Hi gang,

Since someone just asked, I have removed my 10" LX50 SCT tube and mounted it on an Orion EQ/G goto mount.  I paid about $1.5k a few months ago for this mount + tripod, and now, sadly for me, I see it on sale at Orion for only $1.2k.  I purchased the EQ/G after I had emailed Bill Van Orden, who made this change a few years ago, and he stated he'd get the same mount again. 

The new mount connects very nicely to a PC running the (free) astronomy program Stellarium version 0.10.2.  It can connect to Stellarium using the separate program StellariumScope, as either Celestron command set, or the ASCOM command set.  The ASCOM command set (using the EQ/G set to "direct entry" on its handset) has a lot of features that I will not go in to...go online to read about them if interested. 

The go-to system of the new mount is a blast to use.  The system has enabled me to see dozens of objects per night that I would never have been able to find otherwise.  It greatly beats the Magellan II push system which I was using.  The alignments are fast and painless.  Many people are doing astrophotography with this mount...and I am just starting that process.  The next higher priced mount would be the Losmandy G11 which is very highly rated and much stronger and more well crafted mount... about $2500 used to over $3k new (at least the last time I took a pulse on them). 

I would also check out the new Celestron mount that is selling for about $1400.  Celestron is owned by Synta, and Synta also makes the Orion EQ/G as well, so I think the two mounts are nearly identical. 

[ Oh,...if someone wants to purchase a Magellan II, or any of a 10" fork, heavy duty wedge and tripod...contact me at mherman346@...!  ] 

Best regards,
Michael