[ags_ (Phil)]

This is my 1st ATM and I have dived in at the deep end. First a little about my reasons for starting this project. I began this new hobby only a couple of years ago after selling my boat and retiring from target rifle shooting plus at 65 it was time to slow down from my job as an electrician. I had an interest in astronomy so bought a 5" Meade and enjoyed using it for a year before aperture fever grabbed me. I had the opportunity to by a 14" Meade for a reduced price and built a ROR to house it and was very content viewing & taking images with my converted Canon 600D. Then one day I had a phone call from a chap who was planning to visit my area and had heard I had a polar mounted 14" and wondered if he could use it with his camera to take images of planets. NP I replied not knowing what I was letting myself in for. Bird arrived a few weeks later and spent some time collimating and adjusting my badly setup scope. I spent 2 weeks watching with amazement as he created many wonderful images of Mars and got hooked on planetary imaging. Several visits during the next 18 months during which he brought his 16" Newt culminated in Bird buying a block not far from me and starting to build a new observatory. With lots of help from Bird I have had some success with my 14" & although it is good all round scope not ideal for planets so the new build begins.
Gary Mitchell has built the 3 part 600mm tube. Normand Fullum is making the 508mm F3.95 Tech Mirror which is in the polishing phase. The Titan mount has been purchased. Moonlite 2.5" focuser and Atik 9 pos filter wheel will align the ZWO174mm camera. I'll upload photos and update as parts arrive, the observatory is extended and tuning begins getting ready for Mars in 2016.
These images from Normand this morning and he has confirmed the weight as 17.7kg which is just below my anticipated 18kg, figuring tomorrow.

Cheers, Phil.