Elliot_H

Thank you - to all 3 repliers. I'm getting some M16 2mm-thick steel washers tomorrow and I will experiment with them. I can see having the top of the pier perfectly horizontal is desirable.. but it's not essential with an equatorial mount, right? I've enjoyed watching these 2 videos on Pulsar piers. Anyone know what Robert Dalby is up to these days? He is very thorough in his responses to comments + criticisms! Sadly the other chap Ralph Bell has passed away I believe...

Hello folks - my first post on SGL! 15 years ago I had a 12" reflector, and had started to have fun... when life got in the way and I moved - to a place that wasn't suitable for a back-yard scope/obs. I'm now retiring and have moved to a more astro-friendly house. Am setting-up a new instrument... in a small courtyard. It will be remotely-controlled. It's a RASA 11" on a CGX mount, and I've splashed out on the not-so-cheap Pulsar steel pier. I have built a concrete pad on top of existing (uneven, sloping) concrete. Having got Pulsar's pier fitting-kit, the 4 bolts are now locked into the pad/existing-base. However, the surface of my pad is not as flat as I'd hoped. I put too much faith in gravity! In fact, when I put the pier into place on the bolts... it rocks back and forth. On one side of the pier - there is a gap of about 3 mm. Question: Do you think would it be OK to put washers between pad & pier... ie under the 2 "gappy" bolts? Or should I use a levelling compound to achieve a properly flat (and horizontal) surface? Not sure how strong the latter really is - under compression... I believe Pulsar recommend torqueing the nuts very tightly. As you can imagine, I will be doing astro-photography. I have had some success with the RASA just on tripod, but obviously I want the pier as stable as possible. Cheers, Elliot