Celestron to introduce new German Equatorial Mount - CI-700

On 16 June 1992 Company Seven received the first of our Celestron C-11 telescopes on the Losmandy HGM Model G-11 mount, and we published our favorable review of the CG-11 telescope. The CG-11 became the most successful mid aperture Schmidt Cassegrain telescope ever sold by Company Seven.

On 19 May 1998 it was formally announced that Celestron International company will discontinue the sales of the Losmandy Model "G-11" German equatorial mount. Celestron had worked with the well regarded precision machine shop Hollywood General Machining to refine and produce what became known as the G-11 mount for distribution exclusively by Celestron. The G-11 became the versatile platform of choice for the very successful and innovative Celestron CG-11 11" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, and later for the Celestron CG-14 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

Company Seven is not completely pleased with the new mount for use with heavier telescopes such as the C-11 (much less the C-14), and we belive the moutn is priced too close to alternatives such as the Losmandy G-11, and so Company Seven will continue to offer alternatives by Losmandy and Astro-Physics GTO series of German Equatorial Mounts.