User's Manual

handbox into the holder: Slide one side of the
handbox into the holder and then fi rmly press
the other side of the handbox into the holder until
it snaps in place. Adjust the tilt of of the holder
by loosening the lock knob and then moving the
holder clamp to the desired angle. Retighten the
lock knob.
9. Mounting and Adjusting the Viewfi nder. To
align the viewfi nder, perform steps A through
E below during the daytime; perform step F at
night.
A. Slide the track on the bottom of the
viewfi nder into the slot in the viewfi nder
mounting assembly. To secure the viewfi nder
to the mounting assembly, tighten the two
thumbscrews (Fig. 9) to a fi rm feel only.
B. If you have not already done so, insert the
26mm eyepiece into the diagonal prism.
C. Unlock the RA (Pg. 10, Fig. 1, 12) and DEC
(Fig. 1, 17) locks so that the telescope moves
freely on both axes.
D. Point the telescope at some well-defi ned and
stationary land object at least 200 yards distant,
such as the top of a telephone pole or street sign.
Center the object in the telescope eyepiece. Re-
tighten the RA and DEC locks.
E. Look through the viewfi nder eyepiece (Fig.
5) and loosen or tighten, as appropriate, one or
more of the viewfi nder collimation screws (Fig.
5) until the viewfi nder crosshairs are precisely
centered on the object you previously centered in
the telescope eyepiece.
F. Check this alignment on a celestial object,
such as the Moon or a bright star, and make
any necessary refi nements, using the method
outlined in steps C through E.
10. Mounting the StarLock unit. Mount the
StarLock unit by sliding it into the StarLock
dovetail adapter on the top of the OTA. The
unit slides into the adapter from back to front.
Once positioned, secure the unit by tightening
the thumbscrews until they are snug. Do not
overtighten. Remove both dustcovers from the
lenses of the StarLock.
11. Attach the StarLock cable. The StarLock
cable has two distinct connections, a four-pin
and a six-pin. Make sure that you plug the
four-pin end into the “StarLock Telescope
Fig. 5. Viewfi nder collimation screws and eyepiece
Viewfi nder
eyepiece
Collimation screwsGPS
receiver
Retaining bolts
R
Re
Dovetail bracket
AutoStar #497 HANDBOX
Getting Started
18
Mount StarLock
Fig. 4. Viewfi nder assembly
Mounting slot
Track
Thumbscrews
cr
c
es
Viewfi nder base
locking screws