6
If you are using the 1/4"-20 dovetail adapter and the finder
scope and/or eyepiece is positioned awkwardly, you may want
to consider purchasing the 1⁄4"-20 dovetail L-adapter.
For best up-and-down motion, the telescope should be bal-
anced front-to-back when positioned horizontally. You can
balance the telescope by loosening the thumb screws slight-
ly, and moving the dovetail bar slightly forward or back in the
dovetail holder. If you are using tube rings, you can move the
telescope tube forward or back in the tube rings. When the
telescope doesn’t move up-and-down by itself when the arm’s
tensioning knob is not very tight, you have achieved good bal-
ance (Figure 15a-c).
4. using the VersaGo Mount
The VersaGo mounts allows motion of the telescope in two
axes: altitude (up-and-down) and azimuth (left-to-right). Hence,
the VersaGo is an “altazimuth” mount (Figure 16). Simply move
the telescope up-or-down and left-to-right. The handle provides
a convenient way to position the mount’s axes.
If the motion of one or both of the axes is too loose or too
tight, you can adjust the bearing tensioning by tightening or
loosening the knobs. You should be able to adjust these knobs
so even the smallest motions of the mount are very smooth.
If the motion on the altitude axis is not smooth no matter how
the altitude tensioning knob is adjusted, then you will need to
better balance the telescope front-to-back.
Unlike many altazimuth mounts, the VersaGo can be used to
point a telescope at zenith (straight up). This makes it espe-
cially well suited for astronomical observing.
Figures 15a‑c:
The telescope is not balanced because it is
front-heavy. (b.) The telescope is too back-heavy. (c.) The telescope
is properly balanced on the altitude axis.
a.
b.
c.
Altitude
Azimuth
Figures 16.
The VersaGo is an “altazimuth” mount because it
can move in altitude (up-and-down) and azimuth (left-to-right).
