3
3
ance may not be achievable with a very light or very
heavy binocular.
If the mount will not balance (very likely with a small binocu-
lar), you can make adjustments to the tension knobs until the
mount remains in place when you stop moving it. If it does
not, increase the tension with the tension knobs.
Adjusting the “Tilt Angle” of the Binocular
The binocular “tilt angle” is controlled with the altitude knob
(Figure 4). You should set the knob tension such that the bin-
ocular will move when pushed, but will not move on its own.
Keep in mind that as the angle of the binocular approaches
the zenith, the knob tension will need to be increased so that
the binocular does not flop over. Increase the knob tension
when bringing the binocular 40˚ or more from horizontal.
Adjusting Azimuth
Moving the binocular in azimuth (left/right) is a simple matter
of turning the mount on its pivot disk. There is no azimuth lock
feature.
Adjusting the Height of the Binocular
A nice feature of the Paragon-Plus binocular mount is that
when the binocular is pointed at an object, the height can be
adjusted for different viewers without moving the binocular
off its target. To do this, simply move the binocular so that
only the parallelogram part of the mount is moving. Do not
adjust the tilt angle of the binocular or move the mount on
its pivot disk. Figure 5 shows this feature in action. Using
this feature, people of varying heights will be able to enjoy
binocular views without any crouching over or straining to
reach the binocular.
Adjusting the Paragon-Plus Tripod Height (#5379)
You may find that the binocular position is too low when the
tripod legs are fully retracted. To raise the height you should
extend the legs of the tripod. You should remove the bin-
ocular mount before extending the tripod legs to prevent the
mount and tripod from falling over.
Each leg of the tripod has two telescoping sections. To
extend a leg, loosen the lever lock knob, then extend the leg.
When it has been extended to the desired length, tighten the
lever knob back down. There is a handy scale printed on the
middle segment of each leg, which can be used to judge the
relative height of the legs.
Although the Paragon-Plus tripod also has an elevator shaft,
this should be used with the binocular mount only after rais-
ing the tripod by use of the legs. Extending the elevator shaft
reduces the stability of the binocular mount. To operate the
elevator shaft, loosen the elevator lock knob and turn the ele-
vator hand crank to adjust to the desired height. Then tighten
the elevator lock knob.
Dual Rubber/Spike Feet (#5379)
The tripod is equipped with dual-purpose feet that consist of
a retractable rubber foot and a metal spike. The rubber feet
are intended for use of the tripod indoors or on a smooth,
paved surface. The metal spikes are desirable for achieving a
firm grip on soft surfaces. To use the rubber feet, thread the
foot counterclockwise until it stops. In this position, the metal
spike will be well recessed within the rubber. Be sure all three
rubber feet are flat on the floor, not tipped sideways.
To expose the spike feet, thread the rubber foot clockwise
until the spike protrudes from the rubber. In some instances
you may wish to remove the rubber feet altogether so more
of the metal spike is exposed. This can be done by pulling
the rubber feet off their anchors. They can be pressed on
again at any time.
Figure 6.
The binocular mount
can be used to view objects at or
near the zenith. Adjust the tripod
so that you can stand under the
binocular to view objects located
high in the sky.
Figure 5.
The binocular will remain on target as you adjust the
height using the parallelogram. The standing person in (a) is
looking at the same thing while seated in (b). Note that only the
parallelogram has moved; the tilt angle of the binocular has not.
The pivot disk and binocular altitude should not be adjusted for
this feature to work.
a.
b.
Figure 4.
The “tilt angle” of the binoculars
Altitude
knob
tilt angle
