M81/M82 GALAXY GROUP - M35/NGC2158 CLUSTERS

Hi Keith,

What i need to do is photograph the one I made and show you how easy it is or draw a diagram. In saying that the first link you posted is relavitely cheap considering that if you were to make one you need to buy a losmandy style dovetail plate which you would then cut in half. The problem with the first one is it has the vixen style dovetail and not the losmandy/cge style. In both I am slightly concerned that there is only one cross member supporting both scopes. On the one I made uses two stell section cross members and is very solid. Lemme come up with some photos/diagrams.

Keith,

Heres a little diagram of how I made my side by side plate from an existing 14" Losmandy dovetail plate DC14 here .

I attach the guide scopes via losmandy guide scope rings (on the ssame page as the link above (see DR90 - DR160)

Note that before fixing the centre plate you should attach all scopes and cameras etc, slide the assembly till it is balanced, mark and fix. This allows you to use differing loads on each side.

In some ways it may be just as cost effective to buy one since the losmandy plates and rings are not cheap, but what you end up with is absolutely solid. I neglected to note in the diagram that your looking at the bottom of the arrangement and both cross memebers are 1 1/2" x 3/4" rectangular steel section.

Hello Dave, thanks very much for taking the time to provide the diagrams, I'll study them well, and take it from there

Keith..