with crosshairs that I can use.
Hi Tsula and all - Thanks for your comments. I think you may misunderstand the polar scope. You can use an app with circles/crosshairs for the Losmandy Polar scope which is just the position of Polaris. With the losmandy polar scope, you can include multiple stars for even more accurate alignment. Otherwise you are relying only on the position of polaris.
Good point. I've used this mount for 15 years. I simply adore it! I do agree about the awkwardness of using the polar telescope. People should also recall that Polaris is *not* located at the North Celestial Pole (NCP), but is about 1.5 degrees offset from the NCP, thus a simple reticle would be less than ideal in service to this purpose.
Today, a far more accurate approach to locking in polar alignment is to use a drift method, or a software app, such as Sharp Cap Pro (Pro uses a high-accuracy polar alignment method), which I've used to get the polar alignment to within 0.4 arc second (via PhD2 readout) - more than overkill. No polar telescope will be able to secure anywhere near as accurate an alignment. However, for simple, casual observing, the polar telescope is perfectly fine, but not for astrophotography or EEA photometric work.