Telescope Reviews: Pre-Production Half-Hitch Mount

The Half-Hitch mount came to my attention some months ago from a few posts I read here on CN and from ads by the manufacturer on Astromart and more recently, in the back of S&T.

I was instantly interested for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a bit of an Alt/Az nut and have tried many over the years and settled on only a few. I still have a DM-6 that I use with an AP 140 and a Lapides Modified Teegul that I use with my 105 Traveler. The Teegul got me convinced that slo-mo controls are very enjoyable/useful and the DM-6 showed me how important stability was and how useful DSCs could be. A host of other mounts (including some highly recognizable and expensive Alt/Az mounts I won't mention) convinced me that there were lots of compromises made in most designs and that with a poor mount and tripod you are better off going online and looking at pictures from Hubble.

Although I am very happy with both the Teegul and the DM-6 they are less than ideal for smaller scopes and as I've already mentioned, they have non-overlapping features I'd like to see incorporated into a single Alt/Az (i.e., slo-mo, DSCs). So, lets just say the Half-Hitch caught my eye.... but I needed yet another Alt/Az like hole in the head (or so I thought).

A few weeks ago I noticed an ad in Astromart for a final price reduction on the "pre-production" version of the Half-Hitch from Charles Riddel, the designer and owner of Half Hitch. At considerably less than half the cost of the current production version but with maybe 80-90% of the performance, I couldn't resist. I decided that there is no better way to judge the mount than to try it myself. My goal was to put together a featherweight grab and go for my Solarscope SV50 rig (as seen in attached photos) paired with a Gitzo 2530 carbon fiber - and to test it out with my 3 and 4 inch refractors.

Let me emphasize at the outset that my comments are based on a "pre-production" mount and Charles was exceedingly careful to make sure I understood this point before taking my money. He recommended the pre-pro version for an 80 mm refractor without binoviewers and was careful to also point out that the anodizing was less than perfect on this version. The current version has more bracing to increase torsional rigidity a few more tweaks and bells and whistles. In retrospect, I'd say Charles was more cautious than necessary but it is very refreshing to see a vendor bend over backwards to disclose exactly what you are paying for.

The mount arrived carefully packed and in excellent condition - and the finish on the pieces look great to me. I can only imagine what the current production mount looks like if this version isn’t cosmetically perfect! Ok, I'm a sucker for innovative designs, high quality materials and careful, precise machining - and this mount has all of these attributes in spades. No plastic, metal casting or mass-produced parts on this mount - it is high quality all the way and I am very impressed with the tolerances needed to make this mount perform.

Ok, so how does it perform? I’ve had it out for several days now on the Gitzo 2530 with my Solarscope SV50. First, talk about grab and go! I feel like I’ve been liberated from a burden – I will never again give a moments thought to heading out the door for a quick peek of the sun. If that isn’t the definition of grab and go, I’m not sure what is. It makes the Teegul on my Gitzo 5530S feel like a dead weight by comparison. Second, the controls for moving the scope in altitude and azimuth are remarkably smooth and a real joy to use when following the sun in H-alpha. The controls are unlike any other I’ve seen on an Alt/Az and do not rely on friction bearing surfaces. The closest comparison I can make is to the mechanism of a Crayford focuser. Thus, there is zero backlash and if balanced as described in the clear instructions, no slippage. It isn’t quite fair to the Half-Hitch to define these as just slo-mo controls, they are responsive enough to touch and slight pressure to give you unprecedented control. I almost feel as though I could guide a long exposure using them – as it is I think this is the first Alt/Az I could, in fact, use to track the sun with a webcam for a 1000 frames or more for trouble free registration and stacking. Third, vibration damping was outstanding (less than 1 second) even on the lightweight Gitzo tripod. The mount is highly rigid and stable and the OTA is centered over the tripod with this design. Reaching zenith is no problem. I am nowhere near capacity with the SV50 (heavier than a typical 60mm APO but lighter than a 70-80mm scope). Did I mention the mount is highly rigid and stable?

So, the pre-production Half-Hitch exceeds the expectations I had for this mount as a grab-and-go travel set up for the Solarscope SV50. In fact, I’m impressed enough already to go ahead and order a full production mount (with encoders) within the next month and I will be glad to report back on its performance with my 3 and 4” refractors – one of which will be at or near the stated capacity for the mount. Rarely am I so enthusiastic about a new mount (or any other piece of gear) to want to post about it. But the simplicity and performance of this mount has redefined the genre for me enough to maybe even rethink the way I normally view (and certainly my frequency of viewing). It isn’t perfect (what is?) and I can already think of some very slight improvements (some of which may already be incorporated into the full production version) but I think it represents a big leap forward in a small Alt/Az mount.

The Half-Hitch is not cheap relative to other Alt/Az mounts targeting the 3-4” refractor market. The DM-4 is likely its only serious competition in terms of performance/price but the design concept is quite different and arguably, the DM-4 will handle a wider range of OTAs. But if you are passionate about using a mount that is optimized for the small refractor in an almost impossibly light and compact form – you should check out the Half-Hitch. As is often the case, you get what you pay for. In my case with the pre-production version – I feel like I got a real bargain.

I am compelled to add that I have no interest in Half-Hitch other than as a happy customer and do not know Charles beyond the few e-mails we exchanged about the mount. He is clearly passionate about observing and quality (a perfectionist it seems) and I am happy to own one of his mounts (soon to be two of his mounts)!

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Refractors mostly.... solar and dark sky.

Charlottesville