Sold to over 5 countries across 3 Continents

Features

• AMAZING 8.5 - 65 degree declination adjustment
• Constructed from 6061 aluminum plate; 1" base and tilt plates, 3/4" sides
• Unitized construction; after assembly in a precision fixture, the pieces are welded to form a complete, steady structure (no shifting, racking, or flexing)
• Precision press-fit bearings at pivot points
• Zero-Slop adjustment of Alt/Az; Dial in Polaris with our ultra smooth adjustment knobs, then tighten your position... Polaris will remain in the center of your eyepiece.
• "Attach and Forget" mounting to your pier or tripod.
• Rugged powder coat and anodized finish
• Same bolt pattern as Celestron and Meade wedge to match your existing pier or tripod
• Two 1.25" or 2" eyepiece holders
• SBIG power supply holder
• Designed by a degreed Mechanical Engineer on Unigraphics NX
• CNC Machined
• 85-point quality inspected
• 100% Made In USA from American materials
• Available Off The Shelf, No Waiting!
• Inquire for custom modifications. We can accommodate your needs!

Revolution Enhancements - Available Beginning of August

• Bolt Pattern for Meade and Celestron together! That's right, one wedge for many scopes.
• Extra thick base disc to give added clearance on Celestron Tripods, no more using threaded inserts!

Specifications

Finish: maroon or black powder coat
Weight: 38 lbs
Composition: Unitized Solid Aluminum
Dimensions: Sub Plate Drawing (pdf)
Dimensioned drawing of tilt plate and side plate - Reference only (pdf)

How to Purchase:
    Online: Visa & Mastercard only
    Other: Postal money order. Please call before making this type of payment.
    Other: Government Purchase Order, Company Purchase Order. Please call before making this type of payment.

More Photos

Click on a thumbnail to view a larger image.

Commonly Asked Questions

Q: Do I have to assemble anything?
A: No. Your wedge is ready to use right out of the box. We don't cut corners by having our customers do our work for us.

Q: How is the wedge packed?
A: This is a very heavy, precise instrument. UPS has specific packaging requirements to be able to insure shipping. This packaging includes a double-walled, 270lb. crush strength box; 4 insta-pack hot foam inserts; and heavy-duty bubble wrap. Feel secure in knowing that your wedge will arrive safely to you - and the packaging is reusable for shipping for future upgrades.

Q: Is the wedge available in any other color?
A: Yes. We can customize your wedge in almost any color. Your choices are limited by our powder coating vendor's inventory. The cost will be directly passed on to you from our vendor. This on average is $250-$350. It will also delay your wedge by 3-12 weeks. Our 1 year warranty will still apply towards workmanship and materials. However our 30 Day satisfaction guarantee is not available. Likewise the sale is final, your wedge is not returnable. The reason for this is we will not be able to resell the wedge at a later date because of the custom color.

Q: Is the wedge available uncoated or clear anodized?
A: No.

Q: What is the shipping cost to my location?
A: It will vary depending where you are and how fast you want delivery to be. The easiest way to estimate the cost is to use the UPS Shipping Estimator. The box dimensions are 30x20x20", weight is 46 lbs., insured value is $5001.00. (This forces UPS to hand carry the box)

Customer Comments

"Hey the wedge arrived today and my God is it something. I work for Boeing as an engineer and I can see the QUALITY that has went into the design and manufacturing of this peice of equipment. I can't wait to finish the refurbish on the observatory and to be able to use it. Thanks for building such a quality product!"

--Bob Birket

"I can't figure out why people consider the APT Astro wedge too expensive compared to the Celestron. The Celestron costs $400 and the APT is only $150 more and is in a totally different league regarding ease of use, stability, precision and durability. Buying the APT Astro is a no-brainer if you are at all serious about astro photography. My 2 cents... cheers. "

--Keith Myers

"I tested the setup tonight in 20 mph winds and gusting to 30. Although I couldn't take any pictures because of the wind, I did a drift align and I was very surprised with the accuracy of the setup. After 10 minutes I gave up waiting for the star to drift in Az."

--Jose Suro
on a stock Celestron Tripod
Website

"I have been trying to get my new wedge mounted and going this evening and have had my share of 'newbie-itis'. I will say that I called APT this afternoon and Adam called me back within seconds, literally. He even called me back about 30 minutes later to make sure I had gotten everything mounted correctly. Great service."

--Tom Calvin

Beta Testers' Comments

"The wedge is very easy to adjust which will be a godsend to those of us portable folks. The adjustments are predictable and repeatable.... The lack of bolts that need to be loosened and re-tightened that attach the wedge to the tripod is a great feature and needs to be prominently touted. It's nice being able to just bolt the thing to the tripod (pier) and forget it."

--Jeff Richards
author for Cloudy Nights

"What did the wedge contribute to my picture taking? Well, it was very steady. Accidentally bumping the camera cable or tugging on the hand-paddle cord did not start the image dancing. Being able to easily and precisely adjust the wedge for polar alignment meant that I was quickly able to do a decent alignment in a hurry, just using the polar scope, meaning that the planet stayed near the center of the chip and the only movement was due to a periodic error... I was very impressed. VERY. I'd seen Jeff's (Richards) wedge at Chiefland, but it's one thing to see this puppy by itself and another to compare it to what you used to call your "heavy duty wedge" at home!"

--Rod Mollise, on his first time using the APT Astro Equatorial Wedge for AstroImaging
author of Choosing and Using A Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope

"My first thought was 'Man what a monster this thing is!'. At 45 pounds, it's two thirds of the weight of the NexStar11. As a comparison the Celestron HD Wedge weighs about 15 pounds. I removed it from the box after carting the whole thing down to the observatory. I had already disassembled my Celestron Heavy Duty Wedge from the pier and set the two side by side for direct comparison photos which can be seen here. The difference is obvious. The thick plate used, the oversized bolts, and the precision jigged and welded construction will eliminate any possibility of racking and the fit of the various parts will insure a solid mount with no unnecessary movement. This wedge is rock solid."

--Lenny Shaffer, on his first impressions after using our wedge
Full Review
Images taken with AMF Wedge

All APT Astro products are proudly Made in USA.