A dovetail bar mounted on the optical tube provides a convenient and practical way to attach it to a mount. Rather than being fixed directly to the optical tube, the dovetail bar is most often attached to two tube rings, allowing the tube to be rotated within the rings.
The stated length of the dovetail bars refers to their overall length. Their maximum width is approximately 42 mm, making them compatible with all mounts that use the Vixen-standard telescope attachment system, including:
- SkyWatcher EQ-3, EQ-5, HEQ-5, EQ-6, as well as their Pro versions
- Celestron CG-4, Advanced EQ-5 GoTo, CGEM
- Meade LXD 75, LX80
- SkyWatcher AZ-4, AZ-GT Star Discovery, Virtuoso, AZ3-R, AZ-5, AZ-GTi
The mounting hole spacing on the Vixen dovetail bar (21 cm, green) is 185 mm. The bar also features two 1/4" tripod mounting threaded holes, spaced approximately 30.5 mm apart and located 63 mm and 93 mm respectively from the outer mounting hole.