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Explore Scientific EXOS2-GT with PMC 8
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 11:10 am
by Glenbo58
Anyone have any feedback on this new mount? Looking for a mount to put a 102ed refractor on. It uses your laptop or tablet wired or wireless to operate the mount rather than a hand controller and can handle a large variety of programs.
Re: Explore Scientific EXOS2-GT with PMC 8
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 1:56 pm
by pakarinen
No personal experience, but I've seen a couple of negative reviews of PMC-8. That was awhile ago though, so things could be different now.
Re: Explore Scientific EXOS2-GT with PMC 8
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 6:40 pm
by Lady Fraktor
There are a few members that use the EXOS-2 goto mount I do not know if anyone is using the PMC-8 version.
Past reviews I have read have been mostly less than ideal though the programming has improved over the years.
A manual has been written finally by a group of users as ES did not create one. So no ES support for the open source programming either.
There are a few long running discussions on other forums about them, most about 2-3 years old.
The mount itself is a copy of the Meade LXD-75 EQ so if wanting to do serious imaging with it I suspect you will outgrow its capabilities and capacity quickly.
Re: Explore Scientific EXOS2-GT with PMC 8
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:44 am
by Glenbo58
Hmmm, the load capacity of the EXOS2-GT & LXD75 are worlds apart. But I have heard that before that the basic mount is a copy of LXD75 design. LXD75 specs would be too light for what I'm looking for. I may be able to get a hold of a Meade LX85 for about the same price if in stock. 33 lbs. load capacity. Heard good & bad about it too. The Celestron AVX seems to have the best reviews but a few hundred dollars more.
Re: Explore Scientific EXOS2-GT with PMC 8
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:42 am
by Lady Fraktor
From
ES site: EXOS2GT with PMC-Eight
GoTo Mount payload capacity: 28 lbs of instrument weight for astrophotography; 40 lbs instrument weight for visual.
From Gabrielle after finishing laughing: Not a bloody chance!
At best it is good for 11.4 kg (25 lb) visual comparable to the Celestron AVX.
The Celestron is a workhorse and is quite dependable.
I used a Celestron ASGT (AVX predecessor) for over 15 years trouble free before selling it and the current owner is still using it as their main mount.
The LX85 is an update of the LXD-75 so expect actual capacity to be between 11.4-13.6 kg (25-30 lb)
Meade and Celestron have been exaggerating their mount capacities for decades
Re: Explore Scientific EXOS2-GT with PMC 8
Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:12 am
by Glenbo58
Hey I just scored a good deal on a tuned AVX mount with an extra counterweight. Thank you for the nudge