The Half Hitch was specifically created as a grab 'n go mount.  A grab 'n go telescope has more extreme requirements than merely being transportable:  It must be very quick and nearly effortless; and it must pack into the nooks and crannies left by other activities.  Moreover, it must assemble quickly, require no adjustment, and work without fuss or failure.   Whether headed to the backyard or a distant mountain, a grab 'n go telescope provides the freedom to observe without being burdened.  Grab 'n go means the chance to engage in observing when any other equipment would be left at home or left inside.

The long and combined experiences of many observers have crowned the alt-azimuth style mount as the overwhelming best choice for grab 'n go telescopes.  Moreover, alt-azimuth mounts (unlike equatorial mounts) are compatible with binoculars, spotting scopes, some solar scopes like the PST, and terrestrial cameras all of which require the viewing orientation not become tilted sideways.

For visual observing, the nimble Half Hitch offers many advantages compared to equatorial mounts:

• Damps vibration faster than equatorial mounts weighing considerably more

• Does not require polar alignment and is ready to use immediately

• Simpler and more intuitive to operate

• Does not have the meridian reversal problem

• Carries much more easily and can be moved quickly to see around trees

• Does not have temperamental clutches or tedious axis locks

• Does not require batteries or a power cord for the drives

• Is more reliable and essentially maintenance-free

• Has quiet, neighbor-friendly operation

• Is multi-purpose from nature watching to photography

• Is much more travel friendly

• Costs considerably less than equatorial mounts of comparable quality

The Half Hitch also has most of the same advantages, plus many more, over consumer-grade GoTo alt-azimuth mounts — which rely on cheap electronics, plastic or low-grade stamped metal parts, cheap bearings, and sloppy fits to compete in the bell-and-whistle, mass-market wars.  Instead of flash and dazzle, the innovative Half Hitch delivers solid, enduring performance.

Today there are many exciting choices for fine grab 'n go optics.  The pioneering Half Hitch provides an equally exciting, highly optimized choice for a grab 'n go mount.

Do more observing all year long!

Don't I need motorized tracking?
 

Given all the potential problems with the cheaply manufactured drive systems (plus all the noise, extra weight, and hassle with batteries), most grab 'n go enthusiasts prefer manual slow-motion controls as a best compromise.  The Half Hitch's motion controls are exceptional and make following objects very easy!

Consider a typical case of a 102 mm APO refractor.  Most deep-sky observing will be done at 60x or lower magnification.  Using modern wide-field eyepieces, an object will take six minutes or longer to drift across the field of view.  A few, infrequent compensations with the motion controls is all that is needed to keep the object nearly centered for extended periods of time.  Like focusing, motion-control assisted tracking soon becomes second nature, requiring little thought or effort.

Let's say that you push your 102 mm APO to 250x for planetary observing.  Again, the generous field of view afforded by modern eyepieces will allow the planet to drift for well over a minute before it begins to slip beyond of the edge of the field.  At 250x, adjusting for drift at 40-second intervals will commonly keep the planet within the middle half of the field of view.  Such corrections are quick, easy and vibration-free using the Half Hitch's ultra-smooth roller-drive motion controls.  At more typical magnifications of 160x to 180x, tracking planets with the Half Hitch is a piece of cake!

For the size of telescope usually employed for grab 'n go astronomy, the Half Hitch's backlash-free motion controls provide a near optimal solution for tracking once all factors are considered including no polar alignment, no batteries or power cord, no calibrations, no meridian reversal, and no equipment failures.

Can't you find more objects with a GoTo mount?
 

Absolutely Not!  The Sky Commander equipped Half Hitch finds objects just as quickly and easily — without the noise, big battery requirement, and equipment failures that plague GoTo mounts.

All mass-production GoTo mounts utilize cheap components to keep the selling prices down to competitive levels.  As these cheap components grind away at high speeds when slewing to an object, you can hear the imperfections screaming!  If any component fails, most GoTo mounts stop working completely. Eventually, what initially seemed like a high-tech advantage becomes an irritating liability.

Bulletproof reliability is one of the primary tenets of grab 'n go observing.  Equipment failures are not an option!

GoTo mounts tend to be heavier and bulkier despite their reliance on many plastic components.  They also tend to have poor tripod clearance.  When one adds in the weight of batteries and spare batteries to power them, GoTo mounts really miss the mark for true grab 'n go application.  But just as importantly, they also miss the philosophical mark for grab 'n go observing.