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Orion Telescopes

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Orion Narrow Side-by-Side Plate
$159.99
 
Accepted Payment
Expected Ship Date: 06/19/2012
  • Mount two telescope optical tubes side by side on your equatorial mount with this Narrow Side-by-Side Plate
  • Increase your visual versatility by mounting two different telescopes side by side to view the same area of sky
  • Simplify your guided astro-imaging setup by placing the imaging scope next to the guide scope rather than piggyback
  • With a variety of different applications, a Side-by-Side plate is an affordable way to increase the functionality of any narrow dovetail mount saddle
  • Weighs just 3lbs. 13oz.


Learn more
Item #  07956
Mfg Model #  07956

With an Orion Narrow Side-by-Side Plate you can easily mount two telescope optical tubes to a single mount.

The Narrow Side-by-Side plate attaches to an EQ mount equipped with a narrow, or "Vixen-style" dovetail saddle, and accepts optical tubes outfitted with a narrow dovetail mounting plate. You can also mount an optical tube that is equipped with tube rings attached to a narrow dovetail mounting plate.

Having two telescopes mounted side-by-side is a great way to expand your visual observational abilities. You can, for example, attach one telescope optimized for wide-field views and another for high magnification use. Once you have the mount trained on a target object, you can alternate between wide-field and high-magnification views by looking through the two different telescopes. Imagine going to a star-party and showing off a powerful view of Jupiter's red spot region through one telescope AND a wider view of Jupiter's disk and bright moons through another telescope on the same mount - talk about a crowd-pleaser!

For astro-imaging pursuits, an Orion Narrow Side-by-Side plate allows you to mount an imaging telescope and guide scope next to each other instead of in a "piggyback" orientation. This can help reduce tracking errors and simplify your astro-imaging setup. What's more, you can easily swap out telescopes when using a Side-by-Side Plate if you wish to change your imaging or guide scope instruments in the middle of a lengthy imaging session.

Using a Side-by-Side Plate can reduce the amount of counterweight needed, since both mounted instruments are closer to the mount's pivot point compared to telescopes mounted piggyback. The distance between the two plates is 9 inches. The Narrow Side-by-Side plate measures 11.5 inches wide. Each narrow dovetail saddle measures 9 inches long and 2.5 inches wide. The entire assembly is 1.5 inches in height and weighs 3.85 lbs.

Two telescopes are better than one, and with an Orion Narrow Side-by-Side plate you can enjoy two telescopes on one mount!

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

Orders received by noon Pacific Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

Orion Narrow Side-by-Side Plate
Rating??
3.8 / 5
3.8 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 6 Reviews
5 stars
4
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
1
1 star
1
Quality??
4.2 / 5
4.2 / 5
Value??
3.6 / 5
3.6 / 5
3 out of 5(60%)reviewers recommend this product.
6
6 You can now easily mount two telescopes side by side on your mount by using the Orion Narrow Side-by-Side Plate. A perfect solution to simplify your guided astro-imaging setup by placing the guide telescope next to the imager, rather than above.
Rating??
3.8 / 5
3.8 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 6 Reviews
5 stars
4
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
1
1 star
1
Quality??
4.2 / 5
4.2 / 5
Value??
3.6 / 5
3.6 / 5
3 out of 5(60%)reviewers recommend this product.
Product reviews
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Ratings summary
Rating??
3.8 / 5
3.8 / 5
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Breakdown 6 Reviews
5 stars
4
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
1
1 star
1
Quality??
4.2 / 5
4.2 / 5
Value??
3.6 / 5
3.6 / 5
3 out of 5(60%)reviewers recommend this product.
Click on filters to refine your results.
Product ReviewsWrite A Review
Rating??
5 / 5
5 / 5
satisfaction
PostedMarch 15, 2011
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steven s
 
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All my products are from Orion.I'm happy with the service because of the service and support, whether it's by phone or e-mail,and I'll continue to buy from Orion.Thank you!
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Rating??
1 / 5
1 / 5
Mount was severely out of alignment
PostedMarch 26, 2012
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Loden1111
 
