User's Manual

GETTING STARTED
14
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do
not look through the telescope as it is moving.
DEFINITION:
Throughout this
manual, you will notice
the term “Alt/Az.” Alt/Az
(short for altazimuth)
just means that your
telescope moves up
and down and from
side to side. Alt/Az is
one of many methods
used by amateur
astronomers to locate
celestial objects.
Mounting
bolt
Fig. 4 Attach Tray to the
tripod: Thread the mounting
bolt into the accessory tray.
Fig. 6: Attach the mounting
arm to the tripod base.
Fig. 5: Pads allow the
mount to move smoothly.
Packing List
Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first
opening the packing box, note carefully the parts listed on your giftbox.
How to Assemble Your Telescope
The telescope attaches directly to the tripod. The telescope in this way is mounted in an
“Altazimuth” (“Altitude-Azimuth,” or “vertical-horizontal”) format. The telescope in this configuration
moves up and down and from side to side.
1. Open the tripod: After removing the field tripod from its shipping carton, stand the tripod
vertically, with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed. Gently pull the
legs apart to a fully open position.
2. Attach the accessory tray to the tripod: Place the tray (20, Fig. 1 or 2) under the inner
support struts in the center. Line up the bolts holes on the accessory tray with the mounting
bolt in the center of the struts. Tighten to a firm feel only.
3. Three Pads: There are three pads in the tripod base (17, Fig. 1 or 2) and three pads
on the mounting arm assembly (14, Fig. 1 or 2). These pads allow the mounting arm
assembly to move more easily inside the base. See Fig. 5. This is pointed out just for the
user’s knowledge of the telescope; the user does not need to adjust the pads which are
pre-installed.
4. Attach the mounting arm assembly to the tripod base: Place the mounting arm assembly
into the tripod base and continue to hold onto the arm assembly. With your other hand, reach
underneath the base and thread the mounting lock knob (17, Fig. 1 or 2) through the tripod
base and into the mounting arm assembly. Tighten to a firm feel only; do not overtighten.
If you wish to move the scope manually, without AudioStars assistance, loosen this knob
and rotate the mounting arm assembly and optical tube on the horizontal axis. To use with
AudioStar’s assistance, the mounting arm assembly will need to be tightened to a firm feel.
5. Attach the Optical Tube Assembly to the tripod base: The optical tube assembly
comes with a vixen style dovetail that is attached to the OTA. While holding onto the arm
assembly, with your other hand, slide the optical tube assembly into the dovetail saddle and
(9, Fig. 1 or 2) tighten the locking screw to a firm feel only; do not overtighten.
6. Attach and balance the optical tube: Tighten the dovetail lock knob so that it holds the
optical tube loosely. Slide the tube back and forth until you find a position where the tube
remains horizontal (i.e., without slightly tipping up or down). Tighten the lock knob to a firm
feel. See Fig. 7. Adjust the length of the tripod legs to a comfortable viewing height using
the leg locks (22, Fig. 1 or 2).
7. Attach the red dot viewfinder: Some telescope viewfinders have a slip-fit type bracket for
easy attachment. Just slide the viewfinder into the bracket and tighten the locking screw. Other
telescopes have two mounting screws that attach the finder. See Figs. 9a and 9b.
8. Attach the 90° erect-image prism (refractor models only): Pull out to remove the plastic
dust cover from the eyepiece holder. Slide the tube of the erect-image prism (4, Fig. 1 or
2) into the telescope’s eyepiece-holder (3, Fig. 1 or 2 e) and tighten the thumbscrews (to
a firm feel only) to secure the diagonal prism in place.
9. Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied eyepiece (5, Fig. 1 or 2) from its container and
place it in the erect-image prism (refractor models only) or directly into the eyepiece holder
(3, Fig. 11, reflector models only). Tighten the thumbscrews (2 and 4, Fig. 10, refractor
models only) to a firm feel only. Tighten the thumbscrew (3 , Fig. 11, reflector models only)
to a firm feel only.
10. Insert batteries: The telescope’s battery compartment (1, Fig. 12) is located on top of the
drive base. Open the battery compartment by lifting the cover and pulling it away from the
drive base. See Figure 12 on page 16.
11. Remove the battery holder from the compartment and carefully lift the 9v connector out from
the compartment. Take care not to accidentally detach the wires of the battery connector
from the base. Whenever you replace the batteries, to safeguard the wires, disconnect the
9v connector from the battery holder before removing the batteries.