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Diagonal Dilemmas  


Nightspore

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Since I now usually mount my ED72 on a Porta II I have discovered a slight  problem. The Porta slip clutches have to be pre-set for the weights of the diagonal and eyepieces. This is fine and enables the OTA to be moved in altitude and azimuth with just one hand (useful if you’re paralysed in one arm lol). Unfortunately, if the clutches, especially the altitude clutch, are set to move easily for large 2” eyepieces (I’m talking about you 19mm Luminos!) they can seem stiff and jerky when used with a 1.25” diagonal and eyepieces. I generally used the ED72 with the standard Baader Amici diagonal for rich field. It dawned on me that if I used a lighter diagonal this problem may be ameliorated somewhat.

 

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I have several 2” diagonals and decided to weigh them all. These were weighed on an old Swedish kitchen scale so I can’t vouch for its accuracy.

 

2” Diagonals in Order of Weight:

 

Baader Zeiss Amici: 650g
APM Amici: 600g
Altair dielectric: 525g
Baader Standard Amici: 455g
Baader 'ClickLock DiElectric': 425g
Sky-Watcher dielectric: 390g

 

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The Altair dielectric would have been my first choice although it’s 70g heavier than the Baader Amici. I honestly thought it was lighter. The Sky-Watcher dielectric is only 390g but has a compression ring that doesn’t always play well with 2” ES eyepieces and their flared barrels. 

 

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So the winner, at 425g, is the Baader ClickLock.

 

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And I get to use the 19mm Luminos again!


 

Edited by Nightspore
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