Jim Stiley asked about my problems with my Meade LX200GPS 12" at Wolf Creek. I sent him this note, actually thinking it was going out to the whole list, but I guess it didn't. So here it is for the list, in hopes you all could respond to an idea I am mulling over about how to get my telescope on my Supewedge, at the end. Okay, true confessions, Jim. I'm turning pink over all my stupid goofs. I used my Superwedge and failed to realize I needed to put it into polar mode to work. Then when Don (I think it was) kindly pointed it out and I took half the night to figure out how to do that, it wasn't working properly because I didn't align it correctly. I misunderstood the instructions when it said not to use the handbox to align it on Polaris, so just aimed at it without using the handbox -- when I should have put it in the "home" position and then aimed at at Polaris by adjusting the mount, not the aim. I believed I compounded everything by getting the correction for magnetic declination on the wrong side of north, so instead of correcting, it made everything twice as far off! Finally, in the morning I discovered that the top bolt was not screwed in at all tight, leaving the base at an angle to the Superwedge, so the latitude had to be off just because of that if for no other reason. That's not to say mislaying my distance glasses and stumbling around in the dark a long time searching for them. These are difficulties that I won't have much trouble overcoming, I believe. What's much, much worse is that the telescope is too darn heavy for me to lift onto the Superwedge. I had no trouble lifting it from the back of the Jeep onto the tripod without the Superwedge, but the wedge adds a lot of height and puts the connection at a bad angle, instead of lying flat on the tripod. I had purchased some big cinderblocks from Buehner Block so I could stand on them and lift them onto the wedge, I thought, but that didn't work. It was still high and I was on the wrong side to lift it easily and I would have had trouble fitting the bolt into the slot with one hand while holding the telescope by the other. In this regard a competing wedge design is far superior as it has a small lip at the bottom, which is apparently where you can set the 'scope in place momentarily. I needed help to lift the telescope onto the wedge. Then I needed more help to put the two other bolts in place, because it was impossible to delicately slide something that heavy, and I needed help to lift it while I aimed it better. Also, I was afraid to try and lift it off. I thought if I loosened the bolt and held it with one hand, as I did with my Celestron 8", it would be too heavy to hold, even though the other hand would be gripping the handle. So I got it down by putting a blanket on the ground and heavy foam packing material on the blanket, then lowering the telescope onto the foam. Once on the ground, it was easy to unbolt. Here's what I am pondering, and I hope it's not a ridiculous idea. Maybe it's wrong and dangerous and I shouldn't do it. But I have been thinking about setting up the tripod and Superwedge, getting them aligned and level, then pounding a bunch of rebar and tent stakes into the ground, against the inside of two of the legs so they won't slide if I tip it. Then I would tip it over onto packing foam on the ground, where I would attach the telescope. Next I'd tip it back upright. If it was too heavy to do by hand, and I doubt it would be, I could use a tow-strap harness and pull it up using the Jeep. How does that sound to you all? Best wishes, Joe PS: Here's a story from today's paper with some quotes by our friends about the delights of star-gazing: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,510036458,00.html Joe Bauman science & military reporter Deseret News bau@desnews.com (801) 237-2169