Losmandy DVSBS Side-by-Side Dovetail Plate

Product Overview

The DVSBS is Losmandy's side-by-side plate: two saddle plates mounted parallel to each other, 10.0 inches apart centre to centre, on a bar 1.5 inches thick overall. It fits by rotating the G-11 saddle 90 degrees, and each saddle accepts a Losmandy D-series or Vixen-style V-series plate. Both saddles use a dual clamp design.

Who It's For

Side-by-side mounting solves problems a single saddle cannot. Two instruments that share a mount and a night — a long refractor and a wide-field, or an imaging scope beside a visual one — can each stay set up and balanced. It is also the standard way to pair a main tube with a substantial guide scope, or to counterbalance an off-axis load rather than fighting it with declination weights.

Key Features & Design

• Two parallel saddle plates, 10.0 inches apart centre to centre.
• Dual clamp design on each saddle.
• Accepts D-series and Vixen-style V-series plates in either saddle.
• 1.5 inches total thickness.
• Mounts by rotating the G-11 saddle 90 degrees, so no additional adapter is needed on the mount.

Recommended Uses

Carrying two instruments on one mount, each independently balanced. Pairing an imaging telescope with a full-size guide scope rather than a finder-guider. Visual and photographic work in the same session, without swapping tubes. Balancing an off-axis load, such as a heavy camera train, against a second instrument. Solar or white-light work alongside a spotting refractor.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

• Mount: fits by rotating the G-11 saddle 90 degrees. Tell us your mount and saddle and we will confirm the arrangement before you order.
• Plates: each saddle takes a D-series plate — the 14", 19" or 24" — or a Vixen-style V-series plate such as the 11" or 14".
• Male-to-male: an instrument that arrived with its own saddle clamps on through the DMM7 or DMM14 male-to-male plate.
• Lighter alternative: the 19" DUP plate can serve as a side-by-side platform at a 14.875" separation, which suits a main tube plus a modest second instrument.
• Counterbalance: the 5" counterbalance system bolts to a D or V plate for fine trimming of a rear-heavy tube.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Two instruments plus the plate all count against your payload. Losmandy publishes 40 lb imaging for a GM 8, 50 lb for a GM811 and 60 lb for a G11G — send us what you intend to carry and we will add it up with you.
• Side-by-side loads sit off the declination axis. Balancing is a two-stage job: each instrument on its own saddle, then the pair against the counterweights. It is not harder, but it is a different routine from a single tube.
• Saddle separation is fixed at 10 inches centre to centre. Two wide tubes may interfere with each other before they interfere with the plate, so tube diameters are worth checking.
• Losmandy publishes no weight for the DVSBS. Our listed shipping weight is our own figure rather than a Losmandy specification.
• Specifications are Losmandy's published figures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

The plate itself goes on by rotating the G-11 saddle 90 degrees and clamping. The part that takes a little patience is balancing two instruments rather than one — each on its own saddle first, then the assembly against the counterweights.

How far apart are the two saddles?

10.0 inches, centre to centre.

Can I mix a Losmandy and a Vixen plate?

Yes. Each saddle accepts either standard independently.

Will my mount carry two telescopes?

That depends on the pair and the mount's published imaging capacity. Send us both instruments and we will work the numbers before you order.

Is there a cheaper way to do side by side?

The 19" DUP plate can be used that way at a 14.875" separation. It suits lighter pairs; the DVSBS gives two full saddles and dual clamps.

Bottom Line

In short: two parallel Losmandy saddles at 10-inch centres on a 1.5-inch-thick bar, each with a dual clamp and each accepting D or Vixen-style V plates — the purpose-built way to carry two instruments on one mount.