LXD-75 Mount . . . The white-painted heavy duty LXD75 computerized German equatorial mount is machined of aluminum for durability and high-performance photo/visual observing. Four precision stainless steel ball bearings support the right ascension and declination axes for smooth motion in all directions. The mount has high-accuracy worm gear drives and electric slow motion controls in both right ascension and declination. Precise alignment of the motor gear assembly assures greatly reduced backlash and tracking smoothness.
    The LXD-75 dual-axis slewing/tracking motors have nine user-selectable slew and slow-motion speeds: 4.5°, 3°, and 1.5° per second; and 128x, 64x, 16x, 8x, 2x, and 1x the sidereal rate. They are controlled by pushbuttons on the mount's AutoStar computer hand control. Automatic sidereal-rate tracking in right ascension keeps objects precisely centered in the field for leisurely observing. Power for the dual-axis drives is supplied by a battery pack that rests on the telescope's accessory shelf and plugs into the control panel. The pack uses eight (user-supplied) D-cell batteries that will power the scope for as long as 40 hours, depending on the temperature (low temperatures will reduce the usable battery life). Optional adapters with 25' cords are available for uninterrupted AC and 12 volt DC car battery operation, as well.
    If serious long exposure astrophotography is in your plans, a supplied illuminated polar viewfinder and micrometric altitude and azimuth controls allow quick, precise polar alignment. A periodic error correction circuit in the computer control lets you train the mount to correct the small right ascension drive errors inherent in all telescope drive systems. This minimizes the number of guiding corrections needed during long exposure astrophotography. A high precision pointing subroutine in the computer lets you point accurately at objects that you want to photograph that are too dim to be seen though the scope.

Counterweight: The mount's sliding counterweight is locked in place with a single hand-tighten lever, making it easy to rebalance the scope in right ascension if you add heavy photographic accessories. The mount is easily capable of handling the scope and any reasonable combination of photographic accessories you might want to use, although an additional optional counterweight may be needed if you add a significant amount of weight (such as a photoguide scope and mounting rings in addition to a camera). Snap-on covers keep the motor drives and polar alignment scope free from dust and debris.

Adjustable height tripod: The LXD-75 tripod has tubular chromed steel legs. Each leg has two anodized aluminum leg extension locks with an internal brake to eliminate accidental slippage of the internal extending leg section. These locks face inwards to prevent snagging your clothing or gouging your shin as often happens when running into outward-facing leg locks in the dark. A center leg brace adds rigidity and excellent damping characteristics. A set of optional #895 vibration suppression pads under the tripod feet will even further improve telescope damping time for steadier high power observing. The center leg brace is drilled to form a convenient accessory tray that holds three 1.25" eyepieces to keep them up out of the dew-soaked grass.

Dovetail slide bar: An adjustable dovetail slide bar system on the mount allows the optical tube to be quickly and precisely balanced fore and aft in declination in the dovetail slot on the top of the mount, eliminating the need for an extra counterweight to balance a camera or other accessories. Setup and takedown times are exceptionally fast, as a single large hand-tighten knob holds the optical tube in place. A second lock knob prevents the tube from sliding off the mount should the hand-tighten knob loosen.