Greetings all -
I thought I would share this photo of my Zeiss APQ 130 on Tom Peters discmount. This is a very nice alt-az mounting for the APQ. The load (with my Coronado 90mm filter and binoviewer I would guess about 28 pounds) is carried very well and vibration is minimal due to the close coupling of the dovetail bar directly attached to the APQ tube. The adapter I've made is designed for the A/P portable pier or A/P Baader wood tripod - either of which is a very stable platform for this configuration. The mount itself is extremely compact with no need for counterweight. For serious planetary observations I would prefer a tracking mount, but with a balanced load I find the set-up enjoyable to use at powers of 200X.
clear skies!
Alan Friedman
Buffalo, NY
I thought I would share this photo of my Zeiss APQ 130 on Tom Peters discmount. This is a very nice alt-az mounting for the APQ. The load (with my Coronado 90mm filter and binoviewer I would guess about 28 pounds) is carried very well and vibration is minimal due to the close coupling of the dovetail bar directly attached to the APQ tube. The adapter I've made is designed for the A/P portable pier or A/P Baader wood tripod - either of which is a very stable platform for this configuration. The mount itself is extremely compact with no need for counterweight. For serious planetary observations I would prefer a tracking mount, but with a balanced load I find the set-up enjoyable to use at powers of 200X.
clear skies!
Alan Friedman
Buffalo, NY
Attached Image:
Alan Friedman
http://www.avertedimagination.com
