Losmandy G-11 - Attaching the Telescope to the Mount; Moving the Telescope in R.A. and DEC; Balancing the Telescope on R.A.

Attaching the telescope to the mount
The telescope attaches to the mount via a dovetail bar bolted to the bottom of the telescope. Before
you attach the optical tube, make sure that the declination and right ascension clutch knobs are tight.
This will ensure that the mount does not move suddenly while attaching the telescope. To mount the
telescope tube:
1. Loosen the knob on the side of the telescope mounting platform. This allows you to
slide the dovetail bracket of the telescope onto the mount.
2. Slide the dovetail bar of the telescope tube into the mounting platform of the mount.
Slide the telescope so that the back of the dovetail bar is almost flush with the back of
the mounting platform.
3. Tighten the knob on the side of the mounting platform to hold the telescope in
place.
Moving the telescope in R.A. and DEC
Once the telescope is set up, you will need to point it at various locations to observe different objects.
Unlike other systems, the Losmandy mounts have a clutch system. To make rough adjustments,
loosen the R.A. and DEC clutch knobs slightly and move the telescope in the desired direction. The
R.A. clutch knob is near the Polar Axis Finder while the DEC clutch knob is at the top of the
counterweight bar. How tight should the clutch knobs be? You set the clutch knobs to the friction you
like. When you want to move the telescope, all you do is grab the telescope and move it to its new
position.
For fine adjustments, use the fast-set function on the hand control box. For more information please
see the section on Using the Drive.
Balancing the telescope on 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 knob on the telescope mounting platform is tight.
2. Loosen the R.A. clutch knob 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 to see which way the telescope may drift as a result of an
imbalance.
4. Loosen the locking bolt on the side of the counterweight so it can slide along the
length of the counterweight bar.
5. Move the counterweight to a point where it balances the telescope. The telescope
should remain stationary when the R.A clutch knob is loose.
6. Tighten the locking bolt on the counterweight to hold it in place.
While the above instructions describe a perfect balance arrangement, there should be 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