How old is your mount?

[Merlin66]

Well, Palomar is still functioning and that was built in the 30'-40's.....

I have a Carton RSJ Equatorial mount, rebadged as a "TV Systems mount" which was distributed with the Genesis telescope in the late 80's.

This mount has had a few "upgrades" along the way - Losmandy GM8 motors fitted and the original TV Clamshell (which I hate!) replaced with an ADM dual Vixen/ Losmandy saddle.

Still in full working condition and a stable easy to use mount.
It has the same capacity as my HEQ5pro mount.

What other "older" mounting are out there and in use??

[DavidTrap]

I came into possession of an older Bisque mount, a GT-1100s. Had to get a counterweight shaft machined up and a mounting plate made to suit. The controller won't play nicely with TheSkyX, but works OK with TheSky6. Big 11inch gear on the RA axis and it track beautifully with very low PE.

Should the controller fail, I plan to convert it to a SiTECH system. There are some examples on the web that have been converted. I'm not a massive fan of TheSky - I much prefer a direct connection to the mount through an ASCOM driver.

I've learnt a lot by fiddling with this old mount and it cemented my decision to recommend AP mounts for the school observatory I'm involved with. AP gear just works! My other mount is an AP Mach 1.

DT

[DavidTrap]

As for Palomar - I recall a doco that said in comparison to modern observatories with complex mounts, Palomar enjoys a much lower down-time for unscheduled maintenance.

DT

[baileys2611]

Boozlefoot can tell you a great tale about a mount made in 1962

[Merlin66]

David,
When would the GT-1100 have been made?

Simon,
That sounds intriguing..

I'll post a couple of images of the TV Systems mount later.

[doppler]

I still have an old Cave optical mount and scope that I think was made in the early 70's. I use it fairly often on school outreach nights, it tracks well and has tube rotation rings for easy eyepiece positioning. I did use it for imaging until the last couple of years, and the ra drive gear was good for up-to 30 sec exposures.

[OzEclipse]

I have my first mount, friction equatorial mount made in the late 1970's that uses a Springfield style bearing.

Also have an all steel EQ w/ 2 inch shafts built by IIS member Doug McDougall in 1982.

Both still working fine.

Joe

[baileys2611]

Something about 'finding' a mount made by a company, the company was purchased by NASA soon after the mount's manufacture, burried treasure under a house, needing two men to lift just the saddle plate off the thing and having an enormous lifting capacity. Literally a heavy duty industrial mount. I cant remember the name of the manufacturer but I was agog at his desire (and ability!) to restore the mount.

I'll try to entice Rod to write a few lines on it.

[Boozlefoot]

Had the privilege last year to obtain a mount from "Steve" from Menai. Believe he inherited it some 40 years previously from an engineer from Arncliffe?, who self constructed it possibly late 50's/early 60's? This GEM is based on 6" boilerpipe, 1-3/4" shafts. and Champion 20lb barbell weights. It was fitted on the RA with a worm drive handwheel/clutch and encoder "Astronautical Systems" who I believe were purchased (1962?) by US govt for NASA when they started. The encoder only has 12 wires coming from it! Also believe it may have had a 17" Newt on it of some larger f/ratio. Really needs 2 people to move it when broken down into 4 sections. Steve modified it some time ago to take a 12" Newt, and I have since modified it to take a 12" Dob conversion, then a 10" SCT, but now it seems the SCT will be swinging on an MI250 which will have several piers scattered about my domicile for best viewing nights. Really wanted gb44's Newt to live on it, but time/distance said otherwise. So now it will probably be on a quarry tiled area with a "Tardis" rollaway cover, and back to the 12" Newt. Currently being fitted with Nema24 24v motors and an #rDuino control system. Have always drooled as a youngster over Cave gear, so believe me Rick, you're blessed by the gods of Astro!:)

[doppler]

The cave was my first scope picked up second hand in 1985, it's enabled me to see many historical astronomical events over the years, I could never part with it. I think telescope makers had it right all those years ago, but for some unknown reason started to make everything light weight. With my cave the payload is carried on 25mm steel shafts, the motor drive and gears are incredibly light weight for the ota's that this mount can carry. My cave will carry a 12" newt with ease but the motor only has a 5mm cog on its drive shaft. With a 240v motor pushing it has an adjustable friction clutch to prevent any mechanical stress.

