TeleVue Panoramic (Advanced) Mount, Ash Tripod

The TeleVue Ash Panoramic Mount is a complete 10.4 lb. wood tripod altazimuth The TeleVue Ash Panoramic Mount is a stable altazimuth mount designed primarily for no-fuss observing with smaller TeleVue refractors up to 85mm in aperture - such as the TeleVue Pronto, TV-76, and TV-85. In addition to its good looks, the mount's furniture grade solid ash tripod is highly effective at damping vibrations, for sharper images at high powers and faster image stabilization after moving the telescope from one target to another. The 10.4 lb. Ash Panoramic mount consists of an adjustable height American-made furniture-grade solid ash tripod with black trim, an accessory tray for eyepiece storage and added tripod rigidity, and a separate black finish yoke & cradle type Tele-Pod mount head with a convenient pan handle. The altitude bearings are brass, while the azimuth bearing is aluminum and Teflon. Both altitude and azimuth motions have tension adjustments to set the friction to accommodate differing telescope weights. The Tele-Pod head is totally manual in operation. You use the pan handle to move your scope from object to object. There are no slow motion controls, but the panning motion of the mount is so smooth that most observers will not need them. TeleVue scopes attach to the head by means of two supplied studs that thread into the base of the telescope's ring mount. These studs project down through holes in the Tele-Pod cradle and are held securely in place with supplied wing nuts. The Tele-Pod's yoke & cradle design balances scopes at their center of gravity, so that the scope will not swing unexpectedly when you let go of the supplied pan handle. Incidentally, the pan handle can be set up for either right hand or left hand use. The tripod legs have rubber-tipped metal ground spikes for use on wooden decks and other hard surfaces. The rubber tips can be removed from the ground spikes for a more firm footing on grass or dirt. By varying the length of the legs, the telescope height can be set anywhere from about 36" to 60". The Tele-Pod head is usable at any latitude. It moves right/left 360° in azimuth, and over an up/down altitude range of +85° to -17°. That means you will not be able to aim your scope directly at the zenith, but any object located directly overhead will soon drift past the zenith down to an altitude that can be reached by the mount. The Tele-Pod head is pre-drilled to be fitted with an optional TeleVue Sky Tour computer-aiming system for easier location of deep sky objects. An optional soft carry case is available for transporting the tripod with mount head attached (the accessory tray must be carried separately and any attached eyepiece caddy plates must be removed and stored in the carry case separately). Tech Details: Weight 10.4 lbs. Warranty 5 years