In my previous post here, I said the restoration of the Alan Telescope was nearly finished.

We had a meeting on Monday night and there is a problem with the Declination axis motor drive.

It has worked OK up to now, but the 30 year old arrangement has now given up.

The telescope has a fine pitch worm screw, driven by a reversible DC electric motor. The worm acts on a small rack section, which we unbolt and move around a large (30 inch diameter) declination circle, made from metal.

The screw has started to slip and there is no obvious remedy, other than replacement.

So I have have been talking to telescope specialists, such as the excellent Beacon Hill telescopes, about how to fix it for the long term.

We may have to purchase and fit a large worm wheel and worm set, to provide a more accurate, reliable drive.

This will cost a fair bit of money.

Alternatively, we are considering a “tangent arm” threaded rod arrangement. this will be cheaper and easier to fit.

I shall let you know here, what happens next…