The observatory's 14" Meade ( 0.35m ) SCT peering through the dome slit just before an observing run.

This is the primary instrument utilized for scientific investigations. It's mounted on an Astrophysics 1200 GTO german equatorial mount by means of a Homeyer scope cradle. The cradle was originally drilled for a Paramount versa plate. I machined an adapter from 1" 6061 Aluminum that interfaces with the AP mount. This setup is very rigid, much more robust than a simple dovetail rail and two radius blocks.  I can highly recommend this method if you are needing to mount a large SCT on a GEM.

 While I regard the SCT an excellent general purpose instrument I have never held them high esteem. Besides the optical limitations of the design ( curved focal plane, etc ) There is the nagging mirror flop especially with the larger scopes and of course the dreaded focus shift that occurs as the aluminum tube shortens or grows depending on ambient temperature variations. The good thing about these instruments is that many fixes have been cleverly devised by the amateur community and the manufacturers have even listened to a few of our ideas.  The newer Meade SCT's have a focus lock mechanism  that I have found  very effective. With the ability to securely lock the primary mirror in place after coarse focus is achieved there is the possibility that temperature induced focal shifts can be effectively mitigated. An Optec TCF-s focuser is utilized to maintain correct focus over the course of an observing run regardless of thermal changes in the telescope's aluminum tube. This can be accessed through software control via focusmax to permit autofocus or programmed manually into the TCF-s dedicated microcontroller. The stand alone autofocus capability works very well however  I determined the temperature coefficient for my scope and have entered that in the TCF-s controller. Maxim DL then is able to access that information and provide autofocus from any given focus starting position. The mirror lock and temperature compensating focuser enable the SCT to function as an excellent platform for scientific observations. I autofocus at the start of an observing run with focusmax then let the temp compensation feature in Maxim maintain focus throughout the night. I have found this to work very well even with 10 to 20 degree temperature swings. For my scope working at an effective f-ratio of 6.37 the temp coefficient is 86 steps/ degree C.

The original collimation screws have been replaced with a set of Bob's Knobs which enable very precise adjustments to be made. I find collimation holds very well. I tweak it (very rarely)  when I am making visual planetary observations when the atmosphere permits very high magnifications to be used. When the seeing allows this optical tube is a crowd pleaser, the planets are in a word- stunning! Even in mediocre conditions the large aperture is fun to look through. 99% of the time this scope has a CCD camera attached. Pictured below  the scope and Optec focuser, is the SBIG ST10XME CCD self guiding camera which is the main imaging sensor. I normally run with a Ted Agos universal f/6.3 focal reducer inline with the ST10XME binned 2x2 for photometry and 3x3 for astrometry.  I found the Celestron f/6.3 reducer effective however the length of  the T-adapter created a flexure problem as well as an issue with the correct spacing for the reducer and the CCD. I sent Ted my Japan optics Celestron f/6.3 reducer/corrector and in a few days had his solution in hand. This provides very good results enabling the optimum focal reducer location to be found resulting in minimal vignetting and maximum correction. On steady nights with one minute exposures I can often achieve stellar profiles of 2.0-2.5 arc-seconds fwhm! This scope also has the least field curvature of any SCT that I have ever used. The Meade dewshield is very effective at blocking stray light. Not shown is a fan below the telescope which helps to quickly equilibrate the tube with ambient conditions. I normally allow this to run all night at low speed. With the mirror flop and temperature issues resolved I have come to appreciate the value this design represents. While I think a corrected Newtonian is far superior it's hard to beat the compact design and utility of the SCT for general purpose use.

With the SCT cradled in the Homeyer mounting I came up with this to mount my Takahashi FSQ 106 to the SCT ota. This is a dovetail I  machined from 4" x  3/8" 6061 aluminum and a sliding mount fabricated from 1/2" aluminum plate. This permits the refractor ota to be optimally placed along the axis of the SCT to aid with balancing the setup.  I have this attached to the main ota with radius blocks. This mounting adds as much weight as the refractor alone but rigidty is the main concern here.Besides the AP mount doesn't even break a sweat with the load balanced with over 130lbs of counterweight. The FSQ is an excellent refracting telescope and a superb platform for wide field use. It is primarily employed in the acquisition of narrowband CCD imagery with emssion line filters. It is also infrequently used with an SBIG ST402ME guide camera for applications that require a seperate autoguider. A robofocus motor permits quick and accurate autofocus capability.

Another view of the ST10XME at the Cassegrain focus. I normally wrap the camera and focuser with black cloth as insurance against extraneous light. In the warm months water cooling is also supplied to the camera. The observatory computer is shown in the background as is the automation hardware. More information about my automation system can be found here.