Installing the Finder Scope

1.Stand the tripod legs 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 scope is fully assembled.

2.Place the base of the equatorial mount into the tripod head. Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount (Figure 2). You may need to loosen the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount in order to fit the mount onto the tripod head.

Azimuth

adjustment

knobs

Post

Figure 2. Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount.

3.Thread the central support shaft into the equatorial mount until tight. This will secure the equatorial mount to the tri- pod head.

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 are touching the legs of the tripod. The flat side of the accesso- ry tray should be facing up. Make sure the “V” of each tray arm is against a tripod leg. Place the washer back on the center support shaft against the tray, and thread the secur- ing knob all the way up the center support shaft until it is tight against the tray. The tripod support tray provides addi- tional stability for the tripod, and holds five 1.25" eyepiec- es and two 2" eyepieces.

5.Thread the latitude adjustment L-bolts into the equatorial mount where shown in Figure 1. Thread one L-bolt in about halfway, then thread the other L-bolt in until tight.

6.Thread the counterweight shaft into the equatorial mount at the base of the declination axis until tight. Make sure the casting at the top of the shaft is threaded clockwise as far as it will go before attaching the shaft. Once the shaft is installed, turn the casting counter-clockwise until the top of the casting is flush with the mount.

7.Remove the knurled “toe saver” retaining screw on the bot- tom of the counterweight shaft and slide the counterweight onto the shaft. Make sure the counterweight lock knob is adequately loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to

pass through the hole. Position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and tighten the lock knob. Replace the toe saver at the end of the bar. The toe saver prevents the counterweight from falling on your foot if the lock knob hap- pens to come loose.

8.Attach the slow-motion control knobs to the right ascension and declination worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by sliding them onto the shafts. Line up the flat on the end of the shaft with the corresponding feature on the interior of the knob to connect them properly. The knobs can be attached to either end of the shafts; use whichever end is most convenient.

9.Attach the tube mounting rings to the tube ring mounting plate using the attachment screws that are on the tube rings. The screws should go through the holes on the outer ends of the mounting plate and rethread into the tube rings. Note that the side of the mounting plate with the central “groove” will be facing up. Use the small crescent wrench to secure the tube rings to the mounting plate.

10.Loosen the black mounting plate securing knob as well as the metal safety screw on the top of the equatorial mount. Place the tube ring mounting plate, with the tube rings attached, in the dovetail slot on top of the equatorial mount. Position the mounting plate so that it is centered on the dovetail slot. Re-tighten the mounting plate securing knob until the mounting plate is secure. Then, tighten the safety screw. The safety screw will ensure that the mounting plate (and telescope tube) will not fall off the EQ mount if the mounting plate securing knob should come loose.

11.Lay the telescope optical tube in the tube rings at about the midpoint of the tube’s length. Center the 1/4"-20 mount- ing block on the optical tube relative to the tube rings. Positioning the optical tube this way will automatically bal- ance the telescope in declination (see section 4). Rotate the optical tube so that the focus wheels are pointed down. Close the rings over the tube and tighten the knurled ring clamps finger-tight to secure the telescope in position.

To place the finder scope (Figure 3a) in the finder scope bracket, unthread the two black nylon screws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket. Place the O-ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope. Slide the eyepiece end (narrow end) of the finder scope into the end of the bracket’s cylinder opposite the adjustment screws while pulling the chrome, spring-loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers (Figure 3b). Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O-ring seats just inside the front opening of the bracket cylinder. Release the tensioner and tighten the two black nylon screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place. Insert the base of the finder scope bracket into the dovetail holder on top of the focuser. Lock the bracket into position by tightening the knurled thumb screw on the dovetail holder.