Hello Dick Yes there are a lot of things to consider when getting into (or back into) this hobby. however it can be quite rewarding and mentally stimulating. When you set your equipment priorities, th

No worries Geof! Another challenge Dick is facing is his location. Atlin is in the NW corner of British Columbia near the border with Alaska pan handle. This is on the lee side of the coastal mountain

I looked at his original post. His scope is a 12" Meade. Don Anderson

Hello Dick Welcome back to the astronomy/Astrophotography hobby! A lot has changed with the hobby in the past 25 years. There is a wide range of equipment available to the amature today ie. mounts, sc

Yeah until Elon Musk ruins it with Starlink! Don Anderson Brilliant minds think alike! By the way, a scope and mount could launch another amateur astronomer, a hobby that is getting more and more grey

I did the same thing! TASCO 60mm refractor on a wood tripod in 1965. Still have it Don Anderson

As well as Thermopylae. Don Anderson

Very cool facility. Don Anderson

Ok. I should be middle aged by then! Don Anderson

Hello George I have never changed the plugs on my 2009 AP900GOTO. They seem to be working well at this point. Should I change them out because of age? Do they get brittle with time? Cheers Don Anderso

Glad to hear you have got your mount working for you again. Clear Skies! Don Anderson

Thanks for sharing your experience Robert. I have yet to need to change my 2009 AP900 GOTO clutch plugs. Both axis move freely when the clutches are loosened. I am conservative on how much I tighten m

John Always good to err on the side of caution. Use only accounts for a portion of the grease degradation. Age is a factor as well. I found after re greasing my AP900 (2009 vintage) that the gear trai

Very nice Geoff! Don Anderson

Eric Lubrication intervals are dependant on usage and the environment the mount operates in. Even if the mount is little used and is stored inside, the grease still dries out. I just re greased my lig

Great news Tyrel! Don

Geoff When was the last time you cleaned and re lubed the RA and Dec gear trains. If it has been awhile I would service the gear boxes and worm gears. AP has a very nice grease kit. Maybe Marj can sen

Tyrel Take off the nylon gear and and the aluminum gear underneath. Have a look at the small gear underneath the big aluminum gear. Could be that small gear is detached from the larger aluminum one. M

Jack Which model control box and hand controller do you use? Are they universal to all column models? My rig (127mm refractor AP-900 mount) is not that heavy would likely go with a single column. Not

Thanks Jack I have a lathe and drill press and could do some work myself. Will look into this further. Thanks for the link to the Linak site. Will check out their site as well as Ebay. Keep safe Don