I filled mine with filter sand then realised I had not put the pier on the right way around
. Took ages to suck enough out with the vacuum cleaner so I could lift it and turn it around the right way. I have never had a problem with them in alt/az mode as they are steady as a rock. Put them on a wedge and they are a different beast entirely. See if you can borrow an ultrawedge from someone and try before you buy. They only mount at the front and are a little too flexible unless fully supported but then there is a lot of weight hanging off them. My top plate is 25mm thick and 400mm square so make sure you have plenty of support and room to adjust. It might be better to have one custom made from 25mm ali plate with both front and rear fixing points? Just a thought anyway. The QHY9 has small pixels so it will definately put it to the test, will let you know how I go
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Mark
Quote:
Originally Posted by coldspace
Sounds good. My 12 fork mounted Meade is now mounted to a custom built pier thats filled with 60kgs of fine white sand and has a 20mm full size top plate.its also bolted to 2 cubes of concrete and is rock solid in Alt/Az mode. It perfect for visual and my Mallincam use which is all I use it for ATM.. Damping with say a 13mm eyepiece is less than half second if you kick the pier.
I want to possibly throw it onto an ultra wedge next year when I get a dedicated CCD camera.
My observatory walls are 2.1mtrs around so we are protected from the wind to some extent.
I will be keen to here your results.
Matt.
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