Attaching A Telescope - Orion EQ-1 Equatorial Mount 9011 Instruction Manual

4. With the accessory tray attached loosely, spread the
tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the
accessory tray brackets are taut. Then tighten the
wing nuts.
5. Next, tighten the wing nuts on the tripod leg attach-
ment bolts at the base of the equatorial mount, so
that the legs are securely fastened. You can use the
provided assembly tool to hold the heads of the
bolts while firmly tightening the wing nuts.
6. Thread the latitude adjustment t-bolt into the hole in
the rear of the equatorial mount (see Figure 2).
Orient the mount as it appears in Figure 2, at a lati-
tude of about 40°, i.e., so that the pointer next to the
latitude scale is pointing to the hash mark at "40." To
do this, loosen the latitude lock t-bolt (central to the
latitude scale), and turn the latitude adjustment t-
bolt until the pointer and the "40" line up. Then
re-tighten the latitude lock t-bolt. You may also need
to rotate the mount about its right ascension (R.A.)
and declination (Dec.) axes (see Figure 2). Do this
by first loosening the R.A. and Dec. lock thumb
screws.
7. Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight
shaft. Make sure the counterweight lock knob is ade-
quately loosened so the counterweight shaft can
pass through the hole in the counterweight.
8. With the counterweight lock knob still loose, grip the
counterweight with one hand and thread the shaft
into the equatorial mount (at the base of the declina-
tion axis) with the other hand. When it is threaded as
far in as it will go, position the counterweight about
Declination (Dec.) slow-
motion shaft
R.A. lock knob
Latitude adjustment t-bolt
4
9. Now attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A.

3. Attaching a Telescope

The EQ-1 Equatorial Mount is designed to hold small to
mid-size telescopes weighing up to about 7 lbs. For
heavier telescopes, the mount may not provide suffi-
cient stability for steady imaging. Any type of telescope
can be mounted on the EQ-1 Equatorial Mount, includ-
ing refractors, Newtonian reflectors, and cadadioptrics,
provided a proper adapter or set of tube rings is avail-
able to couple the tube to the mount.
Orion carries a variety of differently sized tube rings
and a 1/4"-20 mounting adapter designed exclusively
for the EQ-1 Equatorial Mount. One of these items
probably fits the telescope tube you wish to mount. See
the list of Suggested Accessories at the end of these
instructions, or check the Orion print or online catalogs
for currently available mounting accessories. The
Figure 2. The equatorial mount
halfway up the shaft and tighten the counterweight
lock knob. The washer and screw on the end of the
counterweight shaft will prevent the counterweight
from slipping off the shaft and possibly onto your foot
if the counterweight lock knob should come loose
and Dec. slow-motion shafts (see Figure 2) of the
equatorial mount by positioning the thumb screw on
the end of the cable over the indented slot on the
shaft, then tightening the thumb screw. A cable can
be attached to either end of the R.A. shaft, whichev-
er is most convenient for you. Use the shorter cable
for the R.A. shaft.
Declination (Dec.)
setting circle
Right ascension (R.A.)
setting circle
Right ascension (R.A.)
slow-motion shaft
Latitude scale
Latitude locking t-bolt