Farpoint Vixen Dovetail Plate - Meade 8 Inch SCT

Product Overview

The Farpoint FVM8 is a 13.5″ V-size (Vixen-style) dovetail bar cut for the Meade 8″ Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly. It gives the tube a Vixen dovetail interface, so it drops into any mount with a V-size saddle. The bar is CNC-machined in the USA from aluminum and finished in black anodize, and it weighs 1.938 lb.

Who It’s For

This is a good match if you…

• Own a Meade 8″ SCT and are putting it on a mount with a Vixen-style saddle.
• Are replacing a factory rail that is worn, damaged or the wrong standard for your mount.
• Want one dovetail standard across a set of tubes so they interchange on the same saddle.
• Are moving an 8″ SCT onto a lighter mount where the narrower V bar is the native fit.

Key Features & Design

• 13.5″ bar length: the length matched to the Meade 8″ tube, giving the saddle a usable clamping span and room to shift the balance point.
• V-size (Vixen-style) profile: the narrower of the two common dovetail standards, and the one most small and mid-size mounts ship with.
• Black anodized aluminum: a hard, non-reflective surface over the machined bar.
• CNC-machined in the USA: cut to a consistent profile so the taper seats evenly in the saddle.
• 1.938 lb: the published bar weight, which adds to the tube load the mount carries.

Recommended Uses

• Mounting a Meade 8″ SCT on a Vixen-saddle equatorial or alt-azimuth mount.
• Visual sessions where the tube moves between a grab-and-go mount and a heavier one.
• Replacing a bent or marred factory rail on an older 8″ tube.
• Setting up a tube so it can slide fore and aft in the saddle to balance a diagonal and heavy eyepiece.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The FVM8 fits the Meade 8″ Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube assembly and works with any mount whose saddle takes a V-size (Vixen-style) bar. Other tubes in the Meade Vixen range use their own bar lengths — 17.25″ for the Meade 7″ Maksutov and the Meade 10″ SCT. An armored-strip version of this bar is also made, which carries a stainless steel strip along the dovetail edge; it is the version chosen where a saddle clamps with a set screw that would otherwise mark the aluminum over time. The manufacturer publishes a product drawing showing the hole pattern and measurements. Tell us your telescope model and saddle type and we’ll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• The telescope is sold separately. This listing is the dovetail bar.
• Hole pattern is tube-specific. The bar is drilled for the Meade 8″ SCT pattern, and the manufacturer drawing shows the spacing and measurements.
• V-size, not D-size. This is the narrower Vixen profile; a mount with a Losmandy-style D saddle takes a D-size bar instead.
• Set-screw saddles mark bare aluminum. The armored-strip version of this bar adds a stainless steel edge strip for that case.
• Bar weight is 1.938 lb. That figure adds to the optical tube weight when working out the mount load.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

The bar bolts to the existing threaded holes on the underside of the Meade 8″ tube. It is a screwdriver-and-hex-key job with no drilling, and the drawing shows the hole pattern it is cut for.

What does this bar do?

It gives the optical tube a Vixen-style dovetail interface, taking the place of the factory rail so the tube seats in any V-size saddle.

What mounts will this work with?

Any mount with a Vixen-style (V-size) saddle — the smaller of the two common dovetail standards.

What is the armored-strip version?

It is the same bar with a stainless steel strip along the dovetail edge, made for saddles that clamp with a set screw, which over time marks a bare aluminum edge.

How long is the bar?

13.5″.

Bottom Line

In short: a 13.5″ black anodized Vixen dovetail bar, machined in the USA for the Meade 8″ SCT and weighing 1.938 lb.