The Telrad is a great straight-through, non-magnifying finder. It’s not so useful for star hopping if you suffer from light pollution. That is why the right-angled finder (RACI) is so useful because unlike the Telrad it allows you to see fainter stars. Not having to bend your neck is great for comfort but can make finding your first target a challenge as you can be overwhelmed with stars!
That is why having both a Telrad and a RACI is a popular option. Alternatively, instead of the RACI, you can use a wide-angle, low-power eyepiece to star hop. You locate the object with the Telrad first and then move to the RACI (or low-power eyepiece).
The Telrad comes with a base that uses double-sided tape to fit onto the telescope tube. This works fine if you can find the ideal place to fit it. I couldn’t so I used super-strong Velcro instead. I also used a riser base to reduce the amount of bending.
I still wasn’t happy though and I decided to buy a multiple dovetail mount and fit both the RACI and Telrad to that. I bought a used three-finder mount even though I only needed two mounts.
Adapters that convert the Telrad base to a finder dovetail exist but in the UK are difficult to find and are expensive for what they are.
The DIY Adapter
I worked out that fitting the Telrad to a finder shoe was simple and could be achieved using a piece of wood. I used a piece of pine that was just over 19 cm long, 28 cm wide and 1 cm thick.
The top two edges of the wood were planed so that it matched the profile of the finder shoe.
Sandpaper was used to smooth the surface and a couple of coats of paint finished the job.
Two small holes were drilled into the Telrad riser and wood screws were used to attach the piece of wood to the riser.
