Hughes Observatory
Dr. Stefan Hughes, Ph.D
"I think it is
true to say that Vito Rotondi and his Pier-Tech company
have made the difference between me using my telescope
and not. I bought my NexStar 11GPS about two years ago,
and on the very first night I used it, the OTA nearly
fell off its tripod onto concrete. After that I became
very reluctant to use it at all.
I searched the internet for a solution and came across
Pier-Tech, who seemed to offer what I wanted a means of
having my telescope attached to a Pier, and at the same
time something which was mobile, allowing me to wheel
the setup out of my house onto my balcony.
I immediately ordered a Pier-Tech 2 adjustable height
pier and Pier-Caddy. When it came it more than met my
expectations. Not only was it just what I needed, but
the quality of the workmanship was of the highest
standard.
As a result of my purchase I was now able to use my
scope and enjoy the wonders of the heavens, so much so
that I began a passion for astrophotography. I purchased
a Meade DSI Pro CCD, and began imaging. I began to take
some fairly decent pictures, so much so that I was able
to win a couple of challenges on the Meade DSI Yahoo
Newsgroup. In order for me to take even better images
and to make an upgrade to a top quality CCD camera, I
had to replace my Alt-AZ mount with a wedge, something
which required a permanent pier.
I turned to Pier-Tech again, and purchased a 4 x 4
Tele-Enclosure with an added Roll-Off Roof. I must admit
that I awaited its arrival with some trepidation,
because my wife was not enthusiastic about my
purchase, and kept referring to it as that box. I
neednt have worried. Vito and Pier-Tech came to the
rescue again, not only did she like it, she loved it,
saying what a wonderfully made piece of equipment which
not only looked good, but did what was intended to, i.e.
keep my telescope out of her house.
On a more technical note, the Tele-Enclosure was able to
accommodate my setup with ease, which by now had
expanded to include a new Wedge, an 80mm Guide scope, an
80mm finder scope, a Telrad finder and an onboard PC;
plus further associated gadgetry such as a motorised
focuser, dew heater controller, USB hub and a load of
wires.
The Tele-Enclosure means that I can be up and running
within about five minutes or so. All I have to do now is
to move the Observatory out of the way (which is a joy
with its smooth running set of wheels), plug in the
power, wake the scope up from hibernation, and turn the
onboard PC on. I control the telescope from within my
house, either through a wireless link or direct by
Ethernet cable connected to my Laptop.
I will now be able sit inside my house on a cold
winters night and control the whole setup, take my
images and process them without setting foot outside at
all. With my wonderful new Tele-Enclosure I can have the
best of all worlds visual or electronic viewing.
One thing I would say if you are unable to operate the
scope remotely from within your house, but need to do it
within the Observatory itself and you have the space
outdoors, I would recommend you opting for one of the
larger range of Tele-Stations. A 4 x 4 Tele-Enclosure
is just too small. It is perfect for my needs where I
have limited space outdoors, but not in those cases
where operation from indoors is not an option.
I cannot recommend Vito and Pier-Tech highly enough for
the products they sell and the service they provide
first class in every respect."
Dr. Stefan Hughes, Ph.D (former NASA project scientist
and professional astronomer)
