Celestron Advanced VX 9.25 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope Advanced VX Manual - Page 7

Assembly This section covers the assembly instructions for your Celestron Advanced VX mount. Your mount should come with all of the following: • Equatorial head • Tripod • Accessory tray • Counterweight bar with locking nut • Azimuth adjustment screws (x2) • Hand control • Hand control holder (2 pieces) • Declination motor cable • Car battery adapter cable • Counterweight If you purchased the Advanced VX mount by itself, you should receive one counterweight in the box. If you purchased an Advanced VX telescope kit, you may receive one or two additional counterweights, depending on the optical tube included in the kit. These counterweights will be packed in separate boxes. More information can be found in the section of the manual concerning the use of your optical tube. Remove all the pieces from their respective inner boxes and place on a flat, clear work area. A large floor space is ideal. When setting up your Celestron mount, you must start with the tripod and work up from there. These instructions are laid out in the order each task must be performed. Setting up the Tripod The Advanced VX tripod comes with an all-metal center leg brace/accessory tray to give rock solid support to the mount. The tripod comes fully assembled with a metal plate, called the tripod head that holds the legs together at the top. In addition, there is a central rod that extends down from the tripod head that attaches the equatorial mount to the tripod. To set up the tripod: 1. Stand the tripod upright and pull the tripod legs apart until each leg is fully extended. The tripod will now stand by itself. 2. T o adjust the height of the legs, loosen the lever found at the bottom of each leg by rotating it counterclockwise. 3. S lide each leg out to the desired length and secure in place by rotating the levers clockwise. Make sure the levers are tight so the legs do not accidentally slide inward when you add weight to the tripod. Before securing the mount to the tripod: 1. Locate the Azimuth Adjustment Knobs from the box containing the Advanced VX equatorial head. 2. Thread one knob into each of the holes located on either side of the mount. 3. Only thread the knobs about half way in, leaving enough space for the tripod alignment peg which will need to fit between the two screw tips. Attaching the Equatorial Mount The Advanced VX equatorial mount allows you to tilt the telescope's axis of rotation so that you can track the stars as they move across the sky. On one side of the tripod head is a metal alignment peg for aligning the mount. This side of the tripod will face north when setting up for an astronomical observing session. To attach the equatorial head: 1. Locate the azimuth adjustment screws on the equatorial mount. 2. Retract the azimuth adjustment screws so they no longer extend into the azimuth housing on the mount. Do NOT remove the screws since they are needed later for polar alignment. 3. Hold the equatorial mount over the tripod head so the azimuth housing is above the metal peg. 4. Place the equatorial mount on the tripod head so that the two are flush. 5. Push the knob located on the central rod on the underside of the tripod head upward and turn it clockwise to hold the equatorial mount firmly in place. Equatorial Mount Azimuth Knobs (on both sides of mount) Tripod Head Attaching the Azimuth Adjustment Knobs To ensure safe shipment of your Advanced VX mount, the azimuth adjustment knobs have been removed from the mount and will need to be attached. Mounting Knob I 7