Inexpensive alt-az head?

3. The basic trick here is to use a three axis photographic head and flip the
top axis 90 degrees so the scope is along side the mount rather than on top of
it.

Here is a link to a photo of my ST-80 clone mounted this way.

http://members.aol.com/jonisaacs/bik...s/poglidsk.jpg

By mounting the scope "Side Saddle", it turns the photographic head into a
single side fork mount and if you look carefully in the photo you can see that
the altitude pivot axis comes close to passing through the center of balance of
the scope.

Hi Jon,

Interesting to see your technique. I've wondered why I don't see it
more often since I've also found it works well. I'm always on the
lookout for a photo head that would lend itself especially well to
this but often find the right one being quite costly.

More recently I acquired a Manfrotto 486 ballhead with a built-in
quick release plate. The quick release plate allows for the camera
mounting screw to be removed so that a short bolt can be put in its
place that's long enough to also go through the Celestron 80f5 plastic
tube holder. With the ball head's plate tilted 90* to one side (into
one of the grooves in the head's body), the entire arrangement acts
'side saddle' and is smooth, light and solid. Only improvement I've
made is to add a slim strip of teflon or other smooth material around
the shaft that connects the plate to the ball, so when that shaft sits
in the body's groove it rotates even more smoothly.

Added bonus is the quick release - I can pop the scope off and have
the whole thing folded up in seconds. Or, if walking through doors and
around fences with the whole setup, the single lock lever prevents the
scope from flopping around.

Works like a dream. Shooting myself in the foot here, but it works as
well for the 80f5 as the Giro Mini I now have for sale. Bought the
Giro Mini for a 6 lb. scope but it looks like 6 lbs. is too heavy
without a counter weight. In my opinon, counter weights defeat the
purpose of a light alt-az. When the 6 lb. scope didn't work, I used
the Mini for the 80f5 but found no major performance gain, no quick
release and an extra lb., so went back to the ballhead.

Kirk