Losmandy Adapter to Use GM8 or G11 mount on Meade Field Tripod or Permanent Pier

This 6.0" diameter x 4.0" high adapter lets you mount a Losmandy GM-8 or G11 equatorial head on a Meade LX200 adjustable height field tripod or permanent pier. The machined aluminum adapter is finished in flat black. The inside top of the adapter is machined to accept a G-11 or GM-8 equatorial head with no binding. L-shaped slots on the side of the adapter accommodate the three mounting bolts that hold the equatorial head in place.

The adapter has a 1/2" thick bottom plate for strength and vibration damping. A series of holes are drilled into the bottom plate, countersunk on the inside of the adapter, for connection to a tripod or pier. Reaching inside the adapter through the top side, the adapter is bolted to the three wedge holes in the top of the tripod, using three user-supplied hex head bolts. There is a 1/2" hole in the center of the bottom plate to clear the single threaded rod coming up through the center of the tripod. A separate user-supplied washer and nut threads onto this rod to tighten the tripod spreader bar rigidly in place and lock the tripod legs open.

There are posts to mount the GM8 or G11 electronics on the side of the adapter. The adapter can also be used to install a GM8 or G11 on the top of a permanent pier, using any appropriate combination of the series of 12 holes machined into the base plate.