installing a guide scope??

[lesbehrens]

i want to install a guide scope on my refractor. the guide scope to is a refractor. how do i go about it???
thanks
les

[pmrid]

Your choices are piggy-back or side-by-side. Most prefer piggyback because it reduces the possibility of differential flexure and becausde it makes balancing the scope still reasonably easy. Alo it is probably less expensive.
If piggy-back you need to find a way to attach guide rings (bought or homemade) to the main scope. There are different ways depending on the way your main scope is attached to your mount. If it is by a dovetail bar, then you'll need to have ahead scratch.
If you go side-by-side you need a dovetail plate that sits in the saddle on your mount sideways (you rotate the Dec head by 90 degrees) and onto that bar you mount 2 saddles one of which holds you main scope and the othjer your guidescope and guide rings. If the setup is firm and has no wobbles and so forth then it will probably be fine - at least in the early stages of learning how to guide etc. Larter you may want to spend more $$ and get better stuff but even trhe bare stuff I just mentioned will set you back about $250.
Hope that helps at bit.
Peter