Dovetail Plate Clamp

As the mount needs to be carried to a remote site, an easy means of mounting and dismounting the scopes was necessary.  The dovetail plate arrangement used by Losmandy and others was adopted.  The clamp is similar in design to that used on the Losmandy Titan mount.  

To mount the scope safely, the declination arm is proped in a horizontal position with the clamp rotated so the dovetail grooves are horizontal with the clamping knobs on top.  The scope is then cradled in the observer's arms and the dovetail plate dropped into the lower groove on the clamp.  The knobs can then be tightened and the prop removed.

To remove the scope, the reverse of the above procedure is used.