I finally got to fitting my 114mm f/4.4 Newtonian onto this fork mounted platform. I kept the old clamshell tube ring that came with the scope originally. I didn't know if or when it would come in handy as I had made a table top dobbie mount for the OTA, but I just couldn't bring myself to chuck it out.
Wouldn't you know it, not only were the mounting holes in the clamshell spaced enough to fit on the platform, but the resulting position of the OTA's COG fell pretty much in line with that of the fork's Dec. pivot point - bloody marvellous!
The last thing I didn't know was if there would be sufficient in-travel in the OTA's focuser to have the image come to focus in the video camera. Well, I fluked it a second time with the focuser totally rucked in had the image nicely focused! WOOHOO!!!
I did a quick tour of some DSO's to give this 114 rig a bit of a run. M42, Eta Carina, Omega Centauri, Centuraus A and the Jewel Box - Just amazing. Eta particularly with the dark pillars easily visible and the whole thing having a warm pinkish hue. Centuraus A really benifitted from the extra aperture over the 80mm. Could make out some detail in the dark band.
I used the crappy red dot finder that this Newt originally came with. I think I'll add an 8X50 right angle finder to it though as the stalk alone of the RDF is just too short too.
Below are a few pics of my new 114 rig. Just a pair of wind nuts do the job of fastening the OTA to the plywood platform. Simplicity itself. I never imagined I'd be spoilt like this for choice with video scopes. This is one nice problem to have,
Alex.