Telescope Reviews: ASA mount

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Equipment Discussions >> Mounts

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hapo
sage

Reged: 03/06/05

Loc: Europe

ASA mount
#2746764 - 11/11/08 06:13 PM

I just stumbled on the Astrosysteme site searching for astrographs offers and it seems that they are making a mount http://www.astrosysteme.at/eng/monts.html , observatory class, advertised as having no PE. Can anyone comment on the specifications and if it is really possible to have no PEC at all? The mount looks good in picture anyway.

Edited by hapo (11/11/08 06:14 PM)

Post Extras:

watcher
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 11/21/07

Loc: St. Louis, MO

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: hapo]
#2746832 - 11/11/08 06:57 PM

When I win the lottery, I'll get a few of them! 140 lbs. capacity, and super accurate. What's not to like. You can pre-order one at OPT for about 18000.

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Mike Clemens
Frozen to Eyepiece

Reged: 11/26/05

Loc: Alaska, USA

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: watcher]
#2746843 - 11/11/08 07:02 PM

just AWESOME!! I am thinking the Mr. FUSION as seen in Back To The Future will be the appropriate field power pack for this mount.

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Jared
Post Laureate

Reged: 10/11/05

Loc: Piedmont, California, U.S.

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: hapo]
#2747363 - 11/11/08 11:59 PM

Quote:

I just stumbled on the Astrosysteme site searching for astrographs offers and it seems that they are making a mount http://www.astrosysteme.at/eng/monts.html , observatory class, advertised as having no PE. Can anyone comment on the specifications and if it is really possible to have no PEC at all? The mount looks good in picture anyway.

I have no experience with the mount, but it absolutely should be possible to avoid periodic error entirely. Rather than trying to improve periodic error mechanically, ASA has decided to use high resolution encoders to track and correct periodic error as it occurs. It's almost like an SBIG adaptive optic system, except that it works by measuring variations in position on the mount itself rather than using a guide star.

The only problem I can see is that you would want very nearly perfect polar alignment to get the most out of this mount. With extremely accurate polar alignment, you could eliminate the need for autoguiding entirely.

Post Extras:

Mike Clemens
Frozen to Eyepiece

Reged: 11/26/05

Loc: Alaska, USA

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: Jared]
#2747409 - 11/12/08 12:53 AM

The last mount of this type we were chatting about peaked at almost a kilowatt at times didn't it? Do these have fantastic holding currents or not?

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TxStars
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/01/05

Loc: Lost In Space

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: hapo]
#2747850 - 11/12/08 10:47 AM

Well I will go out on a limb here and say IMHO
Guiding or Adaptive optics are allways needed at focal lengths greater than 100mm due to atmospheric refraction.
It has nothing to do with how good the mount tracks.
Once you go beyond local seeing good tracking means nothing.

Post Extras:

Miguel Lopes
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 01/04/07

Loc: Portugal

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: TxStars]
#2747894 - 11/12/08 11:21 AM

Quote:

Well I will go out on a limb here and say IMHO
Guiding or Adaptive optics are allways needed at focal lengths greater than 100mm due to atmospheric refraction.
It has nothing to do with how good the mount tracks.
Once you go beyond local seeing good tracking means nothing.

Same opinion. Was that 1000mm typo?
I think that in the near future most mounts can discard great PE and concentrate on go-to accuracy, as people will go for AO.
Easier to move a 40g glass than a +50Kg mount...

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chboss
professor emeritus

Reged: 03/24/08

Loc: Tokyo Japan

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: Miguel Lopes]
#2749751 - 11/13/08 12:29 PM

I have seen the mount live in Germany... very impressive. Certainly an alternative for people looking to buy a mount for a permanent observatory. I heard that they are working on a smaller "portable" version for mid next year. It needs to be seen how big the power consumption will be. I would also guess it is to high for real portable use.

The one thing that I don't like is that you need to run a Windows PC to controll the mount. As I understood there is no stand alone hand controller...

I will wait in any case until first specimens arrive in the wild.

