5
11. Place the VersaGo mount onto the tripod. The post on the
tripod head should go into the slot on the underside of the
lower base (Figure 11). Thread the knob under the tripod
head up into the threaded hole in the lower base. Tighten
this knob firmly.
12. Thread the two thumb screws into the dovetail holder as
shown in Figure 12.
13. Connect the handle to the dovetail holder as shown in Figure
12. There are two threaded holes where the handle can be
attached; use the one that positions the handle in the most
convenient location for your usage.
14. Attach the adhesive-backed rubber bumper to the center of
the knob that connects the upper and lower base (Figure
13).
Your VersaGo mount is now fully assembled, and should
resemble Figure 1. All that is left is to connect your telescope
to the mount.
3. connecting a telescope
The VersaGo mount was designed to be used with telescopes
of apertures 6" or less; telescopes larger than this will not be
able to point at the horizon (horizontal) or zentith (vertical).
Also, for best results, the telescope optical tube assembly
should not weight more than approximately 15 lbs; otherwise,
it may not provide adequate stability.
To connect a telescope, a dovetail mounting bar or dovetail
adapter is required. Some telescopes have a dovetail bar
directly attached to the telescope tube. For other telescopes,
tube rings will be required to couple the dovetail bar to the
tube. Dovetail mounting bars and tube rings are both avail-
able from Orion (Figure 14). Additionally, if your telescope has
a 1⁄4"-20 threaded mounting hole, Orion offers two different
dovetail adapters that will thread into this hole; one orients the
bar parallel to the tube (the 1⁄4"-20 dovetail adapter), the other
orients the bar perpendicular to the tube (the 1⁄4"-20 dovetail
L-adapter, see Figure 14).
Once you have a dovetail mounting bar on your telescope
tube, connecting the telescope to the mount is exceptionally
easy. First, unthread the thumb screws on the VersaGo’s dove-
tail holder until the screw tips are flush with the interior wall of
the dovetail holder. Then, insert the telescope’s dovetail bar
into the mount’s dovetail holder, and tighten the two thumb
screws firmly.
If you have a telescope with a dovetail mounting bar attached
directly to the tube, the finderscope may be oriented in an
awkward position when connected to the VersaGo. In most
cases, this should not cause any problems in actual usage.
If you wish to orient the telescope differently, you will need to
purchase optional tube rings and a dovetail mounting bar so
the tube can be rotated within the rings. Likely, you will also
need to remove the mounting bar already connected directly
to the telescope’s tube.
Figure 12.
The thumb screws and handle thread into the
dovetail holder.
Handle
Thumb screws (2)
Dovetail
holder
Figure 13.
The rubber bumper on the azimuth tensioning knob
will prevent larger telescope tubes from hitting the knob when
pointing near the horizon.
Rubber bumper
Upper base
Azimuth
tensioning
knob
Figure 14.
Orion sells a variety of optional mounting bars, 1/4"-
20 adapters, and tube rings that will couple your telescope to the
VersaGo mount.
Dovetail mounting bar
Tube rings
1⁄4"-20
Dovetail
adapter
1⁄4"-20
Dovetail
L-adapter
