2°) The DEC Head :
The DEC head of the TITAN is also a big part of the mount but very easy to transport without problem. On the following pictures we can see different views of the DEC head with the second Gemini servo motor. I did not note any backlash in this mount. The SBIG selguiding is very accurate even in DEC. My old 12" LX200 classic had a lot of backlash. On the TITAN, I found the TVC (the backlash compensation in the Gemini menu) was not necessary to have an outstanding guiding.
The RA or the DEC heads are solid as a rock. Even with a few quantity of wind, I did not note a terrible vibration with a big guiding error. I was very impressed. A small wind with my old 12" LX200 and I had a big guiding error corrected by my SBIG AO-7 Adaptive Optics.
The big hole in the DEC head is to put the big silver tube we saw on the RA head pictures. As the RA head, the DEC worm gear drive has been adjusted by my dealer.
We can put 100 lbs (45Kg) of equipment on the TITAN mount. All the OTAs can be installed with all Losmandy "D" dovetail plates.
Two big silver knobs ensure an efficient tightening.
The RA and the DEC heads are tightened by a variable clutch on each axis.
The TITAN is delivered with 2 big Losmandy counterweights of 21 lbs (9.5 Kg). My dealer gave me a third counterweight of 13.3 lbs (6 Kg) for the use of my Meade 12" UHTC SCT OTA. For a 14" SCT OTA a third counterweight is, of course, necessary.
3°) The tripod :
The TITAN tripod is in 4 parts : one semi-pier, 3 legs. Very easy to installe. About the semi-pier, we put the RA head on the top with 6 screws. Two small arms allows to install the Gemini CPU panel box.
For the CCD imaging, I recommend to use the legs with the small length to have more stability. I recommend to use the TITAN tripod. We can use the Meade Giant 12" LX200 tripod thanks to the Losmandy adapter. But the TITAN tripod will be better for the CCD imaging.
