Dec plate position

[Orion1]

Hi! This is maybe a stupid question...

Does position of dec plate on a equatorial goto mount matter as long as the scope initially is pointing north?

I want to mount two small scopes in paralell.

[symmetal]

By dec plate I assume your referring to the dovetail bar which is clamped to the saddle of the eq mount. No, it's location doesn't matter as long as it's mounted parallel to the position it would be, if mounted in the saddle as a single scope. You just need to ensure that the combination of scopes stays in balance.

This is one method of mounting two scopes side by side. Using this method the saddle on the eq mount would be rotated 90 degrees from it's normal 'home' position to hold the dovetail bar and thus ensure the two saddles pictured are still pointing in the original 'home' position.

Alan

[Orion1]

Tried it tonight and it worked fine. Thanks!