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13
Balancing The Mount in R.A.
To eliminate undue stress on the mount, the telescope should be properly balanced around the polar axis. Proper balancing is
crucial for accurate tracking. To balance the mount:
1. Verify that the telescope securing knobs on the telescope mounting platform are tight.
2. Loosen the R.A. clutch knobs and position the telescope off to one side of the mount. The counterweight bar
will extend horizontally on the opposite side of the mount.
3. Release the telescope — GRADUALLY — to see which way the telescope “rolls.”
4. Loosen the set screws on the side of the counterweight so it can be moved the length of the counterweight bar.
5. Move the counterweight to a point where it balances the telescope (i.e., the telescope remains stationary when
the R.A. clutch knobs are loose).
6. Tighten the set screw on the counterweight to hold it in place.
While the above instructions describe a perfect balance arrangement, there should be a SLIGHT imbalance to ensure the best
possible tracking. When the scope is on the west side of the mount the counterweight should be slightly imbalanced to the
counterweight bar side. And when the tube is on the east side of the mount there should be a slight imbalance toward the
telescope side. This is done so that the worm gear is pushing against a slight load. The amount of the imbalance is very
slight. When taking astrophotographs, this balance process can be done for the specific area at which the telescope is
pointing to further optimize tracking accuracy.
Balancing The Mount in DEC
Although the telescope does not track in declination, the telescope should also be balanced in this axis to prevent any sudden
motions when the DEC clutch knob is loose. To balance the telescope in DEC:
1. Loosen the R.A. clutch knobs and rotate the telescope so that it is on one side of the mount (i.e., as described in
the previous section on “Balancing the Mount in R.A.”).
2. Tighten the R.A. clutch knobs to hold the telescope in place.
3. Loosen the DEC clutch knobs and rotate the telescope until the tube is parallel to the ground.
4. Release the tube — GRADUALLY — to see which way it rotates around the declination axis. DO NOT LET
GO OF THE TELESCOPE TUBE COMPLETELY!
Figure 2-11