The Red-Dot Laser Pointer
by Dennis Allen
As many of you know, I built a dobsonian mount for John’s old 60mm refractor. I’m still working on ways to improve the performance.
I started out using a pair of archery pins for a finder. The pins work fine in the daytime, but perform poorly at night. Even with glow-in-the-dark paint.
Then I stopped at K-mart. Bought a Daisy Electronic Point Sight for $15. A fancy name for a BB-gun red-dot laser pointer. Looks just like an EZ Finder Reflex Sight found in the Orion catalog costing $40.
The only problem was finding the mount. I needed a 3/8" dove-tail mount. Over at Northwest Shooters I found a Weaver T0-9S top mount base 48009 for $10. You can cut it in half and make two base plates. Orion Catalog also carries base plates for $8.
The other week there was a triple transit on Jupiter. While Jupiter dipped into the lake-effect before the transit, the event did give me a chance to try out the finder.
The result was Fantastic! Far better than pins. Almost as good as a Telerad, and costing much less. If you need dimmer control, cover the front of the red light with your finger.
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This web page was last updated 01/01/19