This is my main ATM page. The first attempt was the equatorial mount, details of which are at Building an Equatorial Mount Reflector Telescope. A second, better, is the Split Ring telescope treated in the Building a Split Ring Telescope. 

The optics used in the split ring have been taken from the equatorial mount one. The Split Ring telescope is ready and performance-wise, it is a much better telescope that the equatorial mount built here.

                    The Equatorial Mount Telescope                                           The Split Ring Telescope

In general, I have found that the split ring has a better performance than the equatorial mount (this should not be taken as a generalisation, but merely relates to the two scopes in question).

Split Ring advantages:

   - the whole assembly is more rigid and stable

   - wooden material absorbs shocks and dampens movement better

   - less resistant to wind

   - easier to motorise

   - rotating optical tube assembly (translates to viewing comfort)