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WARNING!

NEVER USE A MEADE 114 EQ-ASB

TELESCOPE TO LOOK AT THE SUN! LOOKING AT OR
NEAR THE SUN WILL CAUSE INSTANT AND

IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO YOUR EYE. EYE DAMAGE IS OFTEN
PAINLESS, SO THERE  IS  NO WARNING TO THE  OBSERVER THAT
DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. DO NOT POINT
THE TELESCOPE OR ITS VIEWFINDER AT OR NEAR THE SUN. DO
NOT LOOK THROUGH THE TELESCOPE OR ITS VIEWFINDER AS IT
IS MOVING. CHILDREN SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE ADULT
SUPERVISION WHILE OBSERVING.

Meade Limited Warranty

Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and binocular is warranted by Meade Instruments Corp. (MIC) to be free of
defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from date of original retail purchase in the U.S.A.
MIC will repair or replace the product, or part thereof, found upon inspection by MIC to be defective, provided the
defective part or product is returned to MIC, freight prepaid, with proof of purchase. 

This warranty applies to the

original purchaser only and is non-transferable. Meade products purchased outside North America are not
included in this warranty, but are covered under separate warranties issued by Meade International
Distributors.

RGA Number Required: Prior to the return of any product or part, a Return Goods Authorization (RGA) number must
be obtained by writing to MIC or calling 949-451-1450. Each returned part or product must include a written statement
detailing the nature of the claimed defect, as well as the owner’s name, address, phone number, and a copy of the
original sales invoice.

This warranty is not valid in cases where the product has been abused or mishandled, where unauthorized repairs
have been attempted or performed, or where depreciation of the product is due to normal wear-and tear. MIC
specifically disclaims special, indirect, or consequential damages or lost profit, which may result from a breach of this
warranty. Any implied warranties which cannot be disclaimed are hereby limited to a term of one year from the date of
purchase by the original retail purchaser.

This warranty gives you specific rights. You may have other rights which vary from state to state.

MIC reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue products without prior notice.

This warranty supersedes all previous Meade product warranties.

Summary of Contents for 114 EQ-ASB

Page 1: ...INSTRUCTION MANUAL Meade114 EQ ASB 4 5 Equatorial Reflecting Telescope Meade Instruments Corporation ...

Page 2: ...not included in this warranty but are covered under separate warranties issued by Meade International Distributors RGA Number Required Prior to the return of any product or part a Return Goods Authorization RGA number must be obtained by writing to MIC or calling 949 451 1450 Each returned part or product must include a written statement detailing the nature of the claimed defect as well as the ow...

Page 3: ...al Movements and Coordinates 8 Lining Up with the Celestial Pole 9 Using the Telescope 9 Using Setting Circles 11 Calculating Power 11 Maintenance 12 Cleaning 12 Mount and Tripod Adjustments 12 Collimation 12 a Correct Collimation 12 b Diagonal Holder Adjustments 12 c Primary Mirror Adjustments 13 d Star Testing the Collimation 13 Specifications 15 Optional Accessories 15 ...

Page 4: ...22 R A lock reverse side see inset 23 Dec lock 24 5 x 24 viewfinder 25 Telescope front dust cover 26 Viewfinder bracket thumbscrews 27 R A setting circle 28 Dec setting circle 29 Latitude dial 30 Azimuth lock 31 Focus knobs 32 Optional motor drive gear option not available with this model 33 Azimuth base 34 Viewfinder focuser 35 Azimuth circle 36 Cradle ring attachment lock knob 37 Cradle ring att...

Page 5: ...8 18 19 21 23 24 20 25 26 27 28 30 31 45 33 37 29 14 2 36 32 44 15 24 1 39 19 16 26 34 9 35 12 42 Fig 1b Model 114 EQ ASB Focuser Fig 1c Model 114 EQ ASB Equatorial mount Fig 1d Model 114 EQ ASB Tripod and tray Fig 1e Model 114 EQ ASB Optical tube assembly 22 Reverse side Reverse Side ...

Page 6: ...ripod leg to insure safe arrival of the tripod assembly To install thread in each tripod lock knob into the threaded hole located at the right side of each of the three castings see Fig 1f at the bottom of each tripod leg Tighten the tripod lock knob only to a firm feel to avoid damage to the tripod caused by overtightening Spread the tripod legs 1 to full extension so that the leg braces 42 are t...

Page 7: ...e the telescope so that the counterweight shaft 6 Fig 1c is parallel to the ground horizontal Slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until the telescope remains in one position without tending to drift down in either direction Then tighten the counterweight lock knob 7 Fig 1c locking the counterweight in position Lock the R A lock 22 Fig 1c and unlock the Declination lock 23 Fig 1c ...

Page 8: ...allel to the Earth s equator Similarly imaginary lines have been drawn to form a latitude and longitude grid for the celestial sphere These lines are known as Right Ascension and Declination The celestial map also contains two poles and an equator just like a map of the Earth The poles of this coordinate system are defined as those two points where the Earth s North and South poles i e the Earth s...

Page 9: ...inting accuracy the telescope can track accurately by slowly turning the telescope s R A flexible cable control and keep objects in the telescopic field of view for perhaps 20 to 30 minutes To line up the Meade 114 EQ ASB with the pole follow this procedure 1 Release the Azimuth lock 30 Fig 1c of the Azimuth base 33 Fig 1c so that the entire telescope with mounting may be rotated in a horizontal d...

Page 10: ...h the telescope Vibrations resulting from such contact will cause the image to move Likewise avoid observing sites where ground based vibrations may resonate the tripod Viewing from the upper floors of a building may also introduce image movement You should allow a few minutes to allow your eyes to become dark adapted before attempting any serious astronomical observations Use a red filtered flash...

Page 11: ...use while the outer set of numbers the set closest to the R A gear is for use by observers located North of the Earth s equator e g in North America CALCULATING POWER The power or magnification of the telescope depends on two optical characteristics the focal length of the main telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece used during a particular observation For example the focal length of the M...

Page 12: ...ect collimation The properly collimated aligned mirror system in the Meade 114 EQ ASB assures the sharpest images possible This occurs when the primary mirror and diagonal mirror are tilted so that the focused image see Fig 4 falls directly through the center of the focuser drawtube 17 Fig 1b These mirror tilt adjustments are made with the diagonal assembly Fig 5 and the primary mirror cell Fig 6 ...

Page 13: ...ld of view With the star centered follow the method below Bring the star image slowly out of focus until one or more rings are visible around the central disc If the collimation was performed correctly the central star disk and rings will be concentric circles with a dark spot dead center within the out of focus star disk this is the shadow of the secondary mirror as shown in Fig 10C An improperly...

Page 14: ... 14 4 5 3 3 1 2 2 2 2 1 3 4 1 Fig 9 Primary Mirror Misalignment Fig 7 Correct Collimation Fig 8 Diagonal Mirror Misalignment Fig 10 Collimation A B C ...

Page 15: ... 25 Meade offers a wide line of eyepieces for enhanced astronomical and or terrestrial viewing including MA 40mm 1 25 Offers the most dramatic wide field of view for observing deep space objects This is also the eyepiece most recommended for viewing of objects on land 23x Basic Camera Adapter 1 25 O D Permits direct attachment of 35mm SLR cameras to the telescope Requires T Mount for your specific...

Page 16: ... D P R O D U C T S D I V I S I O N Meade Instruments Corporation World s Leading Manufacturer of Astronomical Telescopes for the Serious Amateur 6001 Oak Canyon Irvine California 92618 949 451 1450 FAX 949 451 1460 www meade com 2004 ...

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