Altair TMS Losmandy Dovetail Plate 180mm 250mm 300mm

The Altair TMS "Losmandy format" Dovetail Plate is compatible with most refractors having a standard 30mm centre-to-centre M6 hole spacing. The

 

Altair Astro TMS plates are machined from hard aircraft grade aluminium on a Haas CNC system, then hand-polished with steel wool. The plates are then hard-anodised in Altair Blue for a smooth high quality finish.

 

A small taper at the end of the plate plus chamfered edges make insertion into the saddle easier. The dovetail bar angle is extremely accurate with the correct angle, unlike some budget products which show surprising variation. For the ultimate fit and therefore rigidity, we recommend use with an Altair Losmandy compatible saddle plate clamp like the USP or LSP-1. To reduce weight and maintain rigidity, the plate is lightweighted on the underside. Stainless steel M6 hardware is included.

 

Q: Why choose Losmandy format dovetail plates? As a general guide, Losmandy plates are recommended for larger telescopes because the base is larger. That gives a more rigid, secure mounting system neccessary for heavier optical tubes. However, Losmandy plates are not necessarily required for smaller telescopes. Email us for advice if you're unsure what system you need.

Telescope compatibility: The Short Losmandy Style plate fits the Altair Astro APO range, Astrotech, William Optics and Skywatcher Equinox tube rings, e.g. any tube rings which have the standard 30mm M6 Metric hole spacing, which is by far the majority of telescopes on the market. Add another plate on top, and you have a "piggyback" mounting platform for Guide Scope Rings, or you can attach another telescope with normal tube rings piggyback style on top of that, using the second set of metric M6 holes provided. For non-standard telescopes which have a single centre mounting screw you can use the centre slot, sliding the telescope back and forth for the best balance.

Using the LDP in side-by-side mode: You can attach a Losmandy Saddle Plate to each end of the Altair LDP plates, even the Vixen Saddle Plate (VSP), enabling you to mount two telescopes side by side, for example, if you want to place a guide scope next to your main imaging telescope, or a camera lens.

Mounting Guide Scope Rings: Unlike other plates on the market, the Altair TMS plates are able to accept guide scope rings directly. To add tube rings, you usually need to buy adaptors which clamp on to the underside of the plate. We feel this adds unnecessary weight, so we've designed the Altair LDP to accept the Altair TMS Guide Scope Rings screwed directly to either the top or the bottom of the plate - quick and easy, plus more stable! You can choose from several holes along the length of the plate to achieve the best separation for telescopes of varying length.

 

 

Many different combinations are possible using the TMS. In the example below, an 8" F4 Imaging Newtonian telescope is carried next to an Altair 102mm F6.5 refractor which has a guidescope piggbacked on top. (Please note this is just a demo setup in our shop - you cannot expect an EQ6 mount to handle this many telescopes).

 

In this example, the foundation is the Altair TMS EQ6 Adapter Puck, which is bolted to the heavy duty Universal Saddle Plate (USP). This supports a Losmandy-format Dovetail Plate, which can be moved from side to side to achieve balance. The Altair 8" F4 Imaging Newtonian telescope is carried on a VDB-250 (250mm Vixen Dovetail Bar) which is held in a lightweight VDC (Vixen Dovetail Clamp), which is in turn bolted directly to one end of the LDP-350. On the opposite side, an LDP-180 (180mm Losmandy Dovetail Plate) is used to mount the 102mm refractor, which in turn has a GSR-120 (120mm Guide Scope Rings) on top of it "piggyback" style, to carry a 70mm guide scope. To attach the guidescope rings, an additional LDP-180 is attached to on top of the refractor tube rings via the standard M6 refractor hole pattern. The guide scope rings are then bolted directly to the 180mm Losmandy plate.



Please choose an LDP length in the options menu below: