Farpoint Vixen Dovetail Plate - Armored Strip - Meade 10 Inch SCT

Product Overview

The Farpoint FVM10-AS is a 17.25″ Vixen-style (V-size) dovetail bar for the Meade 10″ Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube, built to the same pattern as the standard Farpoint Vixen bar with the addition of a stainless steel armored strip along the clamping edge. The bar is CNC-machined in the USA from aluminum with a black anodized finish, and Farpoint publishes a shipping weight of 1.813 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you carry a Meade 10″ SCT on a Vixen-style saddle and that saddle, or the accessories riding with it, clamps down with a set screw. It is also the version to choose if you move the tube on and off the mount often, since repeated clamping is what wears a bare aluminum dovetail.

Key Features & Design

• Stainless steel armored strip: a hardened strip along the dovetail edge where set screws bear.
• 17.25″ V-size bar: the Vixen-standard dovetail profile, sized for the Meade 10″ tube.
• Same bar as the standard version: identical to Farpoint's regular Vixen dovetail bar apart from the armored strip.
• 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

A set screw concentrates its whole clamping force onto a point contact. Against bare anodized aluminum that point digs in, marring and pitting the dovetail edge and cutting grooves into it over repeated mountings. Once those grooves form, the bar no longer seats the same way twice and the joint between tube and saddle goes slack. The armored strip is stainless steel let into the dovetail edge along the clamping face, and it is hard enough to take the set screw's bite without deforming — so the geometry of the dovetail stays as machined however many times the tube comes on and off. Saddles that clamp with a flat bar rather than a point-contact screw spread their load over the dovetail face and leave it unmarked, which is why the standard unarmored bar remains the right part for those.

Recommended Uses

• Mounting a Meade 10″ SCT on a Vixen-style saddle that clamps with a set screw.
• Setups where the optical tube is removed and remounted between every session.
• Replacing a Vixen bar whose dovetail edge has already been grooved by set screws.
• Visual observing and imaging where a repeatable seat in the saddle keeps balance consistent.
• Carrying accessories that themselves clamp to the dovetail with thumbscrews.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The bar fits the Meade 10″ Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly and follows the V-size (Vixen-style) dovetail standard, so it clamps into any Vixen-style saddle. Bar length is 17.25″, and the published customer drawing gives the hole pattern and measurements. A 10″ SCT is a substantial tube for the Vixen profile, and on a heavy-duty mount the wider D-size (Losmandy-style) kits are the standard more often chosen at this payload — Farpoint makes a D-size 17.25″ kit for the same tube. If you would like a view on which standard suits your mount and tube, send us the models and we'll work it through with you.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The telescope is sold separately. This listing covers the dovetail bar.
• The armored strip earns its keep only with set-screw clamping. Saddles that clamp with a flat bar press against the dovetail face and leave it unmarked, and the standard version covers that case.
• This is the V-size standard. A D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle is the wider profile and takes a D-size bar instead.
• The Vixen profile is the narrower of the two standards. At the weight of a 10″ SCT the D-size kits are the more common choice on heavy mounts.
• Farpoint publishes a shipping weight of 1.813 lb. The bar ships as one carton.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the armored strip do?

It is a stainless steel strip along the dovetail where set screws clamp. Set screws mar and pit bare aluminum, cutting grooves that eventually make the connection sloppy — the hardened strip takes the bite without damage.

Do I actually need it?

It matters where your saddle or accessories clamp with a set screw. Saddles with a clamping bar, such as the Farpoint-style saddles, press flat against the dovetail and leave it unmarked, and in that case the regular version does the job.

Is it difficult to install?

It is a bolt-on job. The bar fastens to the existing mounting holes on the underside of the Meade 10″ tube, and the published customer drawing shows the hole pattern and measurements. Hand tools are all that is involved, and the armored strip comes fitted — there is no separate assembly step for it.

What mounts will this work with?

Any mount with a Vixen-style (V-size) saddle. For a tube as large as a 10″ SCT on a heavy-duty mount, the D-size (Losmandy-style) kits are also worth weighing up, as the larger standard is often preferred at this payload.

Bottom Line

In short: a 17.25″ USA-machined Vixen dovetail bar for the Meade 10″ SCT, with a stainless steel armored strip that keeps set screws from chewing up the clamping edge.