PRT - Portable Robotics Telescope

My Portable Robotics Telescope is based on Monolith - a solid, beautiful and portable pier from  Particle Wave Technologies, an excellent AP-900 GTO German equatorial mount from Astro-Physics, now upgraded with new GTO3, the Polar Fork Assembly and Heavy-Duty Azimuth Adjuster. The main parabolic 300 mm/f4 SPX mirror is from  Orion Optics, UK. The tube from Dream Scopes is simply fantastic, see  here.  My auxiliary scope is a Megrez 80/f6 SD refractor from Williams Optics  and as the main CCD camera I curently use the ST-1603XME from SBIG. Focusing is done via a 2" Feather Touch Focuser and  RoboFocus. The whole system runs on Linux.
My current setup under construction.

PRT with carbon fiber tube.


  My first setup, the tube is in the trash now.

Newton




Below are two shots showing an experimental truss tube I have made myself.



The front view of the open truss tube during its construction.
Txperimental Tube

The ST-1603 XME inside the primary focus of the scope.

The first Newtonian setup during its construction.

Below are a few shots captured during the construction of the main scope. The optics consists of a 300 mm f/4 research grade parabolic mirror whose Zygo interferometric data is: PV 0.110, RMS 0.016, Strehl 0.989 and Hilux 97% reflective coating. The 4.0" secondary  mirror was made by Antares Optics, with the following Zygo interferometric data: PV 0.040, RMS 0.005. I am also using the TeleVue  2" ParaCorr (PLA 2001), so the final focal ratio is now f/4.6.


.TEL1

The construction of the scope in Jan 2005.

PRT1S

The installation on the balcony in Mar 2005.


PRT2

The PRT - rear view.


PRT3S

The PRT - final setup.

PWTS

The Monolith portable pier.

SHAFTS

An extension of the declination shaft.


MIRROR1S

The 300 mm f/4 parabolic mirror.

ACCESSORIESS

The telescope's accessories.