Hi Jim

I won't get into the IT argument, but I will second Don Rudney's recommendations about the physical setup of the mount.

I understand that you already have a Polemaster, but if you didn't, I would strongly recommend the RAPAS.

I am not sure how you plan to mount your scope(s), but if you have more than one scope that you are planning to attach to the mount, I would recommend using a side -by-side arrangement. I used to piggyback my imaging and guide scopes, but recently switched to a side-by side arrangement to see if flexure was reduced.

I had seen several posts that talked about the difficulty in balancing a side-by side arrangement, but once I actually did it following most of Roland's procedure for pre-balancing it indoors, I found that I was able to get a more precise balance with the side-by-side arrangement than I was ever able to get with the piggyback arrangement. The reason for this is that the side-by-side dovetail plate gives you an additional degree of freedom in getting the declination balance done. The only downside is that you need the side-by-side dovetail plant and a second saddle plate to go with it.

As for the flexure, I am not sure that the side-by-side arrangement made a lot of difference, but if anything, I would say that it is a little better.

Mike