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drksky
super member
Reged: 09/01/09
Posts: 113
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I have a CG-5 mount that uses a Vixen saddle, but I'd like to mount my AT8RC using the Losmandy dovetail. Has anyone used the ADM Vixen to Losmandy Adapter to do something similar?
The description says the saddle on it is spring-loaded. I'm hoping that the screws actually tighten down as well. Hate to think of my scope being held in place by nothing other than a spring.
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Tony C
AT8RC
C6-R
CG-5 ASGT
ST80 w/StarShoot Autoguider
Canon EOS 450D (Stock)
The Drinking Bird
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Bill Cowles
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1041
Loc: Utah
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Works great and has a much larger contact area. Mine is for an Atlas, but it's the basically the same, only difference is mine is the dual saddle. I'm still using the Vixen dovetail, but can upgrade to the Losmandy in the future, if needed.
Bill
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Lunt LS60TS50DS/B1200/FT (on order)
TV Gensis/Solarmax 60 filter
PST DS/Herschel Wedge/C4-R
C6-R /Atlas Goto/Moonlite CF2
12" LightBridge/Round Table
MCHP/8" Orion OTA/Ultima 2000
10" Discovery /Celestron SE-4
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Bill Cowles
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1041
Loc: Utah
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The dovetail is held by the full length rail, not screws and the springs just give tension to the plate. I'm using mine with a C6-R, which is very long and the ADM adapter is so much better and easier to mount my scope.
Bill
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Lunt LS60TS50DS/B1200/FT (on order)
TV Gensis/Solarmax 60 filter
PST DS/Herschel Wedge/C4-R
C6-R /Atlas Goto/Moonlite CF2
12" LightBridge/Round Table
MCHP/8" Orion OTA/Ultima 2000
10" Discovery /Celestron SE-4
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Bill Cowles
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1041
Loc: Utah
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Here is my scope with it's new ADM dual saddle.
Bill
Edited by Bill Cowles (10/28/09 08:39 PM)
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Lane
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1494
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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I think what Bill is describing is actually the replacement dual saddle for the EQ-5 and EQ-6 scopes.
What you are referring to is the adapter that goes into your existing v-saddle and converts it to a d-saddle. I am doing the opposite myself. I have a d-saddle on one of my scopes and I use the ADM D to V adapter in there to drop it down to a v-series saddle for my smaller scopes.
I acutally prefer these adapters to the replacement saddle plates and the reason is for balance. Using the adapter gives you the ability to shift the scope further out from the saddle plate to achieve balance when using heavy accessories.
The springs in all the ADM saddles are there to keep the jaws open while you are inserting the OTA's dovetail. You still have to tighten the bolts to hold the OTA. In the old days before the springs it could sometimes be difficult to mount the OTA because you could bump the saddle and close it up by accident, the springs keep it open to prevent that issue.
There is one problem with using the adapters instead of just replacing your saddle plate as Bill describes. The adapters push the scope up higher, a little more than an inch. And of course the further out it is the less stable it is and the more counterweights you need. The adapter itself also adds about a pound to the setup and requires a little more counterweight as well. This added weight is not huge but it is something to consider as it does increase vibration damping time.
Edited by Lane (10/29/09 02:24 AM)
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drksky
super member
Reged: 09/01/09
Posts: 113
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Thanks for the information guys. I'm not worried so much about the little bit of extra height or weight. I was more concerned about whether it introduced more instability into the system because of the addition of more "loose" parts between the mount and the scope.
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Tony C
AT8RC
C6-R
CG-5 ASGT
ST80 w/StarShoot Autoguider
Canon EOS 450D (Stock)
The Drinking Bird
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Lane
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1494
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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This stuff is rigid and holds very tight. As long as it does not add more weight than the mount can handle then stability should be no problem.
