Farpoint Dovetail Plate - Meade 10 Inch SCT

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDM10 is a complete D-size dovetail kit for the Meade 10″ Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube. A 17.25″ Losmandy-style dovetail bar pairs with radius blocks machined to the curve of the 10″ tube, and the mounting screws are supplied. Every part is CNC-machined in the USA from black anodized aluminum, and Farpoint publishes a shipping weight of 3.688 lb for the kit.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you own a Meade 10″ SCT and want it carried on a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle — whether you are moving across from a narrower Vixen bar, replacing factory mounting hardware on an older tube, or standardizing a second optical tube on the same dovetail your mount already uses.

Key Features & Design

• 17.25″ D-size bar: the Losmandy-standard dovetail profile, cut to length for the 10″ tube.
• Matched radius blocks: machined to the curve of the Meade 10″ tube so the bar seats against the tube wall.
• Mounting screws supplied: the hardware that fastens the bar and blocks to the optical tube ships in the box.
• Black anodized aluminum: an anodized finish over machined aluminum, matching the rest of the Farpoint dovetail line.
• Machined in the USA: CNC-machined by Farpoint.
• Published drawing: Farpoint provides a customer drawing showing the hole pattern and measurements for the 17.25″ bar.

Mechanical Design

An SCT tube is round and a dovetail bar is flat, so a bar bolted straight to the tube carries its load at the bolt holes alone. The radius blocks sit between the two, machined to the exact curve of the 10″ tube, and they spread the clamping load across the contact surface instead. The result is a stiffer path from tube to saddle — which is what keeps small flexures from showing up as drift during a long guided exposure on a tube of this size.

Recommended Uses

• Carrying a Meade 10″ SCT on any mount fitted with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle.
• Long-exposure deep-sky imaging, where the tube-to-mount joint holds a guided load for hours at a time.
• Replacing worn or missing factory dovetail hardware on an older LX50 or LX200 tube.
• Standardizing several optical tubes on the D-size dovetail so they interchange between mounts.
• Mounting the tube on a side-by-side bar alongside a second instrument.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The kit fits the Meade 10″ SCT optical tube assembly across the LX3, LX5, LX6, LX50, LX200, LX600 and LX850 lines, including both the pre-2012 ACF OTAs and the current ACF OTAs. The bar follows the D-size (Losmandy-style) standard and clamps into any D-size saddle; a mount fitted with the narrower V-size (Vixen) saddle takes a D-size saddle conversion first. Bar length is 17.25″, and the published customer drawing gives the hole pattern and measurements. Farpoint also sells the Meade 10″ radius blocks on their own, which is the route for anyone who already owns a D-size bar. If you are unsure which kit suits your tube, send us your telescope model and we'll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The telescope is sold separately. The kit covers the dovetail bar, the radius blocks and the mounting screws.
• This is the D-size standard. A V-size (Vixen) saddle is the narrower profile and takes a V-size bar or a saddle conversion.
• Bar length is tied to tube diameter. The 17.25″ bar belongs to the 10″ SCT; the 8″, 12″, 14″ and 16″ tubes each have their own kit and bar length.
• Farpoint publishes a shipping weight of 3.688 lb. The kit ships as one carton.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Meade 10″ models does this fit?

LX3, LX5, LX6, LX50, LX200, LX600, LX850, the pre-2012 ACF OTAs and the current ACF OTAs. If your tube is not among those, send us the model and we'll check it for you.

Is it difficult to install?

It is a bolt-on job. The radius blocks locate on the tube's existing mounting holes, the bar fastens to the blocks with the supplied screws, and the published customer drawing shows the hole pattern and measurements. Hand tools are all that is involved.

What mounts will this work with?

Any mount with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle — the Losmandy line itself, and the many mounts that accept the wider D standard.

Do I still need the full kit if I already own a D-size bar?

In that case the Meade 10″ radius blocks are the part that matters, and Farpoint sells them on their own.

Bottom Line

In short: a complete USA-machined 17.25″ D-size dovetail kit that puts a Meade 10″ SCT onto a Losmandy-style saddle, with radius blocks matched to the tube curve and the mounting screws included.