Hi, can you help me to line up the red dot finder please??

[Ollienttm]

Hello there, after my thread ages ago I finally had time today to get my scope sat up in daylight and now understand how the RDF works but it is not aligned with the scope in that it is about an inch out. I am presuming if I dont sort it I can look at it and just look for things that are an inch off in the sky

I have fiddled with it and cant see how to move it other then the big silver screw that tightens it to the scope which makes it out of line.

Also I have tested the eye pieces with the scope the Rubbish supplied ones and they work in the day light so maybe now I am getting close to actually using it with ease Saw saturn with my dad on sat night after A LOT of messing about to find a yellow dot with a bar on it still amazed us though

Anyway please help I promise its the last time!!

Many thanks.

[Astro Adj]

Do you know which RDF you have? My old Skywatcher scope came with one and I could help you adjust that...I wouldn't be sure about other models though!

On mine there are 3 small knobs that can be turned. One is an on/off control (also allows you to increase/decrease the intensity of the red dot), and the other 2 are the adjustment knobs. One is for vertical adjustment, the other horizontal. If it helps, on mine one of the knobs is underneath the back of the RDF's body, the other is on the right-hand side, near the end of the RDF.

Once you've found the adjustment controls, it's just a matter of fine-tuning the alignment. I start with an object like a chimney or tree that is a good distance away, and make sure that when the object (or, more likely, a specific part of that object) is centered in my eyepiece the red dot is placed on the exact same part of the object.

After the daytime alignment I repeat the process on a star - the daytime alignment should be sufficient to get the star in your eyepiece's FOV, and from there you can make the tiny adjustments required to get the RDF directly on it when the star is centered. I find decreasing the brightness helps me to see exactly when the red dot is on top of star.

Hope this helps a little.

[greenkat]

Hi Olli

What make is the RDF ?

The ones I have used had a screw at one side to adjust sideways movement, and a screw underneath to adjust up and down movement.

Not sure if all RDF's are the same tho.

Hope that helps, and ask as many questions as you like, everyone here is very helpfull

Greenkat

[Demonperformer]

Hi Olli

If it's a celestron one it's the same as Greenkat's instructions

[jgs001]

The Baader Skysurfer uses a small wheel at about the same place. The other thing to check, depending on fitting to the scope, the finder footing may have some adjustment in it... if you find you can't adjust it far enough, then have a look at that too... Just loosen it adjust a little, tighten it back up and try again.

[orionhunter]

agree with the above. my SW RDF needed the foot releasing and then adjusting/tightening. (its not perfect and i need to check it every so often esp if i knock it).

the knobs are just for fine tuning. they wont tune a RD thats way out.

[davew]

Hi Olli,

If you followed the above you may now know what bit does what. If so, it could be a good idea to setup in the day light first. Find as distant an object as you can and first line the scope on it and then without moving the scope line up the RDF on it.

At night, line up on Polaris with the scope. Polaris doeasn't move much ! so it doesn't matter if the mount tracks or not. Then line up the RDF. To prove to yourself you got it right, use the RDF to line up on Mizar. It's not too far away and is not easily mistaken for any other star. It's a wide double. When you look in the scope you should have it.

If not, line up on Polaris again making double sure it really is Polaris. ( Been there, done that ! )

Does that help ? If not get straight back. Some one will help.

Dave.

[Ollienttm]

Thanks for the replies guys I have unscrewed the screws and the finder came off and now the red dot has gone I am thinking maybe the battery has gone after all so until I find that is working again I guess I cant do a lot There are two more screws with round dials things at the side of the rdf but when I turn them nothing happens could this be what I am looking for?

I am up at 3.30am for work again tomorrow but as I am off sunday I am hoping to get out and have to look round tomorrow night Mars comes into my limited view quite early on and I am hoping to get another look at saturn if possible and try to get the ep's working. May have to invest in some new ones but as I am gonna get a bonus at christmas from work I am thinking of spanking 5-600 quid on a better scope with goto so I dont have this messing about

[orionhunter]

the battery compartment contacts are bit iffy sometimes. so it may not be a flat battery.

ive got some tissue inside mine to press/squeeze the battery contact more.

[Ollienttm]

Forgot to mention earlier I have a SW 130pm and it is the standard rdf that came with it, thanks.

[Ollienttm]

the battery compartment contacts are bit iffy sometimes. so it may not be a flat battery.

ive got some tissue inside mine to press/squeeze the battery contact more.

Thanks how do I get the battery out?

Gonna go have a fiddle now before dinner.

[Ollienttm]

Well just want3ed to say thanks to everyone who inputed on here for me I finally have it working and although the object its a;ligned on may not be far enough away to make it accurate at least now it is ready to go and I will be able to aligned it on something in the sky. Hope to report basck tomorrow or sunday with what I have actually seen in it now

[jgs001]

Good news... and good luck. With my fracs, I've normally used a fence post several hundred feet away with a high power eyepiece for aligning the RDF, and it's accurate enough to put my target pretty close to the centre of the FOV, so you'll probably be fine.