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jim_m
member
Reged: 10/25/08
Posts: 54
Loc: Virginia, USA
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I like the looks of the NexStar as a "Grab-n-Go,so got a good deal and bought one. Finally showed up, but the screw holes do not match up.MAJOR BUMMER. I did the research I should have done BEFORE I bought it, and found the OTA s
where not the same.So, the question is, Has anyone put the "old" c 8 on this mount? It is a bit more robust, not
sure the mount will take the weigh. Any info or comment?
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Midnight Dan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 2768
Loc: Brockport, NY
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Hi Jim:
If you have the old NexStar 8 mount (not the 8SE), then you need a thing called "Ray's Bracket". These old mounts had a fixed mount instead of a dovetail so you could not adjust the OTA fore and aft for balancing. Ray's Bracket is a sliding mount system designed for people who wanted to modify the existing mount & OTA to allow for that movement. But it should also allow mounting a C8.
I'd give them a call to be sure you won't need to drill any holes in the OTA or anything like that. I would imagine that the NexStar 8 OTA might have holes in a different pattern than a standard C8.
http://tinyurl.com/9n7wb
-Dan
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Scopes: Celestron NexStar 8SE, Orion EON 72mm ED/APO, Orion ShortTube 80
Mounts: NexStar Alt/Az GoTo, Orion Astroview (EQ3) w/single axis drive
Eyepieces: Baader Hyperion 36mm (Aspheric), 21mm 13mm, 8mm, 5mm;
Other: 2x & 3x Barlow, 0.63x Focal Reducer, Dew-not strips, DewBuster controller, SQM Meter
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Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6592
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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Yep we need to know exactly what Nexstar Mount you have...the original one used on the 8,8i or 8iSe or the newer mount used on the 8Se with the dovetail...
On the older C8....its the general opinion of those of us in this forum that either mount will hold the C8 PLUS 5-6 pounds of stuff attached to it without any problems...
If I am not mistaken the front of the older OTAs are pre drilled for dovetails wheras the newer OTA are not...
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
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jim_m
member
Reged: 10/25/08
Posts: 54
Loc: Virginia, USA
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I have the original NexStar 8 Mount.I have a Scope Stuff
rail mount on the OTA.I also have rings tor the OTA that
could be used, a lighter mounting solution. My primary concern is the weight and balance.
Jim
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rick rian
The Lockster
Reged: 08/03/04
Posts: 21212
Loc: Upper Midwest
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That sounds very interesting, Jim ... do you have any photos to share?
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Rickster
NexStar 8i
TV85
Canon 15x50is Bins
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jrford
member
Reged: 08/25/05
Posts: 80
Loc: Birmingham, MI
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i did this with a later model C8, it was originally fork mounted similar to yours. I went with Rays brackets, as there is more room for the screws. The angle and width in which they are drilled is not the same as the current models. It did seem like i was still cross threading the screws but it was workable. Another option would be to remove the corrector and re-tap them, but thats a big job. Attached is a picture of the results.
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Black Celestron 8" on a Nexstar using Rays Brackets
Celestron 4mm,6mm,9mm,15mm,26mm,32mm
GSO 20mm, GSO 2"-26mm,30mm,42mm,50mm
Pentax PCF WP 10X50
Barska 10x50,12-36x70 ZOOM,8x25 WP
Edited by jrford (10/30/09 12:09 PM)
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Nippon
member
Reged: 10/22/09
Posts: 54
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I have an orange tube C8 and on the underside of the tube it has two threaded holes spaced 1.75" apart on the mirror cell and a single threaded hole on the corrector cell. I believe that is the pattern that the fixed bar on the NexStar 8 and 8i attached to. The OTAs when mounted on the NexStar single arm mounts are rotated 90 degrees from how they mount on a twin fork mount. that is why the focus knob is under the diagonal on the one arm mounts and beside the diagonal on the twin arm models. I have an 8SE and i don't think their is much if any difference in weight.
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jim_m
member
Reged: 10/25/08
Posts: 54
Loc: Virginia, USA
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Thanks ALL for your responce and advise.
I will keep "tinkering" with it to see what I
come up with.
Thanks again,
Jim
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bdjeep
sage
Reged: 01/29/07
Posts: 440
Loc: Bolton, MA
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Jim,
As the guy who sold you the Nexstar 8 mount, I feel compelled to help out. 
Does your orange tube C8 have two mounting holes in the rear cell separated by 1.75 inches and one hole in the front cell? Keep in mind, the Scopestuff rail might be using these holes, so you may have to remove it. If so, then your OTA should bolt up directly to the mount.
I'm pretty sure many of the old orange tube C8s used the same hole configuration, so it should fit. It wasn't until more recently that Celestron changed the hole spacing on the rear cell.
Let us know how it goes.
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jim_m
member
Reged: 10/25/08
Posts: 54
Loc: Virginia, USA
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Hi bdjeep,
Nice to hear from you, and thanks for dropping by.
The older C8 has a wider bolt pattern than the Nexstar mount,but this is not the problem. Fore & Aft ballance is not a problem using rings. The side to side ballance makes my a bit nervous, maybee too much weight and chain stretch.
I like the mount too much to mess it up. Diging around for "stuff" to work on the mount, I un-earthed a few smaller scopes that I forgot sbout. Ome was a Vixen built
6 in 'Shorty" f 10.Fantastic scope with a really *BLEEP* mount.Well, it is now GoTo, along with a few 127's and a 4".
I think what I will do is sell off a few C8 s, and buy a complete Nexstar rig so everything is matched up properly.
Best of both worlds.
Thanks again for dropping by,
Jim
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