1)I am a beginner and I depend alot on my finderscope when finding for objects through my small refractor, Celestron 80mm equatorial mount. However during recent times I have noticed that my finderscope is off its centre mark and it isn't aligned with what I see on the main scope. Could anyone here advise me on how I should get this rectified?
2)Bought a motor drive to 'motorize' my telescope for ease of tracking objects. However I am no pro with allen keys and screwdrivers. I have watched a video on youTube on how to fix it but it ain't helping me much though.
I don't mind meeting up with anyone whom can help me out with these issues and have a small astrochat. Any advise over at this forum is also greatly appreciated!
is your finder the small plastic kind that tends to wobble when you accidently move it? and it has 3 zeroing screws to adjust its alignment with the main scope?
if so, i faced the same problem as you and has a fix for it. not a pretty one, but simple and effective. the solution is scotchtape.
you can see that finderscope is pretty loose when seated in its holder, primarily in the front part. so, i used the tape and expanded the body of the finder, in a tapered angle. something like a door stopper kind of gradient. when i placed the finder back into the holder, i pushed it in to ensure it firmly fitted to the nose, then i used the 3 screws to adjust the alignment. once it is aligned, i even if i try to jiggle the finder, it is pretty firm and it can retain its "calibration".
basically, just fatten the body of the finder so that the finder holder's front part can firmly hold the finder. additional points to take note: where to fatten the finder and direction of the tapered gradient.
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
Hey thanks Gary! I really needed that manual. I misplaced mine while re-organising my room! And little did I even think of googling it online. HAHA! thank you! And as for that video, I was watching that yesterday night and still wasn't sure of how exactly he fitted that onto the mount. The manual now clearly explains
