From: "Tim" <tjp314@pacbell.net>

Date: September 3, 2005 4:07:03 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: In other OT news

I had been looking for a precision mount to support my scopes (up to a 12.5" Cass), for 

trips to dark skies and DSO imaging.

I was just about to place an order for a Mountain Instruments MI-250, when a good deal 

on a clean, used Takahashi NJP came up on Astromart, about 30 miles from my house.  

The seller also had a Tak EM-10 with just 4 or 5 nights on it, and the price for both was 

less than a new NJP (or MI-250), so I bought both mounts.

My wife and I are on vacation (without kids!) at her property in southern Utah, so I brought 

the mounts and a C-8 OTA to experiment with.  Last night, it was on the NJP, and let me 

tell you that it's truly wonderful having a precision mount for a change.  Since I don't have 

my flea yet for extended exposures, I used my Meade DSI Pro for imaging, but I did find 

that the RA/Dec tracking tool in Astro IIDC, with my Aplux "fire-i" camera was absolutely 

awesome in fine-tuning the polar alignment.  I was able to get really accurate alignment in 

about a half hour.  I started with the polar finder (only approximate at that), then moved to 

the view on the computer screen.  Each time I made an adjustment in az or elevation, I 

kept it small enough that my guide star never left the field of the Aplux camera.  Then, I'd 

center the star and start the tracking routine up again and watch the star drift for a minute 

or two (even very slight errors show up in a matter of seconds).  

It was a wonderful way to drift align.  No stiff necks or wasted time relocating the guide 

star!

Tonight I'm going to fiddle with the EM-10, which seems to hold the C-8 fine (better than 

my super polaris by a lot.)

-Tim.