A brief disclaimer.
I have no business relationship with Explorer Scientific nor do I have any direct or indirect financial interest in the company.
My reviews reflect my personal opinions and you are free to hold views and assessments that differ from mine.
... brief introductory story ...
The Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-02 PMC-Eight was officially announced in December 2018, with initial production units rolling out and retail availability beginning in early 2019.Explore Scientific regularly iterates their mounts (such as the updated 02 versions featuring upgraded internal antennas and built-in Bluetooth). These upgraded iEXOS-100-2 iterations have been in ongoing production over the years.
Before telling you about my impressions regarding this product I want to remind you who Explorer Scientific is and how it was born.
Explore Scientific is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality telescopes, wide-angle eyepieces, microscopes, and sport optics.
Founded in 2008 by former Meade Instruments executive Scott W. Roberts, the Springdale, Arkansas-based company is highly regarded among amateur astronomers and STEM educators for making advanced, professional-grade equipment accessible to hobbyists.
I have to admit that when I was just a young boy, I dreamed of owning a Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT) telescope.
Back in 1982, Meade was competing with Celestron... their 2080 models are unforgettable.
I have always appreciated Meade products, and that is no secret to anyone who knows me.
... Why I chose this equatorial mount ...
Over the course of more than 35 years I have used all kinds of hardware setups.
In recent years I consistently relied on very heavy, bulky equatorial mounts and optical tubes (OTAs).
Having moved from Italy to the USA over five years ago and living in a different environment I decided that my priority was to use lightweight, portable setups while still maintaining the precision and reliability required for my astronomical observations and with an added focus on ease of use.
The iEXOS-100-02 PMC-Eight equatorial mount is lightweight and compact, yet it offers solid mechanical stability (We will discuss this further in the future) and precise astronomical tracking (with tolerances acceptable for certain types of astronomical observation).
The iEXOS-100-02 PMC-Eight equatorial mount features a wireless connection system (WiFi or Bluetooth) that allows for remote control without the hassle of long cables and its current price point is truly entry level.
It is an entry level product with sophisticated technical features, ready for enhancement through simple hardware upgrades such as replacing the tripod with a sturdier more stable model, among other things (which we will discuss later).
The iEXOS-100-02 PMC-Eight equatorial mount was my choice and I am happy with it especially considering the excellent after sales support provided by Explore Scientific.
Further articles describing this product in greater detail will follow.
I plan to create a simple guide for configuring the various applications and will try to explain how the equatorial mount operates remotely in the simplest possible way.
Stay tuned to my blog if you want to follow future articles about this product.
