Used Astro-Physics Mach1GTO mount, tripod, and RA polar scope

This is a used Mach1GTO EQ mount and tripod, about a dozen years old, in excellent condition.  Of course, everything works.  And with its silvery legs, boy is it pretty.  It was well-cared for by its previous owner, and it shows. This was too big for the previous owner to take out any longer, so he traded this in for a much lighter Celestron Origin.  Includes the handset, power supply, and the right angle polar scope.  

They don't make these anymore, so get it while it's here!  Includes three counterweights, as well as the right angle polar scope, and the AP tripod shown in the photos. Please come in and take a look at this mount for yourself. 

This comes with complete documentation - all the manuals are in a binder.  See the photos. 

We do not have the packing boxes for this, so this is available for in-store pickup only.  (TEC 140ED sold separately.)  

Why a Mach1GTO?

There is much to admire in the Mach1GTO. It is beautifully machined, intelligently designed, precisely fabricated and assembled, and it has sophisticated electronics and servo drive controls. But the bottom line is performance and results.

In addition to Dennis di Cicco's excellent review of the Mach1GTO in Sky & Telescope magazine,  we were excited and honored to have the Mach1GTO chosen as one of Sky & Telescope's Hot Products for 2007! With the new GTOCP4, Auto-Adjusting Motor/Gearboxes, Precision-Adjust Rotating Pier Base / Hi-Res Azimuth Adjuster, rear-mounted azimuth adjusters and larger cable openings, the Mach1GTO is even better than ever!

Whether your Mach1GTO makes a permanent home in your observatory, explores your favorite observing sites or travels to the ends of the earth with you, it will allow you to optimize your observing sessions to the max. Ideal instruments include: Astro-Physics and similar fast refractors up to our 160 mm f7.5 StarFire EDF, 8-11" SCTs, 6-8" Maks or any scopes of a similar size.

As Roland Christen, founder of Astro-Physics, has stated many times: "The single most important item for the imager is the mount. Next comes the mount. Then comes the mount.... Get the picture?"

Versatility

Portable Enough for Airline Travel

Transport this rigid observing platform to your dream destination. The entire mount will fit into a single rugged case that will roll easily through airports or to your car. If needed, the R.A. and Dec. axes split easily into two pieces to fit into a more compact case.

Operate with 12V battery or Regulated Power Supply

You can take it to the darkest skies and power it with a commonly available 12V battery. In the observatory, we suggest a minimum 5-amp filtered, regulated power supply.

Image Past the Meridian

The mount will track and guide well past the meridian in either direction if the object is located such that the telescope will clear the pier. This allows the user to set up the mount for a long series of exposures without stopping in the middle to flip sides. One can start the telescope under the mount while pointing at an object in the eastern part of the sky and track it all the way deep into the western sky. This is very useful for long exposure H-alpha or in cases where a large number of individual exposures are needed for stacking. Dennis di Cicco had this to say about the "powerful meridian delay feature" in his 2007 review:

". . . makes it easy to set up photographs that track across the meridian without interruption. It may sound like a small feature on paper, but I found it extremely useful in the field . . ."

Easy Polar Alignment for Non-critical Observing

You can align the Mach1GTO using setup routines in the optional keypad to quickly zero in on the pole for most non-critical observing or to get close before tweaking in for imaging. Our optional Right-Angle Polar Alignment Scope will allow you to quickly zero in on the pole or the polar alignment routine in PEMPro (optional) will guide you through the process. You can even align the mount during the day with our clever Daytime Polar Alignment Routine (outlined in the Keypad Manual) for solar observing, viewing the planets at twilight, or just getting a jump start on a long night.

Multiple Options for Controlling your Mount in the Field or Your Observatory

You have your choice of the GTO Keypad (optional), which is a full-featured handheld computer, PC computers using a wide variety of software with or without our ASCOM driver, Mac computers or even your mobile smart device (like your iPhone or iPad.

Use Accessories you May Already Own

If you already own our previous 400 or 600E German Equatorials or other Astro-Physics mounts, you will be pleased to learn that many of the same accessories can be used with the Mach1GTO. These include counterweights, mounting plates, polar alignment scope, piers and tripods.

Mechanical Features

Precise Mechanical Fabrication

Using modern CNC machining techniques, we make all components to a high precision level, which results in a final package that is solid and accurate in all respects. The critical angles are accurately machined so that the mount is orthogonal to a very high degree. This results in pointing accuracies well below 1 arc minute for a properly aligned mount.

Although the Mach1GTO is very light for its size and load rating, it has been machined out of solid aluminum to withstand the high axial and thrust loads that a medium-sized telescope places on the mount under real-world observing conditions. The mount is solidly built and will withstand gusting winds without excessive shake or vibration. We used high-quality machine tool bearings, rated in excess of 400 lb. static and dynamic load, on the main axis shafts. Both worm wheels turn smoothly with no runout throughout their 360 degree range.

Auto-Adjusting Motor/Gearboxes

Our motor/gearboxes were designed to be responsive for precision astro-photography, while at the same time making it super easy to use and adjust.

• Spring-loaded worms maintain full contact under all guiding and slewing conditions
• Automatic setting for worm mesh requires no adjustments over long time periods
• Precision balance mechanism allows full backing off the worm from the worm wheel
• Very low backlash geartrain eliminates Dec reversal delays and provides high position accuracy during guiding