Astro-Tech voyager Quick Start Manual

Astro-Tech voy age r
Thank you for purchasing this Astro-Tech Voyager
altazimuth mount with dual-axis slow motion controls. You'll
find that the Voyager is one of the most stable, flexible,
and precise mounts available for casual backyard and grab-
and-go astronomy. It also makes a very stable platform
for terrestrial observing, such as birdwatching, nature stud-
ies, and scanning the scenery from the home with a view.
UNPACKING: Your Astro-Tech Voyager mount is
shipped complete with all the hardware and tools you will
need to assemble it. Illustration #1 below shows the way
the Voyager components are packed within the shipping
carton. There is a Styrofoam accessory box immediately
under the shipping carton flaps. Lifting the accessory box
out of the carton will reveal the pre-assembled tripod and
azimuth slow motion control assembly in its own com-
partment. The slow motion control cable is packed in with
the tripod assembly.
1.- MOUNT COMPONENTS AS PACKED FOR SHIPPING
Left: The accessory box with its cover removed.
Right: The tripod and flexible slow motion cable as revealed
when the accessory box is lifted out of the carton.
The Styrofoam accessory box contains the die-cast
mount arm, the altitude control assembly, the dovetail
mounting block, and the hardware/tool bag, as shown in
illustration # 2 below.
A
2.- CONTENTS OF THE
ACCESSORY BOX
A.- Mount Arm.
B.- Bag of Mounting Hardware
B
and Tools.
C.- Altitude Control Assembly.
C
D.- Dovetail Mounting Block
Assembly.
D
ASSEMBLING THE ARM TO THE TRIPOD: Lift the
tripod out of the carton and set it up by pulling outward
on the legs. The azimuth slow motion control assembly is
already attached to the tripod, as shown in illustration #3
below. There are two holes for mounting the arm to the
slow motion control as shown.
3.- AZIMUTH SLOW MOTION
ASSEMBLY ON TRIPOD
Alternate site for
installing slow motion
control knob
Mounting holes
for attaching
mount arm
Bolt the mount arm to the holes in the azimuth slow
motion control assembly using two of the four smaller
4mm hex head bolts supplied in the accessory bag. The
arm can be mounted in any of three orientations, as can
Factory adjustments
for slow motion drive
DO NOT LOOSEN
OR ADJUST
Azimuth slow motion
control knob
Adapter
collar and
setscrew
DO NOT
LOOSEN
be seen in illustration #4 below.
4.- THREE POSSIBLE
ARM MOUNTING
CONFIGURATIONS
A
A.- Astronomical,
with the slow motion
control knob on right.
B.- Terrestrial.
C.- Astronomical, with the
slow motion control knob on left.
Mounting bolts attaching
mount arm to azimuth slow
motion assembly using two of
six available holes shown
Orientation A is primarily for astronomical observing with
the azimuth slow motion control knob positioned on the
right side of the mount. You can either move the slow
motion control knob from the position shown here to the
alternate site for installing the knob shown in illustration
#3, or you can attach the flexible slow motion cable at
the alternate site. When attaching the flexible cable, be
sure that the lock knob on the cable fully engages the flat
spot on the slow motion control shaft to keep the cable
from slipping on the shaft.
Orientation B is primarily for terrestrial observing.
Orientation C is primarily for astronomical observing with
the azimuth slow motion control knob positioned on the
left side of the mount. You can leave the slow motion
control knob positioned as shown. Alternatively, you can
remove it and replace it with the flexible slow motion cable
if you are using a relatively long focal length refractor and
might find the cable's extra length more convenient.
ASSEMBLING THE ALTITUDE SLOW MOTION AS-
SEMBLY TO THE ARM: Once you've installed the mount
arm in the desired orientation, bolt the altitude slow mo-
tion control assembly to the top of the arm. Use the sec-
ond pair of 4mm hex head bolts supplied in the accessory
bag. The bolts fit through the underside of the top of the
mount arm casting and into the two holes in the slow
motion assembly as shown in illustration #5 below.
5.- ATTACHING THE ALTITUDE SLOW MOTION
ASSEMBLY TO THE MOUNT ARM
DO NOT LOOSEN OR ADJUST
ASSEMBLING THE DOVETAIL MOUNTING BLOCK
TO THE ALTITUDE SLOW MOTION: Bolt the dovetail
mounting block to the altitude slow motion assembly us-
ing the two large 6mm hex head bolts remaining in the
accessory bag. The bolts fit through the dovetail block
into two of the holes in the circular adapter that has been
factory-installed on the altitude slow motion assembly. See
illustration #6 at the top of the next page. There are four
holes in the adapter. The dovetail block can only be bolted
into the narrower-spaced pair of holes.
B
Factory adjustments for
slow motion drive
Location of the mounting bolts
attaching the altitude slow motion
assembly to the mount arm
C