Poor Meadow Dyke Observatory used to have a 20” computerised go to scope but now has a 12” LX-200 classic.  This would appear a bit of a down trade.  To be honest it was not until I started using the LX200 that I realised how well the 20” used to perform

The LX200 does do some stuff that the 20” couldn’t.  Most important is its now polar aligned.  This means it doesn’t need a frame de rotator, as did the 20”.  The LX200 has lots of back focus that allow the effective focal length to be changed with focal reducers or Barlows.  As its polar aligned the scope can be guided from a piggy backed scope or piggy backed scopes can be used for imaging

The LX200 have been around for a long time so software support is very good.  As the 20” emulated a LX200 is wasn’t much of a reason for switching but is an important feature when considering automation.

Overall the LX200 has been the easiest component to set up for automated observing