TakMan

Sunday 30th June. NLCs started appearing as the skies cleared around 1.45am. Grabbed gear and headed off around 2.15am to the same location as last two sessions. Another 90 shots taken! Nikon D3 and Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, tripod mounted, cable release and mirror lock function. Lightly processed in Adobe Lightroom and (where required), stitched shots together in Photoshop CC2017 Taken from north Lichfield (Staffordshire). Clicking the pictures should open the hi-res images. Panoramic 1 - 7 shots. ISO 200, 2.5 sec, f/2.8, 70mm, 2.56am. Note over in the far right the Pleiades. Panoramic 2 (Detail) - 4 shots. ISO 200, 2.5 sec, f/2.8, 200mm, 3.01am 'The Saucepan and NLCs' - Single shot - (Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED). ISO 200, 2 sec, f/2.8, 24mm, 3.22am Started to pack away just as 'Mr Blackbird' started to sing - the dawn chorus broke.... then noticed a beautiful sight over in the East, switched back to the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II and added the TC-14EII 1.4x A 7% Crescent Moon. Single shot - ISO 200, 0.8 sec, f/4, 280mm, 3.28am Damian

Very quick process before heading to work. Saw the start of the clouds last night and headed off with the gear to get a shot. Much smaller and dimmer than the last show the previous week. Nikon D3 and Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, tripod mounted, cable release and mirror lock function. Lightly processed in Adobe Lightroom. Taken from north Lichfield (Staffordshire). Single shot. ISO 200, 2.5 sec, f/2.8, 75mm, 11.33pm Damian

It's just as well there are no pedants here on SGL to jump on that one So, what is the story behind the four year wait? Lost in the post or just a longer waiting list than a 15" Frac? The full story I’ll tell (as best I can), as part of a complete review - I owe that to Charles’ memory as there is little about his Nova Hitch Mount on here or Cloudy Nights. But here is a draft: I believe (can only be speculation on my part), that revenue streams ran out as the upper end of the astronomical mount market shrank, the banking crisis hit, costs increased for raw materials and the small runs of the CNC machined parts- all whilst demand for cheaper Chinese imported mounts grew. Charles was well known for tinkering as well, never satisfied with his creations. He’d add to, upgrade parts and took more time constructing and adjusting them than perhaps he’d accounted for in the costs - this was particularly true for early adopters of the Nova Hitch like myself. Perhaps he also fought his illness for longer than we on the Yahoo forum knew about and that took it’s toll as well...? This all added to the delays... months turned to years... then we got the news he had died. I thought that was it, but I contacted his son (who was helping develop a new mount), to offer my condolences. In corresponding, Jake offered to try and fulfil his father’s outstanding commitments. As for the number of tracking units I quoted originally, in the hands of those that had ordered them, Jake thought only he and myself had them as of last week, so two - fact. Mine is numbered 5 on the back of the unit, in a run of (I think), 20 units. I knew this number of 2 in use that Jake had mentioned was not correct, as Charles did send one to an American based observer to test the final production unit - I recall seeing an entry on the users forum with regards to his findings (Jake has the pre-production unit, a video of it can still be found online). I mentioned this as unlike problems with say a SkyWatcher handset, where you could post an issue and gets loads of response from others with the same kit, having a bespoke unit can make life rather difficult when trying to resolve issues (voltage drop in my case). Thankfully Jake sent pictures for me to check my wiring against his (Charles’ test mount), as my mount was one of the few completed with the motors/gearing/wiring loom pre-shipping, due to the expense of having to ship it back to him at a future date for a retro-fit! I think looking back, that my insistence that he did fit everything before he sent it to me (although delaying the mount originally), turned out to be a very good thing. But, because my mount was shipped whilst the tracking unit was still under development, could have lead to the sort of problem I faced when the unit arrived and I hooked it up for the first time. Jake decently sent full schematics for the unit to aid locating the issue (in case things like wiring had changed). The information we gathered addressing the problems have been sent back to America so any of the other units sent out can be pre-checked before sending out to others like me who have spent years patiently waiting... Damian

Well packed from it’s journey from Humble, Texas, USA... My Nova Hitch Hand Tracking Unit - the only one in the U.K. (in fact there are only 3-4 worldwide at the moment), so we’re quite... ‘unique’! So gives my encoder equipped ‘push-to’ alt/az mount, not only manual slow motion controls, but also track-and-train functionality (which is what drew me to making the purchase in the first place - always wanted a Takahashi and a Super Half Hitch alt/az Mount.... somehow ended up with both, in a fashion... and a TEC 140 which is what the Nova Hitch was designed to carry - a refractor in the AP130 / TEC 140 size or a Celestron 8-9.25” SCT, 210 Mewlon). At last I’ll be able to comfortably sketch at the eyepiece and perhaps try the odd bit of webcam imaging... There were some teething troubles on arrival (motor board potentiometers needed adjusting - thankfully sorted by a retired electrical engineer from my Astro club - thanks Ed !) and I now need to check the mount clutches and gear meshing, but hopefully the mount I ordered off plans on 29th September 2012 (delivered May 1st 2014), is now.... complete! All good things come to those that wait, hey ! Just a pity that it was Charles’ son Jake, who helped me finish the mount after his father (The owner of Half Hitch Telescope), passed away a few months ago... Now I need to really put things through their paces and do a full review. Damian

Any idea what's in the box...? Turned up last week.... after a.... 4 year wait - I kid you not! Looks like it came with some much needed cloud... could really do with some rain as well ! Damian

Update to unboxing pics earlier... Had chance at the weekend to get it all set-up and sort the 2-axis balancing routine specific to Half Hitch mounts - allows for fluid movements without the need for tension. Encoders are hooked up to the iPad Air2 via a Nexus WiFi device. iPad attached with a 'gooseneck' from Amazon. LiPoly battery pack velcro fastened under the 'DSC' bracket can also power the iPad if needed. Also have the option to go 'old school' using the SkyCommander and atlas when I don't want 'electronics'! Just need the Hand Tracking Control Unit to arrive from the States and we're..... finally..... 'finished'!!!! Looking forward to first light at some stage now ! Damian

Thanks... Damian! When I said it was my "last scope"... well, that's the wife speaking! I do have a spare dovetail for the Nova Hitch mount though - better not tell 'dearest' that, hey! Damian

Arrived yesterday! All looks safe 'n' sound - will have to test once back from holiday... Rang TEC and spoke to Yuri to thank him for such a fine scope - will be my last! Initial impressions are that she's not much longer or heavier than the 4" Tak and has a far less reflective lens... I wonder if that's the oil spacing...? TEC have gone back to the FeatherTouch focuser but with some design changes taken from their own in-house focuser that's no longer made. Damian