4
(rotation) as well. Be sure to loosen the RA and Dec.
lock levers before doing this. Retighten them once the
equatorial mount is properly oriented.
5. Take the counterweight shaft and thread the locking
“t-nut” collar onto the end as far down as it will go
(Figure 3a)
. Then thread the counterweight onto the
mount. Thread it far enough in for the end of the shaft
to sit just below the polar axis opening
(Figure 3b)
, but
not far enough where it blocks the light from entering the
polarscope. When positioned correctly, thread the locking
“t-nut” collar upward until it is snug against the bottom of
the mount
(Figure 3c)
. This locks the counterweight
shaft in place.
6. Remove the knurled “toe saver” retaining screw
on the bottom of the counterweight shaft and slide
both counterweights onto the shaft. Make sure the
counterweight lock knobs are adequately loosened to
allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the hole.
Position the counterweights about halfway up the shaft
and tighten the lock knobs. Replace the toe saver on the
end of the bar. The toe saver prevents the counterweights
from falling on your foot if the lock knobs happen to come
loose.
7. Attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and Dec.
worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning
the small screw on the end of the cable over the indented
slot on the worm gear shaft. Then tighten the screw. We
recommend using the shorter control cable for the R.A.
axis.
4. Attaching a Telescope
Your AstroView EQ mount accepts a Vixen style dovetail tube
ring mounting plate. Using a dovetail tube ring mounting plate
makes it easier to attach your telescope to the AstroView EQ
mount, simplifying set-up and take-down of your telescope
system. Additionally, if you have more than one telescope for
the AstroView mount, the dovetail mounting allows easy “swap-
ping” of optical tubes without requiring extra tools.
The AstroView equatorial mount is designed to hold telescope
optical tubes weighing up to approximately 12lbs. For heavier
telescopes, the mount may not provide sufficient stability for
steady imaging. Any type of telescope can be mounted on the
AstroView mount, including refractors, Newtonian reflectors,
and catadioptrics, provided the telescope has a built-in dovetail
mounting plate or has a set of tube rings available to couple the
tube to a dovetail mounting plate.
Attaching a Telescope with the Dovetail Tube
Ring Mounting Plate
Once you’ve assembled your AstroView EQ mount as described
in section 3 of the instruction manual, follow the instructions
below to attach your telescope to the mount:
1. Attach the tube rings to the dovetail tube ring mounting
plate using the screws that are included with the tube
rings. The screws should go through the center holes at
both ends of the mounting plate and rethread into the
tube rings. Note that the side of the mounting plate with
the central “groove” will be facing up. Use a small wrench
to secure the tube rings to the mounting plate.
Note:
The tube ring mounting plate included with the
AstroView EQ mount includes four optical axis offset
adjustment screws; these are the socket-head cap screws
located at each corner of the mounting plate. Prior to
attaching tube rings, confirm that all four adjustment
screws are sufficiently unthreaded so that the ends of
their threaded shafts are flush with the top surface of the
dovetail tube ring mounting plate.
2. Open the tube rings by unthreading the knurled clamps
and lay your telescope optical tube in the tube rings at
about the midpoint of the tube’s length. Close the tube
rings and re-tighten the clamps.
3. Loosen the mounting plate lock knob and safety screw
on the top of the equatorial mount. Place the dovetail
mounting plate, with the tube rings and telescope
attached, in the slot on top of the equatorial mount.
Re-tighten the mounting plate lock knobs until the plate is
secure.
For Reflector telescopes, carefully loosen the knurled tube
ring clamps by a few turns each and rotate the tube so that the
focuser is at a convenient height for viewing.
Figure 3.
Attaching the Counterweight shaft to the mount
3a
b
c
d