With luck we'll have the Ealing installed this year (2002)

001

Bruce Grim with the 40 cm (16") Ealing telescope. JUL 2000

002

Looking over the Ealing 40 cm (16") scope. 18 NOV 2000

003

Part of the mount (note the mirror finish that all of the Ealing's external parts are to eventually have) and the tube. 17 JAN 2002

004

"Paintmeister" Chuck Hards stands with some newly painted parts. 17 JAN 2002

005

Patrick Wiggins tries the newly finished dust cap on for size.  Chuck Hards noted that it very nearly fit. 17 JAN 2002

006

Bruce Grim loads the very heavy (it's filled with concrete) Ealing pier into his truck for transport to SPOC 2. 20 JAN 2002

007

Patrick Wiggins and Roger Butz attach Bruce Grim's truck mounted crane to the Ealing pier for unloading at SPOC 2. 20 JAN 2002

008

Roger Butz and Patrick Wiggins watch as Bruce Grim starts to lift only to see the crane break. 20 JAN 2002

009

The broken truck crane prompts Roger Butz and Bruce Grim to give the newly installed Ealing Room roof winch its first workout. 20 JAN 2002

010

Borrowing a trick from the ancient Egyptians' pyramid building play book, the pier is rolled into the Ealing Room. 20 JAN 2002

011

The Ealing pier bolted into place and showing a coat of red primer paint. 23 JAN 2002  Ron Ford image

012

Patrick Wiggins and Roger Butz admire the newly refurbished Ealing parts (the ones that are wrapped).  Chuck Hards did a great job making them look like new. 01 FEB 2002

013

Ron Ford steadies the polar axle housing as Roger Butz pulls on the roof hoist. Andy Bogdan, Ken Harris and Bruce Grim look on.  05 FEB 2002  McNeil image

014

Bruce Grim, Ron Ford, Andy Bogdan and Ken Harris guide the polar axle housing onto the pier while Roger Butz controls the hoist. 05 FEB 2002  McNeil image

015

Ealing pier with the polar axle housing, still shrouded in protective wrapping, attached. 05 FEB 2002  Ron Ford image

016

Peter Ruplinger demonstrates the newly refurbished drive for the Ealing.  The control paddle in his left hand is for slewing while the one in his right hand is for fine guiding. 09 FEB 2002

017

Bruce Grim checks the drive motors.  The gear on the left is for declination while the one on the right is for right ascension. 09 FEB 2002

018

The declination and right ascension drives are in the foreground.  The control paddles, drive corrector and junction box are in the rear. 09 FEB 2002

019

Ron Ford and Patrick Wiggins steady the declination axle and counterweight housing as Andy Bogdan used the roof winch to move the housing onto the pier.  Bruce Grim stands ready to maneuver the housing into place. 14 FEB 2002  McNeil image

020

Bruce Grim uses the roof winch to put the declination axle and counterweight housing in place. 14 FEB 2002  Ron Ford image

021

Ron Ford watches as Andy Bogdan bolts the declination axle and counterweight housing in place. 14 FEB 2002

022

Patrick Wiggins struggles to install a counterweight in the counterweight housing. 14 FEB 2002  Ron Ford image

023

Ron Ford hefts a counterweight into the counterweight housing prior to installing the cover. 14 FEB 2002

024

The right ascension drive and clutch assembly. 14 FEB 2002

025

The declination drive and clutch assembly. 14 FEB 2002

026

Ron Ford checks the progress of the Ealing assembly project. 14 FEB 2002

027

The Ealing nearly ready for installation of the OTA. 14 FEB 2002  Ron Ford image

028

Any Bogdan and Bruce Grim install the declination counterweight bracket. 14 FEB 2002

029

Roger Butz attaches the spider. 19 MAR 2002  Ron Ford image

030

OTA installed and ready for installation of the focuser, finder and a few other peripherals. 19 MAR 2002  Ron Ford image

031                 32
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Bruce Grim and Patrick Wiggins enjoy first light of the Ealing at SPOC 2.  The object chosen for first light was comet Ikeya-Zhang (C/2002 C1). 20 MAR 2002

033

Both finders have been installed, including the one on the left custom made by Chuck Hards. 28 MAR 2002  Ron Ford image

034

Patrick Wiggins opens the access hatch through which film is loaded in the piggybacked 14 cm Schmidt camera. 28 MAR 2002  Ron Ford image

035

The lower R. A. shaft cover has been installed.  Note the small, round black object at the lower left portion of the image.  This is a beeper Bruce Grim engineered to sound if the mount is moved too far in R. A.  22 JUL 2002

036                 037                038                 039
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Bruce Grim opens and displays the newly donated Apex 127 mm Maksutov.  He later tested it by installing it in his home observatory before attaching it to the Ealing.  After a look at M-13 Bruce proclaimed the optics to be "superb".  12/13/14 SEP 2002

040

Installation of the adapter Roen Hale donated allows Celestron & Meade accessories to be used on the Ealing & Big Scope.  15 SEP 2002

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