Northernlight

I guess the big attraction of friction drives is that they are supposed to be free of backlash, due to the lack of gears. That said 10 micron manage perfectly well using conventional gears / worms. For me, I've always wanted a direct drive mount like the ASA mounts, but sadly ill never afford one

Henry don't get me wrong, I fully agree with what you are saying. What I don't agree with is when said Manufacturers make claims that they are close to completing development on a product and take people's money and hang onto it for 2 years when the truth / reality is that they were nowhere near close to completing development and were using people's money to essentially develop an idea. I understand and support what jtw is doing as new design drives innovation and healthy competition is good for the consumer, I just don't agree with their method of execution.

This thing has had more changes than Michael Jackson. 3 words - Mesu 200 MkII

I think it's a case of too little to late as I think a lot of people's interest & trust have probably long faded

So is the mount design still configured to use absolute encoders ?

Yeah and the last 12 months before that. All I can say is that people who paid for this mount are incredibly patient. I think JTW has damaged it's reputation a bit due to how long it is taking them to deliver on their promises. It's a shame, as I really want to see this mount do well and succeed, but I just wouldn't trust a company that has given several launch dates and delivered on non of them. I think most people would probably opt to pay more and get the new mesu 200 when it comes out, as Mesu has a reputation for quality, customer service and delivering on his commitments. Sorry Jtw I was rooting for you, but now I give up.

Hi all, Been out of the loop for a few months and just wondered if the jtw Ogem mount was still a mythical beast of legendary tales or if it's actually materialized in the real world and started shipping to anyone ?? Rich.

Hi All, I've been holding off a new scope upgrade for imaging and I'm a little uncertain about the future of Astro Photography with the recently announcements about star-link and other similar projects putting tens of thousands of satellites into orbit. For me personally, I know how many subs I see impacted by just 2000 satellites, let alone SpaceX adding another 12,000 as well as other players like Boeing adding their satellites. Would love to hear peoples thoughts on the topic. Is Astro imaging still going to be a viable hobby 5 years from now ? Or do people think that this is not really an issue as it can sorted during processing ?? Cheers, Rich.

Hi Firas, I've put all scope purchases on hold until I understand the future implications of projects like star-link and other similar projects. I've seen how many satellites I have appearing in my images from just 2,000 satellites let alone an additional 12,000 from SpaceX alone. I believe Boeing and other companies are looking to do similar projects. So not sure how viable astro imaging will be in the near future If I didn't have any concerns and was still looking to buy, then without a shadow of doubt I would go with the ONTC as the lacerta appers to essentially be an upgraded SW Quattro and uses the same low quality mirror cell and secondary holder. The tube on the lacerta I believe is around 2mm thick in comparison to 7mm thick tube on the Ontc, so the Ontc will be a lot more rigid. In my eyes, the Ontc is in a whole different league to the lacerta, with the ontc being a big step up, for not much more money Rich.

Olly Can't agree more, so new friend of mine, when you loaning me that sweet mesu adorned with those lovely Tecs, because you know what they say. Sharing is caring ?

Hopefully when JTW has finished work on their new mount, they might have time to focus on building his telescope brand. I think the biggest problems with JTW is that they appear to be having an identity crisis. They don't seem to be sure what type of business they are. Are they an engineering company that makes astro gear on the side or a Telescope company that does engineering on the side ? But either way, I would like to see them start producing some finely crafted scopes for the general pub!ic. Who knows they could be the next TEC of Europe and speaking to mark he seems passionate about astronomy, so hopefully we'll start to see some of his scopes in the wild in the near future.

Hi Ian, I looked at the JTW scopes, but they are too much of an unknown, and without wanting to sound negative, I get the Impression that Mark from its gets easily distracted with other projects, so not sure how long he would take to build the scope. His scopes do however look like an interesting design. I don't think I would buy one unless it was a special introductory offer.

That's a fair shout john, but I suppose I could always send the frac back if it's colimation is misaligned. I'm sure colimation on a well made newt is nothing to worry about and more about being inexperienced with the process.

In pixinsight, I thought it has a routine to register the images to each other and rotates the images to be exactly the same orientation before stacking, by analyzing the stars in the image

Surely star alignment & stacking procedures in programs like pixinsight take care of that ??