Home made pier and camera tripod style mount, suggestions wanted please.

[{CP}-Brooker]

Hi

I m trying to figure out the lowest tech approach to a quick grab and go outside the kitchen door. I already have a Nexstar 8SE which is great for a evenings observing but for those moments when the cloud clears and I can t get an "official evening off :whip2:" I want something I can mount and be using quickly. I used to use 15 x 70 binoculars, however due to a worsening eye condition I can now only use one eye for observing so it has to be a scope.

My idea is to make a homemade pier, literally a piece of wooden 3" x 3" emebdded in a heavy concrete bucket that can sit on the patio and be permanently ready to take a small refractor (currently looking at something like a Skywatcher Short tube ST102). Alternately I might just permanently install it in the corner of the flower bed.

What I can t work out, is what mechanism/bracket I have mounted to the pier that then allows me to attached the scope?? I m thinking a basic camera/tripod thread set up for speed.

Any suggestions?

Budget for scope and bracket is about £250.

Cheers

CP

[jgs001]

CP, I'd be really interested in what you come up with. The problem I'm finding using a standard Photo head (might be cos it's old) is that tracking anything is really difficult and the head just doesn't have the fine play needed to do so. I was watching Saturn last night and it was really hard to keep it in view. So hard in fact, I was setting up the scope so that Saturn was on one side of the FOV and letting it track across before trying to shift again.

[Helen]

Phil (geppetto) did something similar see here

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,12485.0.html

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,14889.0.html

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,15465.0.html

Helen

[radioactive]

Excuse me asking but why not use a tripod ?

[Naz]

The AZ3 mount is simple and quick and if you are thinking of something like the ST102, then it can be purchased together, very easy to move as one piece.

www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=az3

www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=st102az3

naz