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Parallellogram mount recommendations please

25585

By 25585
in Discussions - Binoculars

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WbRaDy

WbRaDy

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Well i made mine from aluminium flat bar and a box of nuts and bolts, i got a bearing set off the bay for £4 delivered and i also had a spare counter weight and tripod from my telescope mount doing nothing as i have the scope on a pier...im not sure if your building or buying but here is my few pence worth, you will save a few quid if you make it yourself for sure :) 

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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I don't think you can beat the Universal Astronomics ones. (I have had one of their T-mounts for over a decade and it is perfect for my needs.)

But they are expensive; I have put some links to DIY options at the bottom of this page., and @michael.h.f.wilkinson has posted plans of his DIY one somewhere on these forums.

 

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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13 hours ago, 25585 said:

Only 2 mounts on Amazon, the Orion Mammoth and Paragon. Former looks heftier, but costs as much as the bins they are meant for. Paragon I felt uneasy about holding up heavy 16x70s.

The "Mammoth" has not had good reviews. I have an ancient Virgo Skymount, of which the "Paragon" is a clone; I think the paragon is as well made. It easily balances my Lunt 16x70 (but needed the friction clamps tightened for the Helios Apollo 15x70 that I used to have; counterweight inadequate to balance it). Its main shortcoming, IMO, is that the only possible orientation of the binocular is pointing over the tripod; after using something with a few more degrees of freedom, this seems restrictive.
 

4 hours ago, Chinapig said:

I've also been looking at P-mounts recently, and came across this option from the Ukraine:

This mount is well thought of over on Cloudy Nights.

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25585

25585

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My big bins are Fujinon 16x70 and Helios 11 x 70. Former is heavier and has poor eye relief though good optics. Helios is excellent. If the Paragon looked beefier I might consider it.

Have a surveyors tripod but unsure if the mount alone could be fitted to it. Less of a gamble if I could.

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25585

25585

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11 hours ago, Chinapig said:

I've also been looking at P-mounts recently, and came across this option from the Ukraine:

http://astrodevices.net/mounts/parallelogram-standard-ii-pro

No idea how this would compare to the other commercially available options, but it looks reasonable value.

Looks good apart from the U bracket that supports the binoculars and mount that looks thin.

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Just discovered that Universal Astronomics has ceased trading. What a pity! I guess Larry decided to retire...

13 hours ago, 25585 said:

Have a surveyors tripod but unsure if the mount alone could be fitted to it. Less of a gamble if I could.

Shouldn't be a problem: the base of the Skymount (& so, I assume, the Paragon clone, but do verify this) is 89mm diameter, which is about 20mm wider than the hole in a standard surveyor tripod (some have smaller holes). Replace the 5/8" bolt in the tripod with a 3/8" Whitworth bolt (& washer?). Alternatively, you may be able to source a 5/8 female to 3/8 male adaptor; I know that they are made for microphone stands, but I'm not sure if the microphone 5/8 thread is the same profile & pitch as the one on the tripod. HTH.

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  • 2 months later...
25585

25585

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Monster claims to hold 15lbs as does the Ukrainian. I'm wondering if the latter would fit on my Skywatcher tripod I bought for my Skytee-2 mount.

Monster goes up to 6 feet in height. On same tripod, how high will the Ukrainian mount go?

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25585

25585

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On 10/11/2017 at 13:43, BinocularSky said:

I'm sure many of us will be waiting with bated breath to read your verdict...:icon_biggrin:

Had an email from Valentin stating being sent out on Tues as

"an updated and improved new version of p-mount should be to the warehouse. 
You will be the first to receive it."
:hello2:
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25585

25585

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The Astrodevices.net Standard II Pro has arrived (from the Ukraine). 

Photos below. Sturdy device weighing over 12 lbs without any counter weight (none provided). Painted in gloss wrinkle thick paint. Steel/iron, not aluminium, struts of U shape. The shaft for weights is retractable inside it's adjacent strut and clamped by two hefty knobs as can be seen. Length of shaft can be adjusted, very useful for travelling, indoor use etc. 

My problem will be how to fasten the bottom to a tripod I have, if the latter is sturdy enough!

Only weak point are the vertical handles which are hard plastic, one had a chip off when unpackaged. 

This mount can IMO easily take a 20x100 pair of binoculars, small refractor or reflector scope. It feels industrial, not camera shop light/portable/bling. Any tripod would need an anchoring weight and sturdy legs. But solidity is a virtue and this P-mount has that definitely. 

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asset189

asset189

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Santa came early for me and managed to drag an Orion paragon down the chimney to boot. It’s a sturdy mount that easily supports my 15x70 celestrons. A simple mod found on line (reverse mounting plate and bung small ball mount on the end) means I’ve plenty of motion from seated position.  Clear night tonight as well :-) 

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25585

25585

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2 hours ago, asset189 said:

Santa came early for me and managed to drag an Orion paragon down the chimney to boot. It’s a sturdy mount that easily supports my 15x70 celestrons. A simple mod found on line (reverse mounting plate and bung small ball mount on the end) means I’ve plenty of motion from seated position.  Clear night tonight as well :-) 

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Ideal! What tripod have you, it looks sturdy. 

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