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CanesVenatici

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  1. An update for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation. I now have the Baader RDM, and mine measures up at 36mm along and 31.7mm across the dovetail. From Baader's site their universal finder base is 35mm across the bottom of the dovetail, so the male part of dovetail is a pretty loose fit in the base, but I guess that this means the Red Dot mount will fit in a 32mm base, whilst the Baader Universal finder base will also take a larger dovetail. So, it is 'universal', but don't expect engineering tolerances of fit! Baader say that that RDM "fits all Red Dot finders" but this is only half true. The top of the RDM has an 11mm dovetail, as is used with some air-rifles. However, most of the cheap Red Dot finders around - even those sold specifically for astronomy - are fitted with a 21mm rail clamp, so an adaptor (or replacement clamp) is needed to fit the Red Dot finder to the Baader RDM - again not the neatest of solutions. The only integrated solution I have seen is generally sold under the SVBony name, and this has a 35mm long dovetail at the bottom, with a 21 mm Weaver rail on the top. The other answer is to shell out big money for the Baader SkySurfer V, which I think is what Baader hope's all those annoyed by all these other Heath Robinson solutions will do!
  2. Hi Pixies, thanks for the reply. It sounds like the Baader will do the job. This is my new finder bracket. https://lacerta-optics.com/kup2_Sucher-Schnellkupplung-passend-zu-Celestron-und-Meade This is what I was using. (Or something very much like it.) It is 31mm wide and 30mm long at the bottom of the dovetail. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203153175333?hash=item2f4cdf7325:g:rM8AAOSwkbReViGD
  3. I have searched but cannot find any information about the dimensions of the dovetail fitting on the base of the Baader Universal Red Dot Mount: https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-metal-v-bracket-for-skysurfer-incl.-standard-finder-base.html I need to know this as my new 'scope has a Synta-sized finder shoe which is about 35mm wide at the bottom and 40mm long, and has two securing screws. This means that my current RDF base is too small, being about 31mm wide and just 30mm long, so the securing screws almost overlap the ends of the shoe. I guess the width is not so critical as I can just wind the screws further in, but I really need a RDF mounting bracket that is at least 35mm long. Would the Baader fit the bill, or is it also too short? If anyone has one of these and can confirm the width and length of the bottom of the dovetail, that would be great. Thanks!
  4. Just a quick update for anyone considering the AZ Baby. When I first got this I assumed that it used plain bearings, but I have just had a mind to clean and lubricate the internals, and it is actually fitted with an intenal roller bearing on each axis, with the teflon discs forming the counter-bearing on the outside. (What I thought was a plain bearing was just the pressure plate for the adjustment knob.) I'm still very happy with this little mount!
  5. Hi Pete, Thanks for the tips. Removing the focuser doesn't seem to be too problematical, and I would only need to do this occasionally. The real problem now is finding one. Here in Europe they seem to be out of stock everywhere , with no real indication as when the next shipment might arrive.
  6. Optics test here. http://interferometrie.blogspot.com/2017/06/3-short-achromats-bresser-ar102xs.html
  7. Hi all, I am thinking of buying a Vixen SD81S as part of my portable set-up, and it would help a lot of the tube could be shortened for travel by removing the focuser assembly. I know that this often requires a bit of heat and strength, but my question is, if I did this would the baffle tube remain well out of harm's way inside the main tube, or would it protrude out of the main tube section? I understand that the baffle tube has been modified in the newer SD81 and have read that it now extends into the focuser, but I don't know how far it extends. Has anyone removed the focuser and can give a definite answer? Thanks!
  8. Sorry, for my needs the AZ baby is fine without an extension bar. I am sure that the astroshop could tell you.
  9. I recently bought one of these mounts and it is very nicely made. It is basically a 2" / 50 mm Teflon disc mount, about the same size as the TS AZT6 but with an easily accessible, top-mounted azimuth knob. It uses plain bearings and apart from some internal washes is made entirely out of machined aluminium alloy. I guess some would like to see roller bearings or some such, but there is no room for slop anywhere in the AZ baby's design and everything fits together very snugly. This mount has actually been around for over 10 years, and is machined by the Liu Xiaoyi brothers in China, who used to sell it direct as the Astroslew AIM. (They also did a version in stainless steel, plus a much larger version.) Now the astroshop seem to be their main distributor, who sell it with a generic but well-made Vixen-compatible dual clamp. (TS sell the clamp as their XL Premium Dovetail for 65€). XL is about right, as it is rather oversized, being rated for 20kg against the much smaller mount head, rated for 4kg. If it matters, the clamp is now silver anodised, rather than the black shown in astroshop's photo, but the mount is still anodised black. Only Issue I had was that the two M8 mounting bolts for the rail clamp sat a little proud of the surface of the clamp, so I replaced them with 2 M8 stainless bolts that I had filed down couple of mm. I have found the mount to be very smooth in use, and I have it fitted to a Manfrotto 190X tripod, which lacks the option to set the extension at 90 degrees but is more rigid as a result. It only carries a Tecnosky AC 62/520 (the same scope as the Orion Starblast, Vixen A62SS and Baader Scopos 62 - essentially a Long Perng S520M) but it settles down within a second or so, unless the central extension on the tripod is raised too high.) It would have liked to test the AZ baby alongside the TS AZT6, which is a bit cheaper, but had to choose one so went for the more 'engineered' look of the AZ baby. If you want some more reviews of this mount do a search for the Astroslew AIM.
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