4
2. Assembly
Carefully open all of the boxes in the shipping container.
Make sure all the parts listed in Section 1 are present. Save
the boxes and packaging material. In the unlikely event that
you need to return the telescope during the warranty period,
you must use the original packaging.
Assembling the telescope should take only about 15 minutes.
Be careful not to overtighten screws and bolts or the threads
may strip.
During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), DO NOT
touch any of the lenses of the telescope, finder scope, or eye-
pieces, or the mirror of the diagonal, with your fingers. The
optical surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can be
damaged if touched inappropriately. NEVER remove any lens
assembly from its housing for any reason, or the product war-
ranty and return policy will be voided.
1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side. Attach the tripod legs
one at a time to the base of the mount by sliding the tripod
leg bolt into the hole in the mount and lightly tightening the
wing nut finger-tight. (Use the screwdriver tool provided
on the head of the bolt while tightening the wing nut.) Note
that the hinged accessory tray bracket on each leg should
face inward.
2. Thread the three leg lock thumbscrews into the lower leg
braces. For now, keep the legs at their shortest (fully
retracted) length; you can extend them to a more desir-
able length later, after the scope is completely assembled.
3. With the equatorial mount attached, stand the tripod upright
and spread the legs apart enough to attach the accessory
tray to the three hinged tray brackets on the legs. The
brackets should be positioned underneath the tray. Use the
three small accessory tray screws and wing nuts and wash-
ers provided. Do not tighten the wing nuts yet.
4. Now, with the accessory tray attached but not tightened,
spread the tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the
accessory tray brackets are taut. Then tighten the wing
nuts of the accessory tray screws.
5. Next, tighten the wing nuts of the tripod leg bolts at the
base of the equatorial mount.
6. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 2. To
do this, first loosen the declination (Dec.) lock thumbscrew
and the right ascension (R.A.) lock thumbscrew,
Reposition the mount about the R.A. and Dec. axes, then
retighten both lock thumbscrews. Adjust the latitude by
loosening the latitude lock t-bolt, and then turning the lati-
tude adjustment t-bolt. Use the latitude scale printed on
the side of the equatorial mount as a reference, and set
the latitude equal to approximately 40°. Once this is done,
retighten the latitude lock t-bolt.
7. Slide the counterweight on to the counterweight shaft.
Make sure that the screw that holds the retaining washer
at the bottom end of the shaft is tightened. This washer
will prevent the counterweight from slipping off the shaft
and possibly onto your foot if the counterweight lock knob
should come loose! Now, with the counterweight lock
knob loose, hold the counterweight in one hand and the
thread the shaft into the equatorial mount (base of decli-
nation axis) with the other hand. When it is threaded all
the way in, position the counterweight about halfway up
the shaft and tighten the counterweight lock knob.
8. Attach the telescope tube to the equatorial mount with the
bolt and wingnut assembly on the telescope tube. Remove
the wingnuts, then position the bolts on the tube over the
two holes in the top of the mount. Lower the tube onto the
mount so that the bolts go through the holes, and secure in
place by threading and tightening the wingnuts on the
bolts. Note that the Dec. slow-motion shaft, where the Dec.
slow-motion cables attaches, should be pointing back
toward the focuser end of the telescope. If it isn’t, remove
the telescope tube, loosen the Dec. lock knob, rotate the
equatorial head 180° about the Dec. axis, and replace the
telescope.
9. Now attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and
Dec. slow-motion shafts of the equatorial mount by posi-
tioning the setscrew on the end of the cable over the
indented slot on the shaft, then tightening the setscrew.
10. Attach the finder scope bracket to the optical tube using
the two knurled thumbscrews on the optical tube, located
directly in front of the focuser. Unthread the thumbscrews
from the tube, position the holes in the base of the brack-
et over the holes in the tube, and re-thread the
thumbscrews through the bracket and onto the telescope.
Orient the bracket so that it slants forward.
Right ascension
(polar) axis
Declination lock
thumbscrew
Right
Ascension
lock
thumbscrew
Declination axis
Figure 2. The equatorial mount of the Observer 60 EQ.
Latitude scale
Latitude
adjusting T-bolt
Azimuth lock
knob
Latitude lock
T-bolt
