[Glencoe (Ian)]

Having bought a 120mm f5 refractor, I found it hard to view overhead objects due to the weight of the tube pulling down on the altitude axis - this being a simple 'tension nut' affair. Tightening it merely made it all-but-impossible to aim the scope. So I spent some time in my shed, and came up with this simple counterweight system for the alt-az mount. Its just a couple of pieces of L section aluminium with a 1.25kg weight bolted on. Now the tension bolt on the altitude axis can be all-but-loose, and the telescope is a delight to aim, with absolutely no sagging; no matter what elevation.