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III
Superstructure
Fig. 11
b
Step one: Spread the tripod legs (1) as far as
they will go.
Fig. 12
g
Step two: Slide the spreader clasp (6) over the
central threaded rod
Fig. 13
h
Step three: Slide the washer and then the lock
nut (7) onto the threaded rod. Tighten the nut.
Fig. 14
Step four: Adjust the height of the tripod by
loosening the locking screw (8) and pulling out
the inner tripod leg to the desired length. Then
tighten the locking screw (8) again.
The field tripod
With the field tripod a MCX telescope can be mounted in Alt/Az mode, as well as
Equatorially. An equatorial wedge, comprising of a tilt plate and height adjustment bar, is
built into the tripod
The parts:
- Tripod with attached tilting plate and height adjustment bar unit with clamp.
- Two mounting screws for mounting the MCX telescope on the tilt plate
- spreader clasp, spring, two washers and knurled nut to attach the spreader clasp to the
tripod
- Three clamping bolts for height adjustment of the tripod legs
Assembling the tripod
1. Spread the legs of the tripod (1, Fig. 11) as far as they will go.
2. Slide the spreader clasp (6, Fig. 12) over the central threaded rod.
3. Slide the washer and then thread the knurled nut (7, fig. 13) on to the threaded rod.
Tighten the nut.
4. A djust the height of the tripod by loosening the leg locking bolts (8, fig. 14) and pull out
the inner tripod leg to the desired length. Then tighten the locking bolts (8) until the leg
is firmly held in place.
IMPORTANT NOTE!
Tighten the central knurled nut until the tripod legs are stable and do not wobble or slip
(do not overtighten).
Alt/Azimuth, or Equatorial placement?
The rotation of the earth causes astronomical objects to proscribe an arc as they appear
travel through the sky. This apparent movement is not noticeable when observed with
the naked eye. When observing with a telescope like the MCX, however, this speed of
movement seems quite high. If the telescope drive is not activated, celestial objects
disappear from the field of view of the eyepiece within 15 to 60 seconds. The speed of
the movement depends on the magnification used. This movement can be compensated
by positioning the telescope correctly and activating the drive. The two basic ways to
mount a telescope are Altitude/Azimuth (up/down – left/right) and Equatorial.. When
using the handheld computer, the MCX usually does not have to be mounted Equatorially.
The handheld computer enables the Alt/Az tracking of the telescope for practically all
types of observations.
i
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