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Upgrade for old Bogen 3001?

I'm running an old Celestron short tube 80mm on a Bogen tripod with a video head. The scope hangs "sidesaddle" on a piece of plywood and it's very stable, but it's just not durable. The plywood is just soft enough that things deform a bit after a couple of hours of use and I end up spending valuable time re-working it. Not a lot of time, but spare time is just about the last thing I have.

I've been looking at the well-regarded-products from Universal Astronomics, and I'm almost sold on either the
Dwarfstar or the Microstar mount. I'm wondering, though, whether there are other good options that would attach to my old Bogen? Part of me also wonders whether I would just be better off getting a new mount altogether. At some point, I'll get another scope, maybe an ED80 or even something a bit larger, but probably still a smallish refractor. I looked at the Vixen Porta II at a local shop recently, and it seemed solid.


I use a Dwarfstar mount on either a 3001 or 3021 it's a quite a difference compared to using a video head side-saddled style. The 3001 can be a little short at times when observing from a standing position, but it is definitely very compact. Scope-wise it's either a C90, 80ShortTube, 130mm Newt, AT66, etc ... if I have the Dwarfstar on Manfrotto 028, it'll even handle a C6 quite nicely. That said, I also have a Porta Mount, and the slo-mo controls are a very real bonus. imo it comes down to portability - if you're looking for the absolute lightest and most compact mount the Dwarf Star fits the bill nicely.


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My Tele Vue Telepod was previously quite successfully mated to my Bogen/Manfrotto 3011/144, which was just recently replaced with a Manfrotto 117B. It was a difficult choice between the Telepod and a UA head.
Tele Vue 85, Lunt White Light Solar Wedge, Lunt LS35THa
Tele Vue Tele-Pod/Manfrotto 117B
Pentax 3.5mm, 5mm, 7mm XW, Tele Vue 14mm Radian, 35mm Panoptic
Canon 10x30 IS
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If the 3001 otherwise works for you, why not just replace the plywood piece with a piece of aluminum angle?

I owned a 3001, it was adequate for a 66mm ED and should be reasonable for your ST-80 but an ED-80 would be too much for it. For ED-80 class scopes, the Portamount II is a good choice. I have an Portamount I, these days I use it with my 80mm F/7. It will handle a 4 inch refractor but the Hands on Optics wooden tripod legs are a real help with a 4 inch. I really like the slow motion controls for centering and tracking at higher magnifications.

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I hadn't even considered aluminum, I'll give that a try if my next attempt doesn't work out. I bought a small piece of 3/4" maple, it should be considerably more durable than the plywood I've been using. We'll see how sharp my saw blades are later today.

I also recently acquired an old heavy-duty tripod and video-type mount from a friend at work. It needs a couple of small parts, but one way or another I can eventually use it for either this scope or something considerable larger. It's more of a project and expense than dealing with the Bogen, however.

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Brian, here's a pic of an aluminum plate I made that holds my 80/480 in a side-saddle arrangement. It's mounted on a Bogen/Manfrotto 3063 video head and Manfrotto 475 tripod. The adjustable tension viscous head makes the movement smooth and stable.

The plate also makes a good platform for a MRF and/or green laser. Works great and can be swapped out for binoculars in just seconds because of a QR plate attachment.




B&L 7x26 Custom 


IDA member

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