AP1200 GTO Mount - help me decide

OK lads - I have till November 24th to decide whether or not to spend $9400/€7300 on an AP1200GTO (I just got notification that my name has come up on their waiting list).

I've had a quick scoot around Cloudy Nights but couldn't find any reviews - ideally I'm looking for anything that reviews the 1200GTO - even better if its reviewed against a competing model (Paramount, NJP orm Temma II etc).

I'm going to have a further look around tomorrow but time is limited - I have to make a spam complaint... so I'd appreciate any web sites or bulletin board reviews that are pertinent.

Of course, if anyone has an AP1200, I'd be delighted to hear your story...

Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately judging by the prices, my name hasn't come up for the Starfire 155 edfs... So any advice on how I can shoehorn a celestron c8 onto the mount would be most welcome (yes, I know its like putting a 1.1 punto engine into a DB9, but one must cut one's cloth.... at least in the short term).

Cheers

Dave

ps - thought I'd try the poll option for this life-changing decision

Mabey I'll try the obvious question first.
What, in your opinion, will this mount provide that no other mount can?
From an optical viewpoint, what are you aiming for longterm?

Hi Dave,
Go for the best mount and scope you can afford.
Dont get one while saying to yourself, I'll upgrade it in 2 year, thats how you waste money, thats my philosophy anyway.

As for the AP1200GTO, I cant talks from experiance as I've never seen one, let alone know someone who owns one, although there are a few Paramounts around.

Thats a serious mount, I imagine you're going to put a much more beefier scope then an 8 inch on it, otherwise its overkill, it can take a 16" SCT
I presume you'll be doing photography, this mount is geared up for that.

Happy hunting.

Dave,

If your objective is astrophotography and, more specifically, long exposure astrophotography, the AP1200GTO is one of the best mounts around with its sub-second tracking and peak-to-peak error of less than 2 arc-secs! Unfortunately, the price on this mount just keeps going up and up each year - last year it was selling for around $8600 and I suspect AP increased the price to $9600 in the footsteps of PAramount who raised theirs from $10,000 to $12,500.

As for the AP 155 EDF you have been waiting for, I got called last week for the first batch of this year's run. I have been waiting since Aug 31/99 ... just to give you an idea. Furthermore, the AP 155 is no more, for it has been replaced by the AP 160 and which represents 160 mm of aperture and 1200 mm in focal length (f/ratio of 7.5). It comes ONLY with the 4" focuser now and costs $7950.

I am very tempted to suggest that you grab the AP1200GTO right now and offer to take it off your hands in you decide to sell it. However, I have no idea what the import taxes would be or otherwise I would be in a better position to make you this offer (or not).

Either way, this is one expensive hobby!

Anthony.

As ever - and this is what is so good about this site, lots of great feedback.

Michael - I've been looking to get into serious astrophotograhpy for over a year now and having done the research have decided that the only way to do it is to do it properly. The AP900 and 1200 mounts come out, along with the top end Tak and Software Bisque mounts as the best for the job withoug going down the road of buying a truly professional mount. So, if I can get my hands on ANY of these mounts, I'd be sorted. It just so happens that the 1200 has become available to me.

Dave - bang on the money. I have a 155 EDFS on order too so the idea was to match the pair. However, the AP waiting lists are mutually exclusive - your position on one list (mounts) does not match your position on another list (scopes) - hence no notfication of the scope yet. And it seems I'll be waiting a few more years for that! So, in the meantime, the plan might be to get the 1200 now and slap on the 8" SCt whilst I get my my hands on a, say, a TOA 130 or similar then come the day the AP scope arrives swap over.

It's certainly clear to me that the most critical item for astrophotography is the mount - period. And the 1200 is up amongst the best on offer currently. The 900 comes out similarly well - just that the 1200 is beefier and handle more weight.

Now here's another conundrum - I'm also on the list for a 900 but haven't received a notification yet... Should I leave the 1200 and wait for the 900? Would the 155 edfs work on the 900? The jury is out on this at the moment...

Finally - Anthony. I think you're right about the increase - the Paramount just went up to $12500 in the summer. But I think the AP price increase also relates to upgrades they have made to the mount which will be included in the current planned production run. I think the likes of AP and the other top-end manufacturers always add value when they increase the prices - they don't just increase prices for the hell of it. And certainly the AP increase is less than the Paramount increase. And the outlay for the AP mount is a few grand less than the Paramount - which is marginally more easy on the pocket.

I saw the recent info on the 155 being discontinued and the 160 replacing it. All those (including me) on the list for a 155 will be given the opportunity of the upgrade. I suspect then that the 1200 is definately the way ot go for the new scope, as opposed to the 900, but I'd better do some more research to check.

You raise an interesting proposition which certainly I'd be open to thinking about. If I took the mount, only for it to sit waiting as much as 3 years for the 160 scope, that would probably be a terrible waste. But then when the 160 comes, it would be terrible not to have the mount! I guess some serious though and research is required. As far as taxes go, I'm not sure either. So the $9400 I have to pay is to Astrophysics - I know telescope import duty to Ireland is about 4.5%, but I don't know about mounts. then there's 21% VAT to pay. I'm going to look into the various options and see what the most economically viable method of importation is.

Anyway, once again thanks everyone for all your constructive feedback. I'd appreciate any more feedback - its not often you get the choice to purchase something like this but there's no easier way to watch your bank balance head for the buffers!

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

If the only issue is having a really good mount for the AP160, then the AP900 is fine. Robert Gendler, for example, has his RC12.5" on an AP900. Furthermore, Roland Christen at AP is testing to see if the AP600E will also handle the AP160 adequately for both visual and astrophotographical work. As a result, the AP1200GTO is an overkill if your only concern is the AP160.

If you are on the list for the AP900 as well, it MAY be a good idea to grab the AP1200 anyway and resell it for a nice premium when you get the call for the AP900 and/or AP160 (whichever comes first).

As for taxes, this is also the stinker with me. Once all of the taxes have been factored in, we have a net tax of about 35% here in Greece. Suffice it to say that there will be some "creative" work done around the AP160 coming my way next month to minimize the tax burden.

Anthony.