| The fixed latitude adapter often used with the Teegul Sky Patrol II equatorial mount is set for a 45° latitude, roughly the latitude of Maine, Wisconsin, Montana, Oregon, etc. While this is acceptable for visual observing from most of the U.S. and Canada, it produces declination drift during extended visual observing or astrophotography for observers north or south of that latitude – New England, Wisconsin, Washington State, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Southern California, etc. – drift that is unacceptable for long exposure astrophotography. This adjustable latitude adapter lets you set up the Teegul for latitudes other than the 44° of the fixed adapter to eliminate the inconvenience of declination drift. The die-cast and machined adapter has a 2.25" diameter round base with a 1/4"-20 thread stainless steel insert. This adapter threads onto any standard photo tripod legs that have a 1/4"-20 mounting bolt for installing a photographic pan head. For tripods that use a European standard 3/8" mounting bolt, such as those from Manfrotto, the optional #3054 adapter will convert the tripod’s 3/8" bolt to the 1/4"-20 thread size needed to use this adapter. Once the adjustable latitude adapter is mounted on the tripod, the Teegul mount is threaded onto the 1/4"-20 thread bolt protruding from the 2.25" diameter top platform of the adapter. A hex-head wrench (not supplied) is used to loosen the stainless steel bolt holding the two halves of the adapter together, the mount is tilted over to the appropriate angle to match your observing latitude, and the hex-head bolt tightened to hold the Teegul at the desired angle. A small stainless steel hex-head insert in the adapter can be used as a safety stop to further lock the adapter at the desired angle when the mount is used with heavier payloads. The 6.4 ounce adapter is finished in Takahashi green paint.
|
Printer friendly version
Email page link to a friend
Do you have a question about this product?