CS
Chris

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Egon Doeberl
Vendor ASA

Reged: 07/18/09

Loc: austria

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: Mike Clemens]
#3225489 - 07/18/09 05:09 PM

Hi Jared,

[EDIT: Removed unsolicited product marketing CH]

CS

Egon

Edited by Charlie Hein (03/13/10 03:15 PM)

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Egon Doeberl
Vendor ASA

Reged: 07/18/09

Loc: austria

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: chboss]
#3225502 - 07/18/09 05:15 PM

Hi Chris,

[EDIT: Removed unsolicited product marketing CH]

CS

Egon

Edited by Charlie Hein (03/13/10 03:16 PM)

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cvedeler
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/20/05

Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: Egon Doeberl]
#3462659 - 11/22/09 06:26 PM

I'm curious if anyone has used this mount yet in the US? I really like the sound of it.

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GShaffer
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 02/28/09

Loc: Bogart, Ga USA

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: watcher]
#3462984 - 11/22/09 09:46 PM

The smaller one depicted here is VERY intresting for the price 5750 Euro.....

http://www.astrosysteme.at/eng/mount_ddm60.html

Quote:

When I win the lottery, I'll get a few of them! 140 lbs. capacity, and super accurate. What's not to like. You can pre-order one at OPT for about 18000.

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WOBentley
Deep Sky Denizen

Reged: 09/16/09

Loc: Pacific Northwest USA

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: GShaffer]
#3464762 - 11/23/09 09:23 PM

The ASA DDM60 is very interesting. Since I live in a fair amount of light pollution the portability of it combined with the essential elimination of PEC should make for a great remote unit. I am really interested to hear any actual use comments from any US users...

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LLEEGE
True Blue

Reged: 03/03/05

Loc: Cloud-chester,NY

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: watcher]
#3465344 - 11/24/09 08:17 AM

Quote:

When I win the lottery, I'll get a few of them! 140 lbs. capacity, and super accurate. What's not to like. You can pre-order one at OPT for about 18000.

For that price, you can get a decked out AP1200 and a nice scope to put on it. 99.44% of us don't need any more accuracy then the AP's deliver at 1/2 the cost.

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Dennis Sakva
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/19/04

Loc: Kiev, Ukraine

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: LLEEGE]
#3467643 - 11/25/09 11:53 AM

ASA mounts have their specific use. At 100 degrees per second gotos they can be used to observe fast decaying events like gamma bursts that last few seconds.

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cvedeler
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/20/05

Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: LLEEGE]
#3467798 - 11/25/09 01:19 PM

Quote:

99.44% of us don't need any more accuracy then the AP's deliver at 1/2 the cost.

Actually it is 94.99%

I'm intrigued by the idea that one could do away with guiding. Theoretically it would be possible if one could model out the atmospheric refraction. They claim to be able to go with sub arc second unguided tracking for more than an hour. This would greatly simplify imaging. Also with this tracking and pointing accuracy, plate solves become a thing of the past as well. This mount also compensates for mount vibration from wind etc. at 100x/sec without needing a star for adaptive optics. That can be a big deal.

This of course is assuming it can be done in the field. That I would like to see (or hear about by a 3rd party) before I would open up my wallet.

Edited by cvedeler (11/25/09 01:33 PM)

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Mert
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/31/05

Loc: Spain, Pamplona

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: cvedeler]
#3467814 - 11/25/09 01:24 PM

But we will still have to deal with the fast
atmosferic turbulence effects, which as others
already have stated can be dealt with an AO
system.
To bad these mounts will be incredibly expensive!

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LLEEGE
True Blue

Reged: 03/03/05

Loc: Cloud-chester,NY

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: cvedeler]
#3467816 - 11/25/09 01:24 PM

Quote:

[ Theoretically it would be possible if one could model out the atmospheric refraction.

Pulse Guide.

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Phil Cowell
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 05/24/07

Loc: Southern Tier NY

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: Mert]
#3468360 - 11/25/09 05:46 PM

Quote:

But we will still have to deal with the fast
atmosferic turbulence effects, which as others
already have stated can be dealt with an AO
system.
To bad these mounts will be incredibly expensive!

It's early days for the ASA yet. Give them time to build up volume and kill off some of the older clunkers out there and pick up their market share. Hopefully then the price will drop, it's always expensive being an early adopter.

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fetoma
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/26/06

Loc: Southern New Jersey

Re: ASA mount new

[Re: Phil Cowell]
#3468387 - 11/25/09 06:04 PM

I wish one of the other manufacturers would buy one of these to clone. Then you would see prices start to fall I think.

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