Moving the Telescope Manually
The AstroMaster Alt-Az mount is easy to move wherever you want to point it. The up and down (altitude) is controlled by the pan handle (Figure 2-10). The side-to-side (azimuth) is controlled by the azimuth lock (Figure 2-9). The pan handle and the azimuth lock are both loosened by turning the handle and lock counterclockwise. When loose you can find your objects easily and then lock the controls. To lock the controls in place, turn them clockwise.
Figure 2-10
Figure 2-9
Attaching the Telescope Tube to the Mount
The telescope optical tube attaches to the mount via a dovetail slide bar mounting bracket at the top of the mount (Figure 2-11). For the 114 AZ Newtonian, the mounting bar is the bracket which is attached to the tube rings. For the 70AZ and 90AZ refractors the mounting bar is attached along the bottom of the telescope tube. Before you attach the optical tube, make sure that the pan handle and azimuth lock are fully locked. Then put the dovetail bracket in the horizontal position as shown in Figure 2-10. This will ensure that the mount does not move suddenly while attaching the telescope optical tube. Also, remove the objective lens cap (refractor) or the front opening cap (Newtonian). To mount the telescope tube:
1Remove the protective paper covering the optical tube. You will have to remove the tube rings on the 114EQ Newtonian before removing the paper.
2Loosen the mounting knob and the mounting safety screw on the side of the dovetail mounting platform so they do not protrude into the mounting platform – see Figure 2-18.
3.Slide the dovetail mounting bar into the recess on the top of the mounting platform (figure 2-17).
5Tighten the mounting knob on the dovetail mounting platform to hold the telescope in place.
6Hand tighten the mounting platform safety screw until the tip touches the side of the mounting bracket.
NOTE: Never loosen any of the knobs on the telescope tube or mount other than the R.A. and DEC knobs.
Figure 2-11 | Figure 2-12 Mounting Knob & Safety Screw in the dovetail bracket. |
| Shown is the 90AZ telescope tube |
