The all-Aluminium pier for the Paramount and mini-WASP array

I have just brought the massive all-Aluminium mini-WASP pier in from the shed.  I will set it up in the upstairs study with the Paramount on top to give a dry run for the computer and all the electronics.  The pier was made by NTE Poole Ltd. craftsmen in everything to do with Aluminium (and stainless-steel for that matter) – thank you Eric Kennedy for a really great job on this.  The foot ruler is positioned on the base to give you an idea of the scale – the cylindrical central Aluminium tube has a wall thickness of one-inch!!!  The whole thing is pretty heavy (considering it’s Aluminium!) and extremely robust.  The pier will sit on a concrete foundation that is approximately 2-foot x 2-foot in cross-section, goes 5-6 feet into the ground, and protrudes 1-foot above ground level.  There will be an octagonal wooden decking surround (not physically touching the pier) and this will accommodate the new observatory – the new decking will look exactly like the decking underneath the original New Forest Observatory.  Here is an image of the all-Aluminium pier:

The next step is to bring the Paramount up into the study as well, sit it on top of the pier, connect up the computer and all the electronics and see if it all works (no I haven’t powered it up since it arrived nearly a year ago – oops).  If it does all work and I can control the Paramount using the hand-controller, then the next entry will be the second mini-WASP video log showing the Paramount in action.  Fingers crossed everybody 🙂

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