Frequently Asked Questions
We welcome your additional questions. Please write us.
Q: What are the essential elements of the McCreary Mount that differentiate it from other equatorial mounts?
A: Two literal point-bearings, a platform that deliberately shuns "balance", and gravity powered incompressible fluid motion control. Please see a far more detailed answer here.
Q: What is the best application for a McCreary Mount?
A: Longer exposure astrophotography. It certainly will work well for short exposures, but it will shine when doing exposures longer than the typical periodic error cycle of other mounts.
Q: Is the McCreary Mount capable of "GoTo" pointing?
A: The mount is an equatorial platform, not a pointing system. The way I would envision "GoTo" pointing being done in conjunction with a McCreary Mount is to have a standard GoTo mechanism associated with your telescope, then to initialize it when the mount is in the "reset" (i.e. fully elevated eastward) position. Then when you wish to slew to a new object, reset the mount, use the GoTo to find your object, and then start tracking again.
Q: What about use in colder climates?
A: Water of course is susceptible to freezing. However, a 50/50 mixture of water and glycerine (which is even less compressible than water) is suitable for use down to below zero farenheit.
Q: Is the drive mechanism repeatable?
A: This is a matter of detailed engineering; ultimately, the best solution will be to have "ballpark" calibration and then to do closed-loop feedback in order to "hone in" on the precise rate while compensating for all lesser variables, such as temperature, barometric pressure, and refraction.