Steve, I was surprised to see so many options for polar alignment with this mount! I've read that with the GPS unit, which I DID purchase, polar alignment is a snap. I'll leave the polar scope inside the mount, just in case. It may discourage rodents from nesting in there. ;o) In any case, gotta have stars before I can do anything. :o( Another observation on converting Orion rings to a Losmandy dovetail: You lose the cone-error adjustment screws, and must resort to shims. Or I guess you could drill and tap extra holes in that nice, anodized Losmandy dovetail. I may end up coughing up the dough for Parallax rings so I can regain the cone-error adjustment screw option. They seem a LOT more beefy, anyway. I may also explore the Orion-to-Losmandy "adapter", though it's pretty pricey and seems to fall into the Rube Goldberg category. For someone who can't make up their mind. I may have some Orion dovetail bars for sale in the near future. On 5/10/10, Steve FISHER <sfisher01@msn.com> wrote:
Chuck:
If it's like Christmas maybe that explains the snow.
Check out the All Star Polar Alignment routine on the CGEM. I have not used it since my CGE does not have this function but those who use it "swear by it" and think you will be sorry for purchasing a polar alignment scope.
With a little work many report excellent long term imaging experiences. Your experience may vary.