28 lb. Payload Capacity in a Lightweight Package
The iOptron GEM28 is a top contender in the around 30 lb payload capacity mount bracket, owing to its tried-and-true German Equatorial design and compact nature. Coming in with a 2.8 payload-to-mount-weight ratio and lightweight tripod, this line from iOptron is an excellent portable standard GEM choice on the market today!
Seriously Light
This mount is lightweight to the core, with the mount head itself coming in at only 10 lb. – which is lighter than the included tripod! Assembled with the 1.5″ steel tripod and 10 lb. counterweight, this brings the entire system to around just 32 lb. making this a very easy setup to carry out to your observing site. This portability does not come at the cost of strength – with precision CNC and cast metal parts used in key areas, powder coated/ anodized for durability.
A Compact Offering Full of Features!
While this mount is compact and lightweight when sized up next to some other popular options in the around-30-lb-payload-mount class, iOptron has ensured you won’t be light on features. From a comprehensive and easy to use hand controller & PC software, to a solid tripod, this iOptron GEM28 is full of all the essential features you need plus some extras!
28 lb. Payload Capacity
As is fairly standard at this point for iOptron mount lines, the ’28’ in ‘GEM28’ refers to this mount’s payload capacity – 28 lb. This weight class is well suited to carrying a wide range of excellent equipment such as (but certainly not limited to!) – 90mm refractors, 6″ imaging Newtonians, and 8″ SCTs. The GEM28 employs brass worm gears for solid and reliable motion of this payload, with a rated periodic error of less than +/- 12″.
Go2Nova® 8409 Hand Controller
To easily and accurately control your mount, iOptron has included the 8409 hand controller from their GOTONOVA® series. This comes complete with 212,000 objects in its library, ensuring you can easily find all the most popular objects in the night sky and then some! This hand controller additionally features USB as well as WiFi to allow for external control. Manual controls are here as well, with 9 different slew speed settings. Finally making navigation easy, the 8409 hand controller has an LCD that displays four lines of information at once.
Multiple External Control Options
This mount comes with a number of wired and wireless control options available! With the included 8409 hand controller connected via its USB-B port, the mount can be controlled via the ubiquitous ASCOM standard. This supports both iOptron’s own control software, iOptron Commander, as well as a large list of popular 3rd party applications that can interface with that program. For those looking to control the mount wirelessly, this mount additionally can create a WiFi hotspot; which when connected to allows control via the full iOptron Commander PC app or the Lite version available on both iOS & Android.
Essential I/O Ports & More!
The exterior of the GEM28 and 8409 hand controller features a number of ports to cover all the essential connections you need! Detachable connection ports are provided for the Dec axis and hand controller which lock these connections in place while the mount is in use, and then detach for easy transport when needed. For power this mount uses the industry standard 5.5×2.1mm center positive 12V DC power input, meaning this mount will work with a large number of power supplies currently on the market in the event you need a different solution than the included AC power adapter (just make sure your supply can provide up to 5A!). A handy 12V power output has been built-in as well, which can supply up to 12V 4A through its 5.5×2.1mm DC connection for a convenient connection to your powered telescope accessories. This mount additionally has an ST-4 autoguiding port, and an iPort which works with a number of separate accessories from iOptron’s ecosystem such as their GPS receiver!
Built-In Polar Alignment Assist
This GEM28 model integrates iOptron’s iPolar in place of a more conventional polar scope. This camera connects to your PC via a mini-USB port and works with iOptron’s companion software (available for Windows and Mac) to provide electronic polar alignment guidance. Once the iPolar is connected and your location/ local conditions are entered, finding your polar alignment is as simple as making incremental adjustments until the onscreen crosshair and circle icons overlap!
Sturdy & Lightweight Tripod
Included with this GEM28 package is the iOptron 1.5″ tripod – a great portable tripod option that still provides a good amount of stability! At just over 11 lb. this tripod can easily be carried out to your observing site, especially once the lower leg extensions have been retracted and the legs folded in. You can then easily convert this into a stable mount platform by locking the 1.5″ diameter stainless steel legs with the included tripod spreader (which doubles as a handy accessory tray!), and set your height/ leveling with the lower leg extensions. Then simply connect the GEM28 mount head to the cast aluminum top plate and you’re ready to explore the night sky!
Optimized for Portable and Backyard Observing
With its lightweight and relatively compact construction for this weight class, coupled with iOptron’s lightweight 1.5″ tripod, the iOptron GEM28 can serve as both a portable and a backyard observing mount. The GEM28 is at home broken down and loaded into your vehicle (especially with the mount head in the separate GEM28 hard case from iOptron) or fully assembled in your garage just waiting to be carried out for observing!
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