Monthly Archive: April 2010

I have been very busy past few weeks, my schedule is finally starting to free up to work on some articles.  April it seems is always a very hectic month between the taxman and first days of Spring.

I just received word tonight that my CGEM adapter plate from Dan’s Piers has shipped out.  I purchased just the adapter plate to match the CGEM mount only.  I will make my own adapter plates to match with the pier I am building.  The pier at this point is a top priority in my Dome Observatory build.  My next step will be to get the metal pier built, then I will be able to proceed with my shed permit and installation of the concrete pier base.  The design of the metal pier should be relatively straight forward.  I have access  to welding and cutting equipment along with a vertical milling machine and lathe. 

The permanent setup with the CGEM on a pier should allow me to fine-tune the scope and easier troubleshooting of any issues with guiding I have experienced.  The Edge 800HD and my Meade 80mm 5000 Series APO will be the primary scope used on this pier till I have time to do an adapter plate for the 12 inch Lx-200GPS and Meade UltraWedge. 

The pier plate adapter from Dan’s Piers  looks like an excellent setup at a great price.  I will feature some pictures soon when it arrives via UPS next week.  With my schedule finally winding down a bit I hope to have some more articles, pictures, and videos up soon.  Check back every few days starting next week for new articles, I hope to have a few new articles every few days till the end of this month.