A dovetail bar mounted on the optical tube provides a convenient and practical solution for attaching the telescope to a mount. In most cases, the dovetail bar is attached not directly to the optical tube, but to two tube rings, allowing the optical 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 a Vixen-standard telescope attachment. These include, among others:
- SkyWatcher EQ-3, EQ-5, HEQ-5, EQ-6, and 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 distance between the outer mounting holes of the Vixen dovetail bar is 308 mm. In addition, the bar features two pairs of 1/4" photographic tripod threaded holes, spaced approximately 50 mm apart within each pair, with a distance of 60 mm between the two pairs. They are located 53 mm and 93 mm from the outer mounting holes, respectively.