Posts Made By: Mike Proctor

Observing with a TV85, I was not able to see the moon, but the shadow looked like a hole punched through Jupiter. Very distinct, one of the best shadow transits I've seen.

You can get one of AP's sliding bars and solely as a mounting plate. Attach your rings to ends of the bar and then use quarter20's to attach the plate to the gibraltar. The AP folks have specifically designed the bolt pattern for the purspose of attaching their ring sets to the gibraltar. Just make sure you can attach your tal rings to the AP bar. I think the 7" is about 25 bucks.

You are fine. I'd give up that little bit of Zenith to save my focus knobs, focus tube or diagonal from hitting either the bracket or the tripod on an overswing when you accidentally misjudge tension. Think of it as a safety belt that will cost you a few degrees of sky.