Do I drill into the OTA?

[CaptSolo]

Hi, I just purchased a GLP bracket for my LX200 and it did not come with any installation instructions. I guess it is so simple that it does not need them. So, my question is do I just drill two new holes into my OTA to mount it? Here is a photo of the bracket and mount. It has only two holes in the mount.

glp bracket.jpg

[choy]

Thats a tough question. It will take away from the re sale value should you sell it and or damage it if you use the wrong screws. It could be placed where a bolt is and you might have to drill one hole. On the other hand its your scope and if you need this part installed.... whats the worst thing that could happen.

It reminds me of when I wanted to take apart and re-grease my lx200 gears. I bought the kit and had a couple of shots to build my courage and now my scope has +/- 7 arc second of PE compared to the +/- 45 arc min prior
Thank the gods for liquid courage

[MLaferriere]

Home Depot does sell some super sized pool clamps. You could mount it with these and then make sure you get the placement & balance correct. It might scratch up the paint somewhat though. Maybe Scopestuff has some kind of clamp setup designed for this scope to avoid drilling?

[wbp]

The LX200 should already have some drilled and tapped holes for mounting finder scopes, etc. Why not use those???
If you do decide to drill into it, you're gonna have to take it apart, otherwise you run the risk of metal bits inside the scope and on the optics. This is not a trivial task. All SCT's have corrector plate's that are matched to the primary mirror. Change the rotational position of the corrector and you've really screwed up the scope's optics...
If you don't have any spare mounting holes, I would *really* consider using double stick foam tape way before I'd think about drilling holes!

[sxinias]

I'm with WBP. Drilling holes in the read of a SCT is not a casual task. At best, you will get metal particles inside the scope... at worse your drill through could strike the mirror and....

The LX200 has several threaded holes. If you can not find a matching pair, why not put some double sided tape on the bottom of the mount, use one screw to attach the GLP bracket to the scope. The tape will keep it sturdy. Another way is to use one screw and after you are satisfied with the bracket alignment, use some super glue to keep the bracket firmly fixed.
Also make sure the screws you use do not protrude deep enough in the scope to strike the mirror.

My 8 inch LX200 is one I salvaged and refurbished. Disassembling a LX200 is not a trivial task.

[satcomsta]

I concur. Double side tape might be your best bet. The GLP is light weight and could very well hold in place. Also the use of oversize ring clamps could help keep it in place, just use some felt cloth underneath to avoid scratching the OTA.

[skinnyonce]

I mounted my telrad with those clamps and used some sticky felt to protect the paint from scratchs worked quite well

Home Depot does sell some super sized pool clamps. You could mount it with these and then make sure you get the placement & balance correct. It might scratch up the paint somewhat though. Maybe Scopestuff has some kind of clamp setup designed for this scope to avoid drilling?

[CaptSolo]

Thanks everyone! Your input helped me think of an alternative method. Originally I was looking at that thick band where the Allen-head screws are and drilling there. It has about a 1/2 inch thickness. Then I would need to tap the holes and it looks like too much work. Second thought I was going to use one of those Allen-head screws on that band, but I would need to drill out the base of the GLP to accommodate it. I am now thinking I could simply attach it to my finderscope mast with a 1 inch c-clamp. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of talking it out to keep it simple.

[njjmfm]

The question is, where did you buy them from? Do they have a customer support that they could tell you how to put them on?

[matthewota]

I do not even understand the rationale for mounting a GLP on your OTA. The finder scope and
or Telrad should be enough.