Telescope Mounts Standard Features
Accurate tracking is difficult without a proper mount. That's why we use extreme care in the construction of our equatorial fork mount.
It delivers the stiffness necessary to provide ZERO BACKLASH performance. And we guarantee it!
The 30 in. diameter friction drive in RA and a 28 in. diameter friction drive in DEC contribute to the stiffness that helps promote smooth tracking and excellent accuracy.
Typical features include:
• Open structure optical tube assembly affords best "seeing"
• Structural geometry optimized for high stiffness and fast dynamic response
• Sliding weight on fork allows RA balance adjustment
• Torque-limited, DC servo motors for smooth, quiet operation and system safety
• Cool operation
• Motorized counterweight balance instrument loads
• High acceleration and deceleration rates for fast object acquisition and tracking
• Steel mirror cell with 12-bolt patterns per KPNO standard
• Pedestal allows elevation and azimuth adjustments for polar alignment
• Combination of steel and aluminum construction for responsive and long-lasting performance
• Equatorial Fork Mount
• Optional Accessories/Instrumentation
Equatorial Fork Mount
The DFM equatorial fork mount offers a number of advantages. It's versatile: use it visually, with instruments or remotely. It provides significantly more instrument clearance than is available with horseshoe telescope mounts. And there are giant advantages over ALT/AZ and German equatorial mounts.
• Easier to guide because there is no field rotation as with ALT/AZ mount
• Tracks objects through the zenith where there are fewer atmospheric disturbances (ALT/AZ has a singularity at the zenith)
• Lower cost that ALT/AZ mounts
• Compact shape and very smooth drive make it user-friendly
• Space efficient - more versatile in the same space as ALT/AZ or German mounts
• Minimum Eye Piece sweep for more convenient viewing than with German equatorial mounts
• Less counterweight required than with German equatorial mounts
