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  2. Pier for 1100GTO

Re: Pier for 1100GTO #Guiding

Donald Gaines
 

Hi,
I’m new to the group but it looks like I’m going to be getting an 1100GTO as well.
 
I am familiar with Astro-Physics piers and I think they are extremely well made, very solid, and work extremely well. I want to put my 1100 in a ROR observatory and really would like something that functions like the AP pier, without the legs.
 
My solution is to by an 8 in OD 7.75 ID aluminum tube 6 ft long cost $220 from a local supplier. This has the same diameter and wall thickness, 1/8 inch, as the tubing AP uses for their piers. I had an old AP Flat Pier Plate to which I took a reciprocating saw and removed the ring on the bottom of the plate, which fits inside the pier tube. This ring is 1/2 inch thick and it took about an hour to cut it off.  It is a snug fit inside the pipe, but I will attach it with 6 screws for which it is already drilled and tapped, and place it 3/4 in below the top of the pier. I will drill another 6 holes to attach the 1100 which will sit on the ring. This will give fit and function similar to the AP pier.  Since it is 6 ft long it will allow 24 in to be buried, with 48 in above ground.

Good luck, I can't wait to get the mount, AP really builds extremely high quality equipment. 

Don Gaines
 




On Friday, March 19, 2021, Steve C. Mitchell, Sr., O.D. <smitchell@...> wrote:

You’ve been given some good points to consider already. But don’t forget about your wall/pier heights ratio. You don’t want your pier to be to short or you’ll lose those sometimes low objects you might want to capture cause you can’t see over the wall. I actually made an adapter to make the mount higher for my existing 12” pier, I had made for my previous “other brand” mount that was of no comparison to my AP1100, so that when parked my new setup clears the rolling roof with about 5” to spare. A little scary the first few times you open or close the roof when the rafters go passing by, but actually a good distance for safety once you get used to it and “know” it’s not going to hit your camera or telrad or whatever sticks up. I can see all the sky I can see at my location with this height.

 

Steve

 

From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of dbrannan0523@...
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 7:05 PM
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
Subject: [ap-gto] Pier for 1100GTO #Guiding

 

I have an 1100GTO mount on order and plan to house it in an observatory on permanent pier with imaging in mind.   I own an old AP 8" diameter portable pier.  Would anchoring this in concrete and filling the tube with sand be sufficiently stable or is there clear benefit in purchasing a heavier thicker permanent pier for best performance.  Any thoughts?

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