New Scope!

[gareththegeek]

We have just taken delivery of a C100 EDR on a CG5. After settling on getting an Explorer 200P I noticed that Sherwoods will still selling the C100 at offer price and snapped one up.

Got it all set up in the lounge waiting for a clear night; Saturday looks promising - fingers crossed...

We were a bit confused with the way the scope attaches to the mount. The scope comes with a tube clamp and also a dovetail plate. The bottom of the tube clamp is the same wedge shape as the plate and fits in the grove on the mount but there is no recess for the screws to go into so I am worried it might slip. The plate has recesses for screws but doesn't seem to attach to the tube clamp.

Have we set this up correctly? Why the superfluous dovetail bar?

[Deneb]

Dont worry it won't slip, just make sure the mount head hand bolts are tight on the dovetail clamp side, if you don't like the clamp get yourself some tube rings & a 21cm dovetail bar.

Cheers

Nadeem.

[jgs001]

It sounds like it's setup correctly, the clamshell (tube clamp) on the C80ED has a dovetail already built into it. The in that are for mounting it on a camera tripod. I would think that the C100ED works the same way. As for the Dovetail, it seems to be, that the manufacturers include a dovetail bar with the mounts. If you would prefer to use the dovetail bar, then you need a pair of tube rings of the correct size to mount the 100ED. This in some ways offers a little more flexibility, as they have 1/4" UNC threads in the top of the rings for mounting other equipment, but it's not necessary.

None of my dovetail bars, have recesses for the mount screws to go into, I've not had an issue with slippage.

[gareththegeek]

Thanks for the reassurance. It felt steady enough but its a little disconcerting having such an expensive bit of kit held by one screw

Can't wait to get out there observing, the past month has been nothing but cloud!

[franklypeter]

I have also just received this scope from the same supplier and indeed was also bemused by the mounting of the scope to the plate!

So I rang the chappy and he basically said exactly what is written in the replies above. The extra dovetail is exactly that. An extra.

Doesn't help that the instruction booklet tells you to attach the dovetail to the rings and makes no mention of the clamp thingy that the scope actually comes with.

Hopefully will have first light tonight on my first scope.

If only I new more things in the sky than plough + moon...

[PeterM]

I had the very same problem with some left over bit the first time I put up my C80ED the other day (and also posted here for help, too). I have to say that the manuals aren't exactly models of clarity.

[brantuk]

If you want to learn the sky - Stellarium is great - it's a totally free download and will show you enough constellations, planets and dso's, exactly as they appear at your location, to keep you occupied for the next ten years lol

[gareththegeek]

Yes, Stallarium is indispensable!

Used it on Saturday night in combination with the setting circles on the mount to finally catch sight of M81 and M82 (our first galaxies)