The same brackets can be installed on top to allow mounting of accessories, cameras, guidescopes, etc.
Included with the Tube Assembly:
Carrying case - The case is much like our refractor cases - vinyl-covered plywood exterior. It measures 37" x 17.25" x 17.75" (including the hardware) and weighs 35 lbs. Heavy-duty handles are provided on the ends of the case, as well as the front. The interior has a thick 2" layer of foam.
Secondary Baffle - This small adapter threads onto the front of the corrector (note: the photo shown below does not show the attachment on the corrector) to increase the front baffle size to 32%. Use it when sky light pollution is high and you are using low-power wide fields to observe deep-sky objects. It is not needed under dark skies.
Dewcap - The dewcap is machined from thick-wall aluminum in the same manner that we machine all our tube assemblies - most of the material is removed. The edge that slips over the lens cell is thick and robust and the front end is rounded. The result is a 3.5 lb. dewcap that measures 12" diameter and 11.5" long.
Due to the short length of the tube assembly, the dewcap cannot be reversed for storage in the case. The dewcap will require its own storage box, which is not provided.
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| Removable cover allows the mirror back full access to cooling air. Mirror is ground and polished on the rear to allow fast radiative cooling. | Front corrector has high transmission multi-coatings. Reflection off the corrector surfaces is so low that the secondary mirror seems to be floating in mid-air. |
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| Photo shows the mounting brackets which can fit either the 18" flat plate or the 17.25" Losmandy D Series Dovetail Plate. The same brackets can be installed on top to allow mounting of accessories, cameras, guidescopes, etc. |
10" Mak-Cas on the 1200GTO mount, showing dewcap and rear cover in place. |
Suggested Options:
Mounting Brackets Kit (our part # MCBRKTKIT, set
of 2 with fasteners)
Includes 10-32x1/2 sockethead button screws - 8 pcs and 10-32 x 0.030" washers - 8 pcs.
In lieu of mounting rings, we fabricated radiused, lightweight brackets that attach directly to the top and bottom of the tube assembly. We felt that precisely machined brackets would be a better choice than mounting rings in order to retain the orthogonality of the system.
Brackets on bottom of the scope (1 pair) - Use these to attach your mounting plate - either our 18" Flat Plate (our part # FP1800) or a 17.25" Losmandy D Series dovetail plate (our part # LMD1725).
Brackets on the top of the scope (1 pair) - Attach accessories here. These are some options:
Use the 18" Flat Plate for the Astro-Physics 900 and 1200 German Equatorial Mounts. Use with the Mounting Brackets described above. Can be used as a mounting bracket or accessory plate.
Use the 17.25" Losmandy D Series Dovetail Plate for Astro-Physics 900 and 1200 German Equatorial Mounts or any mount that can accept Losmandy D series plates. Can be used as a mounting or accessory plate. Attach to the Mounting Brackets described above.
The power cable has a locking connector that attaches to the back of the scope and cigarette lighter plug to be used with a 12V battery or power supply. A single cable powers both fans.
We recommend Kendrick heaters for all of our instruments if dew is a problem. If you turn the heater on at the beginning of your observing session, it will prevent moisture from forming. This will extend your viewing session and help prevent spots on your coatings. You also need the Kendrick Controller (KDRCON) for $74 and may wish to purchase additional heaters for eyepieces, guidescope, finder, etc.
Since the focal length of this instrument is quite long, our 8x50 Finder with Quick Release Bracket is highly recommended for visual work, particularly if you don't use a go-to mount. The tube is drilled for a finder bracket to be positioned at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions.
The Quick Release Bracket is included with our 8x50 finder, however you can use with any 8x50 finder that you may already own.
You can mount this extra base onto another telescope so that you can use the Quick Release Finder Bracket interchangeably or attach a base to your Mak-Cas so that you can use modified TeleVue StarBeam (STARFMD) or Qwik Point (QWIKMD) finders (we add our part # A3251-B male dovetail piece that allows these finders to be used with the base).
One 18 # and one 10 # counterweight for either the 900GTO or 1200GTO.
Refer to the visual
and photographic
accessories section of our web site for additional products.
Copyright © 2004-2019 Astro-Physics Inc. All
rights reserved.
Last modified:
March 10, 2019
Astro-Physics, Inc.
11250 Forest Hills Road, Rockford, IL 61115, U.S.A.
Phone: 815-282-1513 Fax: 815-282-9847