Custom Avalon M-Uno Counterweights

Those who own Avalon equipment or have looked into it will know that it can be pretty pricey. I have the Avalon M-Uno mount, which is fantastic in its own right, but accessories for it can cost an arm and a leg. The mount in itself is designed in a way that it mostly does not need counterweights to balance the entire optical train in Right Ascension. Indeed this is one of the selling points. The unique design of the fork arm allows the user to place the form ark in one of six different positions, which causes the moment created by the optical train to be balanced purely through the fork arm. Of course, minor adjustments may be necessary and this is where the caveat comes in - a small counterweight bar and a tiny 0.55 kg counterweight are included in the package. At the very least, you have to carry much less weight with you to set it up. However, sometimes your chosen optical train will just not balance. My Altair Astro 8" RC telescope with all the bits attached to it simply would not balance even on the heaviest form ark position. 

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