Orion 13022 Aiming the Deluxe Mini Guide Scope, Caring for the Deluxe Mini Guide Scope

Aiming the Deluxe Mini Guide Scope

The DMGS is mounted in a dovetail bracket that has three black thumbscrews to secure the guide scope tube in place. The tube is secured to the front of the bracket with a rubber O-ring. Although you may never need to do it in order to find a guide star, you can adjust the direction the guide scope is pointed within the bracket by alternately loosening and tightening the three thumbscrews. Just make sure that all three thumbscrews are tightened before you begin guiding. Do not over-tighten them, however, or you could strip the screw threads.

Using the Deluxe Mini Guide Scope as a Finder Scope

The DMGS can double as a 50mm illuminated finder scope with the addition of the optional Orion 12.5mm Illuminated Plössl eyepiece (Figure 6). Some other 1.25" telescope eyepieces may also work, while others may not reach focus when inserted all the way into the focuser. (With some eyepieces, backing them out a few millimeters and securing the barrel with the two thumbscrews will allow you to achieve focus. A 1.25" parfocal ring can assist in setting the focus position on the eyepiece barrel, if desired.) But the 12.5mm Illuminated Plössl comes

in very handy because it has a double crosshair reticle that is illuminated by a red LED with adjustable brightness. Magnification with this eyepiece is 13x. If a lower magnification is desired, a longer focal length eyepiece can be used. For example, a 20mm eyepiece will yield 8.1x magnification.

Caring for the Deluxe Mini Guide Scope

To keep dust from getting inside the guide scope and from accumulating on the objective lens, keep the front and rear caps installed when the guide scope is not in use. We recommend storing the guide scope in a padded accessory case.

Cleaning the Lens

Although it shouldn’t need cleaning very often, you can clean the front lens of the guide scope with any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid designed for multi-coated optics. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, eject any loose particles from the lens with a blower bulb, compressed air, or a soft brush such as a LensPen. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a lens tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and smudges can be removed using this method. Use caution, as rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. Never re-use the same tissue.

Specifications
Aperture:	50mm
Type:	Achromat (doublet)
Focal length:	162mm
Lens coating:	Multi-coated
Focuser:	Helical, non-rotating
Focuser material:	machined aluminum
Focus travel:	12mm
Camera attachment:	Via T-threads or nosepiece holder
Length:	6-13/16 inches
Weight:	19.2 oz.

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