Parts List, Assembly, Connecting a Telescope

Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion product. Your SkyView AZ Altazimuth Mount is a sturdy observing platform that allows you to mount and view through up to two telescopes. This extremely versatile mount is an excellent addi- tion to any amateur astronomers’ arsenal.

The simple design makes setting up and using the SkyView AZ mount very easy. Both axes of motion feature large knurled tension adjustment knobs which provide smooth telescope pointing, even when making very small, precise positional adjust- ments. Great for daytime terrestrial or nighttime astronomical applications, you’ll find yourself observing more and fussing with equipment less when using the SkyView AZ. Star-party attendees can utilize the SkyView AZ mount’s dual dovetail holders to mount two telescopes at once for crowd-pleasing performance.

These instructions will help you set-up, properly use, and care for your mount. Please read them over thoroughly before getting started.

1. Parts List

Qty. Description

1 Tripod

1 Accessory tray

1 Mount

1 Hex key (2mm)

2. Assembly

Carefully open all of the boxes in the shipping container. Make sure all the parts listed in the Parts List are present. Save the boxes and packaging material. In the unlikely event that you need to return the mount, you must use the original packaging.

Initially assembly of the mount should only take about 10-15 minutes. No tools are needed. Refer to Figure 1 during assembly.

1.Stand the tripod upright and spread the legs out as far as they will go. Keep the tripod legs at their shortest (fully retracted) length, for now; you can extend them to a more desirable length later, after the mount is fully assembled.

2.Place the base of the SkyView AZ mount onto the tripod head. The base of the mount will register with the tripod head.

3.Thread the central support shaft upwards into the mount until tight. This will secure the SkyView AZ mount head to the tripod.

4.Remove the knob and washer from the bottom of the cen- ter support shaft. Slide the tripod support tray up the bot- tom of the central support shaft until the three tray arms contact the legs of the tripod. The flat side of the acces- sory tray should be facing up. Make sure the “V” of each tray arm is against a tripod leg. Place the knob washer on the center support shaft against the tray, and follow it by threading the securing knob all the way up the center sup- port shaft until it is tight against the tray. The tripod support tray provides additional stability for the tripod, and holds up to five 1.25" eyepieces and two 2" eyepieces.

Your SkyView AZ mount is now fully assembled, and should resemble Figure 1. All that is left is to connect your telescope(s) to the mount.

3. Connecting a Telescope

The SkyView AZ mount features two dovetail holders which allow two separate telescopes to be mounted. To connect a telescope, a dovetail mounting bar is required. Some telescopes have this dovetail bar directly attached to the tele- scope tube. For other telescopes, tube rings will be required to couple the dovetail bar to the tube. Dovetail mounting bars and tube rings are both available from Orion. Additionally, if your telescope has a ¼”-20 threaded mounting hole, Orion offers a dovetail adapter that will thread into this hole (Figure 2).

1⁄4"-20 1⁄4"-20

Dovetail Dovetail

adapter L-adapter

Tube rings

Dovetail mounting bar

Figure 2. Orion offers a variety of optional mounting bars, ¼”-20 adapters, and tube rings

Once you have a dovetail mounting bar on your telescope tube, connecting the telescope to the mount is exceptionally easy. First, unthread the knurled thumbscrew and smaller safety thumbscrew of the preferred dovetail holder until the tips are flush with the interior wall. Then, insert the tele- scope’s dovetail mounting bar into the preferred dovetail holder, and tighten the two thumbscrews firmly.