Table of Contents
Advertisement
Fig. 6a: Loosen the tripod's
locking ring...
Fig. 6b: ...push down as far
as it will go.
Fig. 7: Thread bolts into
telescope base.
Fig. 8: Line up bolts over
keylike holes.
Fig. 9: Loosen vertical lock
to move optical tube.
GETTING STARTED
Parts Listing
Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first open-
ing the packing box, note carefully the following parts:
• The ETX Astro Telescope with fork mount system, photographic type tripod.
• Water-resistant backpack.
• #494 AutoStar handbox with attached coil cord.
• Meade premium eyepieces; 45° erecting prism.
• Hex-wrench, packed with the instruction manual. See
page 34.
Telescope Assembly
Setup The Tripod
Your backpack observatory does not ship with the parts stowed in the backpack. Before stow-
ing the gear in the backpack and taking it out into the field, assemble the telescope in a famil-
iar environment to practice the setup.
1.
Hold the tripod by its handle and turn the locking ring to loosen the tripod mechanism
(Fig. 6a). Push down on the locking ring as far as it will go to spread out the tripod legs
(Fig. 6b). Turn the locking ring to tighten the tripod in place.
2.
Adjust the height of the tripod, by lifting one of the tripod leg lock levers and sliding the
inner leg in or out to the desired length. Then press down on the lever to re-lock. Repeat
for the other two legs.
3.
Use the tripod on a level and even ground. Pointing accuracy depends on the base of the
tripod being level with the horizon. The bubble level on top of the tripod can help deter-
mine if the base is level: Move the base until the bubble is in the center of the circle.
Attach the Telescope to the Base
4.
Thread the supplied bolts about two or three turns through the underside of the tele-
scope base (Fig. 7).
5.
Line up the bolts over the key-like holes on the base of the tripod and slide the bolts into
the holes (Fig. 8). Rotate the telescope clockwise until the bolts fit into the hole bays.
Then, reach under the tripod base and tighten the bolts to a firm feel.
6.
The optical tube is shipped with the tube upright between the forks. Loosen the vertical
lock (Fig. 9) and move the optical tube down between the fork arms. Then, re-tighten the
vertical lock.
7.
Remove the inverted dewshield from the end of the telescope. Remove the dust cap from
the end of the telescope by rotating it counterclockwise. Then thread the dewshield over
the end of the telescope.
8:
Remove the eyepiece cap from the 90 degree eyepiece holder and also the cap from the
rear cell port. Screw on the 45 degree prism to the rear cell port.
9.
You can put two eyepieces into this telescope at the same time: Slip a lower power eye-
piece, such as a 25mm or 26 mm eyepiece into the 45 degree prism and another eye-
piece into the 90 degree holder. You can switch between the two eyepieces by turning
the flip mirror control to the up or down position.
Note: It is strongly recommended that you remove the 45 degree prism from the
telescope during the alignment procedure. The prism can correct the orientation of
land objects during the daytime, but is not necessarily needed for astronomical
viewing. You may use it, but during alignment the prism might strike the telescope
base and obstruct the align process.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
13
Hide quick links:
Advertisement
Table of Contents
