Orion VERSAGO #10105 - Manual (Page 5)

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B. VersaGo II (Aluminum) #10105
1. Stand the tripod upright and spread the legs out as far
as they will go. Keep the tripod legs at their shortest (fully
retracted) length, for now; you can extend them to a more
desirable length later, after the mount is fully assembled.
2. Attach the accessory tray to the accessory tray bracket
using the three wing screws already installed in the tray.
Remove the wing screws from the tray and place the tray
on top of the accessory tray bracket oriented with the flat
surface against the accessory tray bracket. Thread the
wing screws from underneath the assembly by first plac-
ing the wing screw up through the hole in the bracket and
threading into the tray itself. Do not completely tighten the
wing screws until all three are in place as it may be nec-
essary to make minor adjustments to the tray position in
order to align all three holes.
3. Place the base of the VersaGo II head into the base of
the tripod. Orient the VersaGo II head so that the post on
the base (referencing north) of the tripod lines up with the
notch on the VersaGo II head (Figure 4). There is a captive
bolt located on the underside of the leg casting to secure
the mount head to the tripod. Use the black knob to insert
the post into the threading on the head and turn until tight.
Be careful not to cross thread when assembling.
4. Thread the handle into the threaded receptacle of the
VersaGo II head. Please note the handle threads in at
a slight angle to position it at a more comfortable angle
4o use in the field. If you wish to have the handle in an
alternate position you can remove the Phillips-head screw
and thread the handle on the other side of the thumbscrew
that secures the telescope. You can use the Phillips-head
screw to cover the additional hole.
Your VersaGo II mount is now fully assembled, and should
resemble Figure 1b. All that is left is to connect your telescope
to the mount.
3. Connecting a Telescope
The VersaGo II mount was designed to be used with tele-
scopes of apertures 6" or less; telescopes larger than this will
not be able to point at the horizon (horizontal) or zenith (verti-
cal). Also, for best results, the telescope optical tube assembly
should not weigh more than approximately 15 lbs — less for
longer optical tubes — otherwise it may not provide adequate
stability.
To connect a telescope, a dovetail mounting bar is required.
Some telescopes have this bar directly attached to the tube.
If this is the case you can skip to the next paragraph. For tele-
scopes that do not have a dovetail bar attached or employ
a ¼"-20 mounting block you will need a set of tube rings to
attach a dovetail bar (Figure 5). These accessories are avail-
able through Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. Additionally,
if your telescope has a ¼"-20 threaded mounting hole, Orion
Figure 3: Component parts of the VersaGo II mount
Figure 4: The post on the tripod base goes into the notch on the
underside of the head assembly. The VersaGo II connects to the
tripod with the knob directly under the tripod head; be sure to tighten
this knob firmly. (#10104 shown)
Handle
VersaGo II
head assembly
Tripod (with
accessory
tray bracket)
Accessory
Tray
Accessory
tray bracket
Notch
Post