5
Figure 3. Press firmly so the adhesive holds the bumper
securely in place.
Installing the Eyepiece Rack
The aluminum eyepiece rack is a standard accessory on
SkyQuest Dobsonians. On the XT6 it holds three 1.25" eye-
pieces in a convenient place on the base; on the XT8 it holds
three 1.25" eyepieces and one 2" eyepiece. These eyepieces
will be within easy reach while you’re observing. The rack will
also hold a 1.25" barlow lens. About halfway down the left side
panel of the base you will notice two predrilled starter holes,
about 6" apart. Take the black wood screws and thread them
into the starter holes with a Phillips screwdriver. Then you can
“keyhole” the eyepiece rack onto the wood screws and contin-
ue tightening the screws (Figure 4). If you want to be able to
remove the rack, do not tighten the screws too tightly. Be cer-
tain that the screws are loose enough that you can lift the rack
and remove it from the screws through the larger part of the
keyhole. If you want to have the rack permanently attached,
thread the screws tightly.
Placing the Optical Tube on the Dobsonian Base
Lift the optical tube and set the altitude bearings on either side
of the tube in the “cradle” of the base (Figure 5). The unique
flange design of the altitude bearing allows for automatic left-
to-right centering of the optical tube in the cradle. Once in the
cradle, the tube should pivot freely up and down with gentle
hand pressure. Note that the tube will not yet be properly bal-
anced, since the eyepiece and finder scope are not in place,
and the CorrecTension system has not been installed.
Installing the Finder Scope
The SkyQuest XT6 & 8 come with a high quality, 6x30 achro-
matic finder scope (Figure 6a). The “6” means it magnifies 6
times, the “30” means it has a 30mm diameter lens.
To place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket, first
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 groove 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 that does not have
the alignment screws while pulling the chrome, spring-loaded
tensioner on the bracket with your fingers (see Figure 6b).
Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O-ring
seats just inside the front opening of the bracket’s cylinder.
Now, release the tensioner and tighten the two black nylon
screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in
Figure 4.
Using the two supplied screws, install the aluminum
eyepiece rack in the predrilled holes about halfway down the left
side panel of the base. (XT6 eyepiece rack shown)
Figure 5.
Set the optical
tube on the “cradle” of the
base so that the altitude side
bearings on the tube rest on
the white plastic “pads.”
Figure 6a.
The 6x30 finder
scope.
Figure 6b.
Inserting the
finder scope into the finder
scope bracket
Focus
lock ring
Tensioner
Objective lens
Finder
Scope Bracket
Alignment thumbscrews
