IN 360 Rev A 02/09
Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion spotting
scope. Your TrailHead zoom spotting scope is a high-quality opti-
cal instrument for viewing birds, wildlife, sports events, or any-
thing else you want to see more closely. It will provide many years
of superb, enjoyable viewing. Before using your spotting scope,
we recommend that you read through the following instructions.
Please refer to Figures 1 and 2 above to identify the various parts
mentioned in this manual.
Attaching to an Optional Tripod
The TrailHead zoom spotting scope can be attached to a sturdy
camera tripod or other mount by use of the 1/4"-20 threaded hole
in its mounting block. This hole accepts 1/4"-20 mounting studs
that are standard on most tripods.
The spotting scope can be rotated relative to the mounting block,
should you wish to change the orientation of the eyepiece for a
more comfortable viewing angle. With the spotter attached to a
tripod, loosen the thumbscrew on the mounting block’s ring, and
grasp the body of the spotting scope. Rotate it to the desired posi-
tion, and re-tighten the thumbscrew when done.
Extending the Lens Shade
A nice feature of the TrailHead zoom spotting scope is its retract-
able lens shade. Having a retractable lens shade is desirable, as
it keeps the length of the spotting scope shorter, and thus more
portable, when transporting it.
When using the spotter, especially in bright daylight, the lens
shade helps reduce glare (stray light) from entering the field of
view. Glare is undesirable because it decreases overall image
contrast. To use the lens shade you must first remove the lens
cap. The lens shade can be extended by grasping and pulling it
away from the objective lens. Retract the lens shade by pushing it
inwards before putting it back into its case.
Focusing
Point the spotting scope in the general direction of an object at
least 20 feet away. Rotate the focus knob with your fingers until the
object comes into sharp focus. Go a little bit beyond sharp focus
until the image just starts to blur again, and then reverse the rota-
tion of the knob, just to make sure you’ve hit the exact focus point.
Using the Zoom Eyepiece
The TrailHead zoom spotting scope line provides continuous zoom
magnification of either 15-45x (on the 65mm) or 20x to 60x (on
the 85mm). The magnification is adjusted by rotating the knurled
rubber zoom ring on the eyepiece. The arrow indicator and mag-
nification scale show the current magnification setting. Changing
the magnification may also require slight refocusing to achieve the
sharpest image.
For general use, it’s a good idea to start viewing at the lowest
magnification until you’ve acquired your viewing target. Then you
can zoom-in to a higher magnification to see more detail. Note that
as magnification increases, the images will become dimmer; this
is an inherent law of physics, and cannot be avoided.
Twist-Down Eyecups
The spotting scope features a rubber twisting eyecup on the zoom
eyepiece. This eyecup is usually left in the up position for use with-
out eyeglasses. To use the spotting scope with eyeglasses, simply
grasp the eyeguard and gently twist clockwise to lower it to the
desired position. The eyeguard has handy click stops to keep it in
place once it is set.
Use of the View-Through Carry Case
A feature of the TrailHead spotting scopes is that they can be used
while still inside the carrying case and mounted on a tripod. This
Figure 1:
The TrailHead 15-45x65mm straight zoom spotting scope.
Focus
knob
Focus
knob
Eyepiece
Eyepiece
Knurled
Zoom ring
Knurled
zoom ring
Thumbscrew
Thumbscrew
¼"-20
Mounting
block
¼"-20
Mounting
block
Lens
shade
Lens
shade
Objective
lens
Objective
lens
Angle
indicator
Angle
indicator
WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun through your
spotting scope — even for an instant — without a
professionally made solar filter that completely covers
the front of the instrument, or permanent eye damage
could result. Young children should use this spotting
scope only with adult supervision.
Figure 2:
The TrailHead 20-60x85mm angled zoom spotting scope.
Figure 3:
The TrailHead zoom
spotting scope with the dew
shield extended.
Orion
®
TrailHead
™
Spotting Scopes
#9520 15-45x65mm Straight • #9521 20-60x85mm 45° Angled
