Vixen Porta Mount Multiplate

[UniPol]

Further to Andy Jackson's excellent review on the Vixen Porta mount I thought potential owners may be interested in the dedicated multiplate made by Vixen. It wasn't cheap at around $150 from Astro Optical however its versatility has amply rewarded me. The plate is approximately 200mm x 120mm x 5mm and has a host of slots, drilled and tapped holes of varying sizes allowing a range of fitting combinations. It has a short dovetail slide which is attached with two plated cap screws as shown in the photos. The plate also comes with two 1/4" standard camera threaded knobs which proved ideal for holding my binoculars (Andrews 20 x 80 triplets) and Solarmax40 as shown in the photos. The knobs will not fall out of the slot as the end of the slot has been tapped with a 1/4" thread for insertion. The standard dovetail plate is also a boon, the 80ED can be attached and detached in seconds. The flexible cables came off my old Vixen Polaris mount and have proved far superior to the short solid rods supplied.

I must say that I was tempted to buy the William Optics Easy Touch mount but at nearly two to three times the price of the Vixen it was a no contest. I bought the Porta mount and multiplate from Astro Optical Supplies in Crows Nest and must say the service is excellent. In fact, I have been shopping with them (originally Amateur Optical Supply Co.) since they started in the mid 1960's and will continue to do so.

Hope this information proves useful to the Forum.

Cheers, Steve B

[anj026]

That looks like a great addition Steve, very versatile. Thanks for sharing the info and the good photos.

[Dennis]

Great write up and photos Steve - thanks for posting these.

Cheers

Dennis

[acropolite (Phil)]

Looks good Steve, the porta mount certainly is a nice little mount, did you retrofit the flexible alt/az adjusters or did your mount come with them??

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Nice to see a very well made accessory. It might just be a plate with holes and threads, but it looks to be a precision made plate with holes and threads. It is always a pleasure to touch and use quality equipment.

[UniPol]

Originally Posted by acropolite

Looks good Steve, the porta mount certainly is a nice little mount, did you retrofit the flexible alt/az adjusters or did your mount come with them??

Hi Phil,

The flexible cables belong to my old Vixen Polaris mount and they fit the alt/az shafts perfectly. The short solid adjusters supplied with the mount appear to be a chromed plastic affair and I suspect that they would break easily if knocked. The flexible cables certainly make tracking a breeze.

Cheers, Steve B