A milestone was reached in the project with the installation of the massive pier. Using the home-built travelling crane, I was able to carry out the operation alone. The pier's mass is 170 kg, the base plate is 38 kg.
Astrosysteme Austria (ASA) has designed this large pier with a goal of maximizing stability with a minimum footprint. Mated with the DDM 160, it allows 360 degrees rotation in right
ascension without hitting the pier, even when pointed at the pole. Few GEM-type mounts are able to do this.
When the DDM 160 is mounted on the pier, the center of gravity will lie just eight centimeters north of the base plate's center. This is a very stable configuration.
