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Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion mount. Your new AstroView Equatorial Mount was developed to work with
many different telescope optical tubes. Designed for astronomical use, this precision mount allows convenient "tracking" of celestial
objects as they move slowly across the sky, so they remain within your eyepiece's field of view. The setting circles will assist you
in locating hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens, including galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters, from their catalogued coor-
dinates. With a little practice, you'll find that the AstroView Equatorial Mount is an invaluable tool for getting the most out of your
astronomical observing sessions.
These instructions will help you set up and properly use your equatorial mount. Please read them over thoroughly before getting
started.
Table of Contents
1. Unpacking ........................................................ 3
2. Parts List .......................................................... 3
3. Assembly ......................................................... 3
4. Attaching a telescope ....................................... 4
5. Balancing the telescope ................................... 5
7. Specifications ................................................... 9
1. Unpacking
The entire mount will arrive in one box. Be careful unpacking
the box. We recommend keeping the box and the packaging
material. In the event that the mount needs to be shipped to
another location, or returned to Orion for warranty repair, hav-
ing the original packaging will help ensure that your mount will
survive the journey intact.
Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are present. Be
sure to check box carefully, as some parts are small. If
anything appears to be missing or broken, immediate-
ly call Orion Customer Support (800-447-1001) or email
support@telescope.com for assistance.
2. Parts List
Qty. Description
1
German-type equatorial mount
3
Tripod legs attached accessory tray bracket
2
Slow-motion control cables
1
8" Dovetail bar
1
Large counterweight
1
Small counterweight
1
Counterweight shaft
1
Counterweight locking "t-nut" collar
1
Accessory tray with mounting wing screws
3
Leg attachment screws with wingnuts and washers
3
Leg lock knobs
1
Polar axis finder scope
1
Polar axis cover
3. Assembly
Assembling the mount for the first time should take about 20
minutes. No tools are needed, other than the ones provided.
All screws should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing and
wobbling, but be careful not to over-tighten or the threads may
strip. Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.
1.
Remove the tripod from the box and open it up and place
it upright on the ground. The EQ mount head sits on top
and is secured by tightening the large thumb knob from
underneath the top of the tripod. When placing the EQ
head on the tripod, orient the head so the pin sticking up
from the top of the tripod sits between the two Azimuth
fine adjustment knobs. You may need to loose both
Azimuth adjustment knobs for the pin to fit between.
2.
For now, keep the legs at their shortest (fully retracted)
length; you can extend them to a more desirable length
later, after the scope is completely assembled.
3.
Attach the accessory tray to the bracket with the three
wing screws already installed in the tray. Push the screws
up through the holes in the bracket, then thread them into
the holes in the tray.
4.
Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1,
at a latitude of about 40°, i.e., so the pointer next to the
latitude scale is pointing to the line at "40". To do this,
loosen one of the latitude adjusting T-bolts and then
tighten the other latitude adjusting T-bolt until the pointer
and the "40" line up (Figure 2). The declination (Dec.)
and right ascension (R.A.) axes many need re-positioning
Azimuth
Adjustment
Figure 2. The latitude adjustments bolts and azimuth adjustment
knobs
Latitude
(Altitude)
Adjustment
bolts
3
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