Red light finder

[Redfi]

Hello, looking for some help/advice on setting up and aligning my first telescope. I have a red light finder and I am really struggling with it. I am trying align in day time with an object (pylon) over half a mile away. I centre it in my telescope and then try to move the red dot in the finder to centre on same object. Therein lies my issue I just cant seem to grasp how the 2 knobs work to align it. I find the movements random with no logic and cant correlate their movements with the dot. I feel half the time I'm actually moving the telescope with the effort. When I youtube it it gets to the adjustment part and refers to it as 'simply' adjusting the dials until the dot is on the object. Not sure if missing something! Thanks 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Redfi and welcome to SGL. 

Can you let us know what 'scope and RDF you have or post images?

[Redfi]

 Thank you! Keen to get started 😄yes it's a Telmu F60060M/5 telescope and ROHS red dot view finder. Will try to attach photos to original post as cant seem to attach here.thank you 

[Redfi]

[Ricochet]

The dial on the side of the finder moves the finder side to side, the dial on the underside at the back moves it up and down. Any deviation from these lines of movement is just inaccuracy in the screw thread that the finder moves on and so you might have to account for that in your adjustments. 

[Neil H]

Second that also when I had one I could not get enough side to side movement so had to move the shoe on the scope to get it near then fine adjustment on the finder screws

Edited February 7, 2021 by Neil H

[wulfrun]

28 minutes ago, Redfi said:

 Thank you! Keen to get started 😄yes it's a Telmu F60060M/5 telescope and ROHS red dot view finder. Will try to attach photos to original post as cant seem to attach here.thank you 

RoHS stands for "Restriction of Hazardous Susbtances", it's a certification mark not a maker's name.

[Tiny Clanger]

OK, so first thing to do is attach the finder to the telescope tube as firmly as possible, presumably there are holes and screws to do it , or possibly some sort of slide in bracket ? Can't see any in your photos, but you are holding the RDF by that bit ! The end with the battery cover goes at the front, the end with the crossed out bin symbol is at the back.

Once it is firmly in place, the plastic dial right under the bin symbol should move the red dot up or down, the dial on the side half way along should shift it left/right.

You may find it is not possible to line the (bad words) thing up as it is, in which case judiciously adding a bit of folded paper or thin card between the foot of the rdf and the tube of the telescope might help.

Heather

[Neil H]

Heather what was the bad words lol was it red dot finder

[Tiny Clanger]

11 minutes ago, Neil H said:

Heather what was the bad words lol was it red dot finder

I've mentioned before that I inherited a celestron 114 eq jones - bird , the RDF on it failed to line up with any flippin' thing in the widest ep , the words used over and around that thing (for many reasons) are frankly unrepeatable .The RDF had a curved base with holes (not slots, which would at least have allowed some wiggle ) which went on two protruding bolts , so loosen nuts, slide bit of paper under foot, tighten nuts, try to align, fail, undo nuts, fold, add, remove or reposition paper, redo, and repeat until exhausted .

I tried to take the mirror out to stick a hole reinforcer on the centre to have a go at collimating the 'scope, undid the screws holding the collar on the side of the tube ... cell did not come off . Turned out the collar was purely decorative (possibly also tube shape reinforcing ?) and held on with .. bolts , the nuts of which were now loose in the ( fortunately pointing mirror-up) tube and fell out.

The cell was actually held on to the tube by the collimating bolts themselves. At least it was easy to reattach the collar while the mirror cell was off and I could reach those little bolts inside ...

 

[Neil H]

Wow that sound like ( really bad words time )