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Ultimate support and tracking for larger Dobs

• Welded aluminum structure, lightweight but extremely rigid

• Durable Powder Coat finish, with anodized drive components and all stainless steel fasteners

• 80 minutes of tracking at a time with a quick reset

• With the Dual-axis models, a hand control gives two-speed slews for visual centering and photographic guiding with NO field rotation

• Compatible with autoguiders and digital setting circles
  
  

  COMPACT ALUMINUM PLATFORM

  We introduced our line of Aluminum Platforms two years ago, and they have become a wild success. The welded and powder coated Aluminum structure offers ultimate rigidity and durability, together with stable precision tracking. Up to now they have been offered just in the Standard format with our premium stepper motor drive system. This made for a very slick but somewhat expensive product. Now, for those who have wanted the Aluminum Platform for a more economical price, we will be taking orders for Aluminum Platforms equipped with the simpler Compact drive components. The Compact drive offers excellent tracking for high power viewing and short exposure imaging. The only thing it lacks is the excellent two-speed slew control that comes with the Standard drive. .

"We had a pleasant evening yesterday and I spent a couple of hours outside. The 18" Compact Aluminum Platform is tracking perfectly and I had half an hour on Saturn at roughly 350 x (6 mm Nagler). The image was pretty sharp even at this magnification. I particularly like the quietness and lack of any motor vibration. In short, I agree with the testimonies submitted by other purchasers and you can add me to your list if someone wants a reference from the UK. I also found it very easy to tweak the collimation to get the best from the optics, indeed by keeping objects in the central zone they are proving to be a match to my refractors."

Peter David IND
England

"Just wanted to let you know that the Aluminum Platform that you made for my 14.5" scope is working well! Our club had it's annual astronomy day public star party Fri and Sat nite and the Platform had a good workout. The skies were very steady (for a change) so I pumped up the power on Jupiter and Saturn and sat back as the long line of people stepped up for a look. The tracking was worry-free and very accurate. Several astute observers noticed that the image wasn't moving across the fov and asked about it! I pointed out the Platform, and they were surprised how unassuming it looked under the scope. Your Platform combined with my John Hall mirror had the crowds oohing and awing! Thanks again."

George Klarmann
Frederick, MD

Hi Tom,

I wanted to wait until I had a chance to use your Aluminum Platform under my 15” Obsession several times before I sent you feedback. I have been to two local star parties with it and used it several times in my driveway. At the local star parties it was a showstopper. Everyone was impressed with the flawless tracking; no one had ever seen a finer quality platform. Ease of setup, low profile and buttery smooth operation make it a must have for any Dob owner. Viewing at high power is now the norm instead of the exception with your platform. Thank you for making your talents and craftsmanship available to the amateur astronomy world.

John E. Stefan
Albany, OR

"A simple flick of the power switch and a slow gentle pull on the handle and I was off savoring sights on the Moon that made my heart stop! Absolutely no vibrations at the eyepiece even at 600X. I pushed it to 800X and despite not being able to get a perfect focus (limited by the seeing), the Moon was still dead center!!!

The remote hand control unit is a very nice touch since scanning the moon to discover various regions is a breeze....no need to manually push the telescope. No vibrations, no wobble, rock steady, very easy to use and drop dead gorgeous! What a tremendous joy it was to actually observe without continuously having to chase these objects. I love this Platform!"

Pierre Tournay
Dorval, Quebec