M Hambrick wrote:

Ø  Hi Linwood

I used to mount my 180 EDT scope while the mount was in Park 3 until Roland suggested that having the mount in Park 2 makes it much much easier to mount the scope. He was right. The best way to do this for heavier scopes is to leave the rings attached to the dovetail plate and clamped to the saddle with the opening in the rings facing the south side. Then you place the scope into the rings. You may need a short step stool to facilitate doing this. Once the scope is sitting in the rings it will not fall out. You can then fine tune the position before clamping the rings. I think you can also leave the OTA attached to the rings and dovetail plate as you do and it is still easier to mount in Park 2. 

I appreciate the approach, but my heavier OTA is a C11 (with train about 40#) and has no rings, just a dovetail screwed to the OTA side.  Changing to mounting rings and a long solid Dovetail would add probably 15 pounds to the setup (based on Bisque’s rings).  I see where it’s possible with my TV NP101is, but it would be pretty tedious compared to just sitting it into the saddle and tightening (plus the 101 is really light in comparison).

Because I set up and tear down every (clear) night, every little bit of time saved helps.  For that reason I also try to leave the imaging train attached when I remove the OTA, so the rotation is still set for the next night (assuming same target; manual rotation only for me).

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So this relatively little spring issue spurred more interest than I expect and I am now curious.  It sounds like the manufacture is unchanged, but also people indicate they don’t have the issue.  Is it that the issue is moot, or it doesn’t exist?

Specifically do some of you have the 16” dovetail, which when set up with knobs pointing to the sky, if you loosen the knobs the clamp’s spring stays engaged and holding it against the knob all the way until the clamp clears the saddle’s gap completely? And if you jiggle or press back, it pops back open, clearing the gap.

On mine if I do that the spring stops holding it with the clamp extending into the saddle’s gap by about 1/8”, enough to keep a dovetail from dropping in.  It’s really about that close, it is not much.

But some of you have versions where that is not true?   Or just your use makes it moot (e.g. knobs down it would not matter)?