Celestron CGEM II 700 Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope CGEM II EQ Mount Manual 5l - Page 9

Installing the Counterweight To install the counterweight(s) that were included with your mount or telescope kit: 1. Orient the mount so the counterweight bar points toward the ground. 2. Remove the counterweight safety screw on the bottom end of the counterweight bar by turning it counterclockwise. This screw prevents the counterweight from falling off the mount in the case the counterweight locking screw comes loose. 3. Loosen the locking screw on the side of the counterweight. 4. Slide the counterweight over the counterweight bar and move it about halfway up the bar. 5. Tighten the locking screw on the side of the counterweight to hold it in place. 6. Replace the counterweight safety screw. Attaching the Hand Control Holder The CGEM II telescope models come with a hand control holder that attaches to a tripod leg. The hand control holder comes with a hook and loop strap which attaches it to the tripod leg. To attach the hand control holder: 1. Open the hook and loop strap and wrap the strap around the tripod leg. 2. Slip the end of the strap through the buckle and pull the strap tight. Press the strap down so the hook and loop engages, securing the hand control holder in place. Hand Control Holder Leg Strap 1. Loosen the two mounting screws on the side of the telescope mounting platform. This allows you to slide the dovetail bar onto the mount. 2. If your telescope is equipped with one, remove the safety screws located beneath the dovetail bar. 3. S lide the dovetail bar on the telescope tube into the mounting saddle that matches the size of your dovetail bar. Slide the telescope so that the back of the dovetail bar is close to the back of the mounting platform. 4. Tighten the mounting screws on the side of the mounting platform to hold the telescope in place. Now that the optical tube is securely in place, the visual accessories can now be attached to the telescope. This is covered in detail in the manual supplied with your telescope optical tube. Safety Screw Dovetail Bar Telescope Mounting Screw Moving the Telescope Manually In order to properly balance your telescope, you will need to move your telescope manually at various portions of the sky to observe different objects. To make rough adjustments, loosen the R.A. and DEC clutch knobs slightly and move the telescope in the desired direction. Both the R.A. and DEC axis have lock levers to clutch down each axis of the telescope. To loosen the clutches on the telescope, rotate the lock levers counterclockwise. Attaching an Optical Tube to the Mount The telescope attaches to the mount via a dovetail slide bar which is mounted along the bottom of the telescope tube. The CGEM II equatorial head has a special mounting saddle that can accept any telescope using the narrow CG-5 style dovetail bar, or the wider CGE dovetail bar. Before you attach the optical tube, make sure that the declination and right ascension clutch knobs are tight and the counterweight(s) are securely installed. This will ensure that the mount does not move suddenly while attaching the telescope. To mount the telescope tube: R.A. Clutch Lever Declination Clutch Lever ENGLISH | 9