Meade Superwedge.

[Sausageman (Mike Boggan)]

I was contemplating buying a Meade superwedge, but decided to search the forum for threads on the subject, and other forums also.
I see they are also no longer available from Meade.
As I only have a field tripod for the 10 inch LX200, I presume from what I have read, that they are too unstable without major modification and also more expense to buy the de-rotator.
Should I just stick with the fork mount?

Mike.

[Gama]

For starters, stay away from derotaters !.
A 10" LX200 is OK with a fork and a good wedge. The Superwedge preceeded the Ultrawedge which is available now. But from memory the only difference is a hole in the centre on the Ultrawedge to bolts in as well. You could always do this yourself anyways.
This setup is stable, and will give you no troubles. The Superwedge is heavy and stiff enough for your sized scope even with a few bits on top as well.
BUT, why not make one yourself, its been done before, and at much reduced cost too.
There is plenty of info about this on the net, just do a search.

[Shawn]

I dont know where Dinmore is, but consider that both the Super and the Ultra, cannot adjust for anything less than 25 deg..

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[rogerg (Roger)]

Originally Posted by Sausageman

... that they are too unstable without major modification ...

Don't believe everything they say. MAPUG in particular is good at talking a lot of trash. If you learn the equipment and work with it not against it, the super wedge is just fine and just as capable as the Milburne and other wedges.

When using any wedge there are techniques you can use to make adjusting them dead easy. Such as accurately timing star drift and learning to watch the star in the eyepiece while making adjustments (or if unable to reach, between small adjustments) to know how far in what direction the star moves. Doing that you will not have any problems with backlash or adjustment and will achieve polar alignment much quicker as you know exactly how far to move the star (via adjusting the wedge) for the second adjustment.

I have been using a super wedge for many years and have no problem with it considering the alternatives. I would prefer a completely solid welded wedge which would be more sturdy than any adjustable one, but haven't got that sorted yet.

Any wedge is better than a field rotator in my opinion.

The only downside to a wedge is perhaps extra setup time when using it with a portable setup, but it's the best alternative if you are looking long exposure photography.

[Sausageman (Mike Boggan)]

Thanks guy's.

I never thought about making my own wedge, but I certainly have the skills and equipment at home to make one.
I will research it further.

Mike