Altair Pier Arrives

[Alan White]

  Well seen at the IAS, now available at £325 from Altair EQ5 sized 1m tall, interesting?

[WanderingEye]

These have been around for a while, William Optics have one the same, they are a Chinese make and just rebranded.... 👍😀

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by WanderingEye

[JamesF]

Interesting choice of name from WO.  Is it "Mortar" because your OTA will feel as solid as if it had been set in concrete?  Or because you can use it as a projectile weapon?

James

[Ships and Stars]

May I ask what are the advantages of this type of mobile pier over a standard type metal tripod? More stability and more room? Both piers above look quite sharp.

[Alan White]

8 hours ago, WanderingEye said:

These have been around for a while, William Optics have one the same, they are a Chinese make and just rebranded.... 👍😀

Yes it is, was discussed on another thread after the IAS.
It is that they are now in the UK under the branding of Altair and available.

China made or Taiwan made?     May make a difference perhaps?

8 hours ago, Ships and Stars said:

May I ask what are the advantages of this type of mobile pier over a standard type metal tripod? More stability and more room? Both piers above look quite sharp.

I believe more solid, no riser needed as inbuilt for keeping rig lower, probably more advantages for the imagers than us observers.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Alan White

[Anne S]

I bought one of these shortly after the IAS. It is very solid but fairly light to move around. It's a replacement for my 1.5 inch tripod. I'm waiting for the IEQ30pro top section as mine had the one for an EQ5. I also thought I could use it with my Skytracker using an adapter from FLO.
 

Has new stock arrived at the shop? They've been delayed because of the problems in China.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Anne S

[Alan White]

1 hour ago, Anne S said:

Has new stock arrived at the shop? They've been delayed because of the problems in China.

It says in stock on the Facebook page, you may have a valid point.
 

1 hour ago, Anne S said:

I bought one of these shortly after the IAS. It is very solid but fairly light to move around. It's a replacement for my 1.5 inch tripod. I'm waiting for the IEQ30pro top section as mine had the one for an EQ5. I also thought I could use it with my Skytracker using an adapter from FLO.

So do you think as an existing user that this is as or more solid than a tripod?

[Anne S]

Definitely with my small tripod. Having said that I've been imaging fine on it with a 60mm telescope.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Anne S