Aligning the Telrad?

[ramstar]

Is there a knack to doing this? Having taken the original finderscope off my 200 Dob because it was doing my back no good at all, I now have a problem in aligning my Telrad with the scope. I tried yesterday by getting a distant church steeple in the eyepiece but fof the life of me could I seeanything in the Telrad- not a bean! Is it one if those tasks carried out just before dusk when you can see your target a long way off but also see the bullseye?.

Any thoughts please?

[rory]

best at night when the rings are seen easily. go for a really bright obvious star like arcturus and centre it in you eyepiece , then align the telrad to match .

[ramstar]

That's another thing that's great about this forum - you don't have to wait long for help. The problem I foresee is actually locating a target via the eyepiece unless I get lucky quickly! Will give it a go the next clear night we get.

Thanks

[tibbz2]

The rings on the telrad just disappeared for me in daylight, far far easier at night, and it only takes a few mins

[scarp15]

Yep align, at least when loosing the light so Jupiter too would be fine for this, tighten do not over slacken the alignment screws.

[rory]

"The problem I foresee is actually locating a target via the eyepiece " . indeed, thats why i recomended a very obvious star, or better still as mentioned jupiter or even the moon for starters.

what i did /do ,is get an alignment as mentioned with a low to medium power. once thats sorted ,if you want to get it even more on target or make sure its accurate ,then do the same again with higher power eyepiece in place. hope that helps.

[umadog]

It's not as hard you think: do what Rory says. Stick in low power eyepiece. Point scope with Telrad at a bright star then hunt around for it if it's not in the field of view. You'll find it then you can adjust the Telrad.

[Astro Imp]

I'm aware that you removed your original finder but I would temporarily replace it to allow you to pick out a prominent star to use for alignment.

[ramstar]

Couldn't replace the finderscope because the Telrad is now too close to the bracket. Anyway, I went out just as the light was fading and targeted a radio mast about 4 miles away as the crow flies. It was lit up like Blackpool Tower so no problem finding it, initially with a 32mm eyepiece then fine tuning with a 5mm.

Thanks for all the advice

[jason.p]

I align my finderscope in daylight on a distant object, then when it gets dark,as others have said, align the Telrad on a bright object (just lately I've been using Jupiter, as I always have a look at that anyway), check it with the finder scope and it should be close enough for fine tuning.

Having said that I've found it remarkably stable. I've taken it on and off several times and it never needs much re-alignment. It's an amazing tool

[sbj]

I do mine at dusk. I'm lucky to look out over open fields for miles so can use a very distant object and medium power eyepiece.

The Telrad has made viewing so much easier and I have removed the optical finder, bracket and all.

[Alanwayne]

On a Telrad, what does each knob do?

 

[Astro Imp]

The one on the side is an on/off switch and also varies the brightness, the three at the back are used to align the unit with the scope.

[Alanwayne]

What does each adjustment knob on a Telrad do?  If I move the upper knob, which way will the bullseye move?  If I move the right side knob, which way will the bullseye move?  If I move the left side knob, which way will the bullseye move?  Can and will anyone answer these questions for me?

[rockystar]

just try it, if the target moves further out of alignment, turn the knob the other way, after a couple of goes it'll become intuitive.

[Davey-T]

37 minutes ago, rockystar said:

just try it, if the target moves further out of alignment, turn the knob the other way, after a couple of goes it'll become intuitive.

Intuitive lol, after all these years I still push the wrong button on the hand controller and whiz off in the opposite  direction 

Dave

[Astro Imp]

16 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Intuitive lol, after all these years I still push the wrong button on the hand controller and whiz off in the opposite  direction 

Dave

Another one to add to the DOH moments. Every time someone mentions a rookie error I have to admit to having committed it too. What is it with us astro guys, do we leave our commonsense indoors?

[spillage]

Rookie mistake number one with the telrad (my mistake). Mounting it the wrong way around...

[Astro Imp]

19 hours ago, spillage said:

Rookie mistake number one with the telrad (my mistake). Mounting it the wrong way around...

That's one of the few I cannot admit to.

[Charic]

On 20/06/2017 at 16:40, Alanwayne said:

On a Telrad, what does each knob do?

 

......each knob allows you to make adjustments to the bullseye image within the finder.

They have no specific order, Just like the adjusters on the back of a reflector, turn one, then another (if required?) and keep adjusting until the image is central.

When I bought my second Telrad? first thing I did was to tighten all three adjusters! not fist tight, just nipped, this then gives me a starting point, then unscrew any of the three adjusters, any order to centralise.

If your adjusting the Telrad during daylight, just ensure the side switch is fully rotated for maximum illumination, then align and lock the telescope on to a distant target, then sight and centralise the bullseye to match what you see through the finder. 

[Stu]

Some useful info here.

http://www.backyard-astro.com/equipment/accessories/telrad/telrad.html

http://www.company7.com/telrad/products/telrad.html