6
7
slotted stem (while still holding
onto the binoculars). With the
weight of the binoculars on top of
the stem, you can then let go of
the Smartphone Holder (not the
binoculars!) without it falling to the
ground, which in turn will allow
you to use your free hand to reach
under and turn the knob on the
tripod adapter, threading the stud
into the binocular socket (
Figure
7). Once the knob is tightened, you
can release the lock on the tripod’s
altitude axis and rotate the head
back to the upright position, in
which the binoculars are parallel to
the ground (
Figure 8).
it. If you do, just make sure to unlock
the tab before attempting to rotate the
holder again.
using the Holder with
tripod-Mounted Binoculars
Holding binoculars by hand to observe
the night sky can cause arm and shoul-
der fatigue after just a few minutes. So
you may want to consider mounting
your binoculars on a tripod. A tripod
will also hold the binoculars steadier
than holding them by hand, keeping
your viewing target steady in the field
of view.
The #24438 kit includes a tripod adapt-
er for coupling the binoculars (sold sep-
arately) and Smartphone Holder to a tripod. This aluminum adapter has a ¼"-20
stud of sufficient length to pass through the mounting bracket and still engage the
binoculars’ tripod mounting socket by several turns. Other binocular adapters may
not work without modification because the ¼"-20 stud may not be long enough to
ensure adequate thread engagement with the binocular socket.
To install the Smartphone Holder on the binocular tripod adapter, it helps to have a
second person to assist in holding the binocular while you attach the smartphone
holder and tripod adapter. But if you’re doing it solo, here’s a good method:
1. Firmly attach the tripod adapter to the tripod (
Figure 6a).
2. Now rotate the tripod head 90 degrees so that the tripod adapter is parallel
to the ground, with the threaded stud pointing up (
Figure 6b). Lock the tripod
head’s altitude axis.
3. Now hold the empty smartphone bracket over the tripod adapter, with side
rails facing up, such that the threaded stud is visible in the slot of the metal
stem. With your other hand line up the ¼"-20 socket of the binoculars with
the threaded stud of the tripod adapter, and rest the binocular on top of the
Figure 5.
The sliding lock tab on the back
of the holder will lock the holder in position,
if desired.
Figure 7.
Install the slotted stem of the
smartphone holder between the tripod
adapter and binoculars.
Lock tab
Figure 6. a)
The tripod adapter is shown installed on an Orion Paragon HD-F2 tripod
(sold separately).
b)
To attach the smartphone holder and binoculars to the tripod adapter,
first rotate the tripod head so the adapter is horizontal, with threaded stud facing up.
a.
b.
