– 7 –
•
Release the latitude lock (9) of the equatorial mount, and tilt the polar axis (10) of the telescope to
roughly a 45° angle by turning the latitude adjustment knob (11). With the polar axis thus tilted,
firmly re-tighten the latitude lock.
•
Remove the viewfinder bracket mounting nuts from the viewfinder bracket mounting bolts (16) that
protrude from the optical tube (12), near the focuser (17). Place the viewfinder bracket’s mounting
holes (located at the base of the bracket) over the mounting bolts, so that the bracket is oriented
as shown in Fig. 1. Replace the viewfinder bracket mounting nuts, and tighten to a firm feel. Then
center the viewfinder in both bracket rings by backing off the three thumbscrews (26) on each
bracket ring. Orient the viewfinder so its front objective lens is pointing in the same direction as the
open end (front) of the optical tube (25).
•
Position the cradle ring attachment (37) onto the optical tube saddle plate (13), with the mid-point
lying roughly in the center of the saddle plate. Tighten the cradle ring lock knob (36) to a firm feel
when the cradle ring attachment is positioned in the telescope’s saddle (13).
•
If the cradle ring assmbly did not come already attached to the optical tube assembly (12), loosen
the lock knobs (15) of the cradle rings (14) and open the cradle rings. Place the optical tube
assembly roughly in the center of the cradle rings and close the rings over the tube. Then tighten
the cradle ring lock knobs (15) to a firm feel; do not overtighten these knobs. Please note that you
may want to change the rotational position of the optical tube to gain a more comfortable observing
position of the focuser (17). This adjustment may be performed several times in one observing
session, as desired.
•
Insert the MA 25mm eyepiece (19) into the focuser, and tighten the focuser thumbscrew (18) to
secure the eyepiece.
The telescope is now fully assembled. Before it can be properly used, however, the telescope must be
balanced and the viewfinder aligned.
1. Balancing the Telescope
In order for the telescope to move smoothly on its mechanical axes, it must first be balanced about the
2 telescope axes: the polar axis (10, Fig. 1) and the Declination axis (21, Fig. 1). All motions of the
polar aligned telescope (more on this later) take place by moving about these two axes, separately or
simultaneously. To obtain a fine balance of the telescope, follow the method below:
•
Loosen the R.A. lock (22, Fig. 1) and rotate the telescope so that the counterweight shaft (6, Fig.
1) is parallel to the ground (horizontal).
•
Slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until the telescope remains in one position
without tending to drift down in either direction. Then tighten the counterweight lock knob (7, Fig.
1), locking the counterweight in position.
•
Lock the R.A. lock (22, Fig. 1), and unlock the Declination lock (23, Fig. 1). The telescope will now
turn freely about the Declination axis. Loosen the cradle ring lock knobs (15, Fig. 1) so that the
main tube in the cradle rings slides easily up-or-down in the cradle rings. Move the main tube in
the cradle rings until it is balanced rotationally about the Declination axis. Re-lock the knobs (15,
Fig. 1).
The telescope is now properly balanced on both axes.
2. Alignment of the Viewfinder
The wide field of view provided by the 5 x 24mm viewfinder permits easy object sighting prior to
observation in the higher-power main telescope. The 5 x 24 Viewfinder (24, Fig. 1) and viewfinder
bracket (20, Fig. 1) attaches to the telescope tube assembly as described above (see Fig. 1). In order
for the viewfinder to be functional, however, it must be aligned to the main telescope, so that both the
viewfinder and main telescope point at the same position in the sky. With this simple alignment
performed, finding objects is greatly facilitated, since you will first locate an object in the wide-field
viewfinder, then you will look in the eyepiece of the main telescope for a detailed view. To align the
viewfinder follow these steps:
•
Remove the telescope front dust cover (25, Fig. 1), and the dust covers of the viewfinder.
•
Place the low- power (MA 25mm) eyepiece into the focuser of the main telescope.