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from??Central Texas
Owned this product for:Less than 3 mos
Quality??
1 / 5
1 / 5
Value??
1 / 5
1 / 5
I unfortunately ordered this mount well in advance of having all the necessary equipment to use it. After getting everything together to use my 127mm Orion Mak with ring mount I discovered, as did another reviewer that unless the mount base is much longer than the side-by-side mount, the hex bolts protruding below the O-ring mounting place prevent attachment as there is no central groove in the Side-by-Side plate.
- So, I contacted the dealer from whom I had bought the Mak, who was able to find the original mounting plat that attaches directly to the OTA. He mailed it to me and all I had to do then was find new bolts to mount it to the OTA. Thank-God for Ace Hardware.
- Once again I thought I had everything I needed. Then I discovered that if I open up the Narrow Side-by-Side Plate far enough to get the OEM Orion dovetail in, the tightening screws, washers, and tension springs fall out. After a great deal of searching around on the ground for the pieces I got the Plate back together and laboriously slid the dovetail into the Plate.
- Now, I thought, "I am going to be able to use my existing scope as a guidescope for my new 120mm APO! Then came the final blow. The telescopes were so misaligned that no amount of adjustment could possibly allow them to be looking at even the same section of the sky.
- I took down the entire set up and carefully examined the Side-by-Side.one of the dovetail receivers was so out of alignment that it was visible with the naked eye. The screw holes holding it on the cross bar were clearly not at a right angle to the cross bar and the receiver edge was visibly out of alignment with the end of the cross-bar.
- I have had this more than 30 days so my hopes are not high that Orion will take it back, but if they do I will amend this review.
- The moral of the story: If you get this, examine it very, very carefully before assuming it is properly aligned and be sure that if you are using Orion's OTA mounting equipment, be sure the O-ring mounting plate is at least two inches longer than the dovetail receivers on this device.
Favorite viewing location:??Fields in Central Texas
Favorite object to observe:??Orion Nebula and M-67,
Pros: solidly built
Cons: cross-eyed alignment, no center grove for short o-ring mounts
No, I do not recommend this product.
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Rating??
5 / 5
5 / 5
Great if you have two scopes
PostedJanuary 23, 2012
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astroricardo
 
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from??Marietta, GA
Owned this product for:Less than 3 mos
Quality??
5 / 5
5 / 5
Value??
5 / 5
5 / 5
Great if you have two scopes and piggy backing is not an option. Some would even prefer it if piggy backing was an option. Great fit and finish and great quality product.
Favorite viewing location:??Front Yard
Favorite object to observe:??M31, M42, Jupiter
Yes, I recommend this product!
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Rating??
5 / 5
5 / 5
Rather expensive but well built and solid
PostedDecember 31, 2011
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cystokid
 
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from??Boyne City, MI
Owned this product for:Less than 3 mos
Quality??
5 / 5
5 / 5
Value??
5 / 5
5 / 5
I decided to mount my 6" RC reflector side by side with my Orion ShortTube 80 as the guide scope for astrophotography. The mount fits perfectly onto the Sirius Atlas EQ-G and the two scopes fit right into place, with plenty of clearance between them. It takes a bit of extra time to balance the scopes on the mount--you must now do it in three steps. First, the usual--swing the RA so the scopes are parallel with the ground and lock the RA in place. Gradually adjust the counterweights on the shaft until the scope is balanced with the RA lock loosened. Next, with the RA shaft still parallel with the ground, loosen the DEC. lock and point the scopes parallel with the ground. Slide the scopes in the mount (or in the rings) until balanced. Third, do the same thing again, still with the RA shaft parallel with the ground, but this time with the scopes vertically pointed. This all takes less than a minute to do, but will balance the system nicely and prevent drive trouble due to balance issues later.
Favorite viewing location:??dark skies of northern MI
Favorite object to observe:??DSOs
Pros: solid and well builte
Cons: somewhat pricey
Yes, I recommend this product!
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