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CGEM, ORION SIRIUS, AT Voyager
OTAs: C6, C8, C9.25, C11, Pronto, ED80
Orion 9x63, Fujinon 10x50 & 16x70
Ethos 13, 17 Nagler 9t1,12t4,16t2,22t4 Panoptic 27,35
Antares 1.6x, TV Powermates 2x & 4x, TV Barlow 3x, TV Plossl 8,11,13
Baader Hyperion 21, 8-24 Zoom, UO HD Ortho 6,7,9,12,18
TMB Planetaries 3.2,4,5,6,7,8, Pentax XW 10,14,40
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DOCTORRMARK
newbie
Reged: 01/24/09
Posts: 1
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Boy, was this helpful! I've spent many hours trying to find this and it took 5 minutes on CL. Its a resource I'm going to use a lot more. Thanks for the help and CS...Doctorrmark AKA: Mark
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Lane
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1494
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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Hi Mark - Welcome to CN 
I thought I knew a lot about telescopes before I joined this site, but this place is a goldmine of information. The best I have found on the www. Every single issue I have had with my scopes or accessories has been solved by someone out here in less that 24 hours. No dealer I have talked to yet could match this site.
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CGEM, ORION SIRIUS, AT Voyager
OTAs: C6, C8, C9.25, C11, Pronto, ED80
Orion 9x63, Fujinon 10x50 & 16x70
Ethos 13, 17 Nagler 9t1,12t4,16t2,22t4 Panoptic 27,35
Antares 1.6x, TV Powermates 2x & 4x, TV Barlow 3x, TV Plossl 8,11,13
Baader Hyperion 21, 8-24 Zoom, UO HD Ortho 6,7,9,12,18
TMB Planetaries 3.2,4,5,6,7,8, Pentax XW 10,14,40
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lionel
member
Reged: 08/12/07
Posts: 68
Loc: Delaware
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I use an ADM Vix-Los saddle adapter on my Sphinx SXD (and occasionally on my CG5-GT) to carry my Mewlon which has a Casady dovetail plate. The adapter is well-designed and beautifully machined and makes a very solid mounting surface for over 30 lb of scope plus accessories. I have an earlier version without the springs but they are now included to help keep the saddle open. They play no role in holding the scope.
Lionel
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Tak Mewlon 250
Powerstar C8
1960s Bushnell 60mm f12 refractor
Sphinx SXD
CG5-ASGT
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Billydee
super member
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 183
Loc: Winter Haven, FL
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Interesting point on the AT8RC. You can take the Losmandy off the bottom and the Vixen off the top and swap them. Then you have the Vixen where you can use it on your mount. Look at the mounting screws on both and you will see how simple this is. Why not just turn it over instead of moving the dovetails, the finder mount would be on the bottom of the OTA if that doesn't bother you just turn the OTA upside down and no harm done.
Luck, Bill
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Bill Cowles
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/16/06
Posts: 1041
Loc: Utah
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The CN forums are hard to beat. My scope sat in a garage for 2 years till I started to read how to upgrade and read of products I had never heard of, many of these products are now on my scopes. Be warned this site will cost you money with all the great ideas and recommendations.
Welcome to CN, also.
Bill
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Lunt LS60TS50DS/B1200/FT (on order)
TV Gensis/Solarmax 60 filter
PST DS/Herschel Wedge/C4-R
C6-R /Atlas Goto/Moonlite CF2
12" LightBridge/Round Table
MCHP/8" Orion OTA/Ultima 2000
10" Discovery /Celestron SE-4
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drksky
super member
Reged: 09/01/09
Posts: 113
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Quote:
Why not just turn it over instead of moving the dovetails
Then my Telrad will be on the bottom 
I remarked on another thread that it's quite easy to swap the dovetails around. I was looking at the ADM adapter cause I'd like to use the Losmandy rail to mount the scope and the Vixen rail for a guidescope. Makes sense to have the beefier rail holding the heavier scope. I just wasn't sure about introducing another piece into the mounting.
Lots of good information here. Now if I could just skip past winter, I'd be perfect.
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Tony C
AT8RC
C6-R
CG-5 ASGT
ST80 w/StarShoot Autoguider
Canon EOS 450D (Stock)
The Drinking Bird
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