[Anth10]

Classic Rick,
Aptly named gear but built to last!
Hold onto it that's a keeper that rig,
Belongs in the lounge room beside the whisky cabinet hehe.

[skysurfer]

This Super Polaris mount I have purchased in 1991 with an RA only tracking motor, which I still use today for AP and use as a travel mount as well. The polar scope works very well and I can align in to make unguided frames of 4 minutes @ 600mm focal length.
When I bought this I had a Canon T90 SLR riding piggyback on the 80mm achro which I still have (but refurbished).
This mount has traveled all over the world and is still functioning properly. Sometimes I have to tighten screws to eliminate some play in the gears and have to repair minor parts.
I used to have a 6V SLA battery which is deceased and now I use a 5V powerbank with a step-up DC converter to 7V to power the motor.
The pictures are made both in South Africa in 1997 (with Televue Genesis + T90) and 2016 (ED110 + Canon 6D), both in South Africa and one in 2016 (ED110 + Canon 6D) with the original counterweight in my backyard. On travel I use a bag with stones or bricks locally available.

I have sold the original tripod and made a new one of aluminum bars in 1997 which saved 1kg.

On a trip, I completely dismantle the mount which goes in checked baggage and the scope tube in my carry-on. I'll take it again in my Australia trip next month. Mount + tripod are 5kg in total and OTA is 4kg.

And here a timelapse of setting up mount after arrival in New Zealand: https://www.skysurfer.eu/jwplayer/video.php?f=/Videos/sky/Assembly%20of%20Vixen%20SP%20mount% 20timelapse.mp4

[MattT]

There is mine made by Thomas Gaunt who knows when. Possibly late 1870’s.
Cris Ellis, who had it for a few years, thought it was made at the end of WW1...newspaper articles from 1876 show an engraving of the mount and short article about it and the maker.....take your pick. It’s old anyway.

Weighing in at around 150+kgs it’s heavy but is very smooth. I have added Losmandy 492 drive with G11 steppers, slipclutch, RA setting circle and a tangent arm on the Dec axis.

Takes my 6” f12 easily. Only thing left to do is put it on a trolly.

Matt

[baileys2611]

Now THAT's steam punk!

[Merlin66]

Matt,
Now that.. is a thing of beauty!!!

Who says you need a whizz bang modern mount to enjoy astronomy.....

[MattT]

Hi Ken,
I go by the old saying....less is more...in many areas, and I’ve found it’s true.

Had GOTO mounts in the past and always ended up using the tracking feature only, so it was a natural regression :lol:

Steampunk rules in my shed :D

[OICURMT]

Interesting thread Merlin...


Refurbing a 1976 RV-6 this year after more than 20 years in storage, 100% original... (pics when its done, give me a few months as I'm trying to build a ROR as well.. ha ha). I hope I don't have to source "modern" parts during the "rejuvenation" period.
U2K from 1990, great goto in pristine condition, WITH the Y2K upgrade.
NEQ6 from 2010
AZEQ6-GT from 2013 (1st gen, just after they came out).

[Boozlefoot]

Now that is a bloody pearler! What real scopes should look like. If you should happen to see an ageing fat man in a balaclava scaling (or trying to) your back fence, don't panic, its only me! A true gem, Matt.:)

[DavidTrap]

It’s a GT-1100s to be pedantic - the RA gear is at the front, not the back of the RA shaft. Probably built around 2000. It’s technically a hybrid - has the same controller as the first of the Paramount MEs.

The University was going to throw it out. It actually had a NASA asset label on it. I’m guessing it was brought to Oz for a special project and never shipped back home to US.

DT

[trek1701]

Hi Ken

My C14 mount is still fully functional.
This shot was taken only a few years ago at Vicsouth.
Do you remember the scope when you were the ASV's Astrophotographic Section Directer back in the early eighties?

Regards Mark

[Merlin66]

Mark,
Good to see the ol' C14 (and you!) again...
How could I forget those heady days of the ASV!!

[Atmos]

My oldest mount I bought new in late 2010 or early 2011, HEQ5 before the Proversion was released. Probably close to the newest mount in this thread haha

[croweater]

I bought my AOS mount second hand from Claude around 1991. Probably was maybe 10yrs old then. Does anyone out there know? Still works fine. Have still got the drive corrector as well. Cheers Richard