I found this: <https://www.astro-physics.com/1612fp> It says it works with the 1600 and all 1200 mounts. --- Mike

Thanks, Mike, that’s all very encouraging. But I had a look at the AP website and could not find a mount adapter for the 1600, although there was one for the 900. Could you have a look at the AP

I decided to tighten up the axis bolts, as Stacey did above. I found that each of the two bolts on the RA axis were loose. In case anyone else is thinking of checking, here is a quick overview of the

Yes; my 12" pier is almost the same -- but only 28" in the ground, with a "club foot" base about 16" in diameter. I reduced the pier diameter to 10" near the top, but didn't need to do that. Should

That’s very helpful, Chip, thanks. Certainly, casting the pier as an extension of the foundation pillar would be a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the ATS aluminum pier. I appreciate the reference

My 12” concrete pier goes 4’ down, and extends above ground level to just a few inches below the mount. 12” concrete is extremely stiff and very cheap. It’s also very weather resistant. I have

You all know that I am a HUGE fan of APCC Pro’s modeling! However; Be careful using the modeled terms as true values. The model is a *best-fit* and the individual terms are modeled – NOT

Seb@stro wrote: That said, I think the next step for me will be to learn how to interpret the modeled terms so I can improve my setup. But I think I'll keep that for a future post... I would

Glad if it can help Tom! 🙂I too am a pilgrim in the world of point modeling. Our specific use case doesn't seem that common either so I thought it could indeed be of interest to share. As many, I

I use the gun safe dehumidifier rods too, mostly in my safes. They are designed to create an airflow in the tube, not wanted in a telescope but welcomed when you are drying out air and changing the

Sebastien, thank you so much for your pioneering work and breaking new ground with the combination of DSLR/large FL/tight Dec-arcs and plate solves. You have given us a nice map on how to proceed

Hi, Did a full Dec-arc mapping run last night using the FITS header RA/DEC coordinates for platesolving with ASTAP. All solves were successful. About 80% of the points were solved in less than 1 sec.

Brent in my experience increasing the settle time helps, but it won't eliminate the warning You may have flexure or balancing issues that cause the RA to not settle quickly One thing i've done to

Will increasing "settle time" minimize this warning?

I think that's a good idea; no chance of breaking a glass bulb. But it produces only 10 watts -- is that enough for outdoors? --- Mike

Looks like an excellent idea, too, Brian. Thanks! Howard

Along these lines, I use an inexpensive gun safe dehumidifier It emits low level heat and has very little risk of things catching fire https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XQ7PSYH -- Brian Brian

Clever idea, Jack, thanks! Howard

Howard, If you a cover similar to a ScopeStuff 24/7 cover with reflectix on the inside, just hang a 25 to 40 whatt bulb below the scope, let it run and the heat it generates will keep the mount

Thanks for your suggestions, Mike. As for leaving electronics out in the observatory in all weather, I wasn’t planning to do that. However, what I didn’t mention is that my “observatory” is