Coleman CDB1145EQ1 Quick start guide

Please retain the packaging and instructions for further reference, as they contain important information.
CDB1145EQ1

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INTRODUCTION:
Congratulations on your purchase of the precision crafted CDB1145EQ1 COLEMAN telescope.
With the proper care and handling of your telescope, you will enjoy years of viewing pleasure.
As an astronomical device, the CDB1145EQ1 telescope has been designed for both a beginner and
advanced star gazer. It provides views of the moon and planets, as well as dozens of galaxies, star
clusters, and nebulae.
As a terrestrial (land) telescope, the CDB1145EQ1 brings the world’s natural wonders closer. It
delivers superb scenic views and allows for observation of animals and landscapes from a distance.
To obtain the best performance from your telescope, please carefully read this manual.

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PARTS LIST FOR CDB1145EQ1 Telescope:
Specifications, colors, packaging, and/or contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.
!
WARNING!
CHOKING HAZARD
A. Secondary Mirror Position
B. Dust Cap / Mask
(Remove before Viewing)
C. Focus Tube
D. Fonderscope Bracket
E. 6x30 Finderscope
F. Finderscope Alignment Screws
G. Eyepieces (K10, K25), Eyepiece cases (2)
H. Focus Knob
I. Piggyback Bracket
J. Telescope Main Tube
K. Primary Mirror Position
1. Dec. Flexible Control Cable
2. R.A. Flexible Control Cable
3. Altitude Adjustment T-bolt
4. Azimuth Lock Knob
5. Counterweight
6. Counterweight Locking Thumb Screw
7. Counterweight Rod
8. R.A. Scale
9. Dec Scale
10. Dec. Lock Knob
11. Tube Rings
12. Moon Filter (Not Shown)
a. Accesory Tray
b. Tripod Leg

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TRIPOD and EQ1 MOUNT ASSEMBLY:
1) Carefully remove all parts from the cardboard cartons and lay them on a table, floor or
other flat surface in order to take an inventory of all the pieces. Keep your box for
storage or in case you ever need to ship your telescope.
2) Tripod Set Up:
A. Adjusting the Tripod Legs (See Figure 1)
1. Slowly loosen the height adjustment clamp and gently pull out the lower section
of each tripod leg. Tighten the screws to hold the legs in place (see Figure 1).
2. Spread the tripod legs apart to stand the tripod upright.
3. Adjust the height of each tripod leg until the tripod head is properly leveled. Note
that the tripod legs may not be at same length when the equatorial mount is level.
B. ATTACHINGTHE ACCESSORYTRAY (Fig. 2)
1. Align the accessory tray with the bracket, and secure from underneath (see Figure 2).

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3) PreparingtheEQ1MountforAssembly
Reposition the Mount Head (See Figures 3.1 through 3.5).
Follow the diagrams to place the mount into an upright position.
4) AttachingtheEQ1MounttotheTripodLegs
Position the EQ1 mount assembly collar in between the tripod legs as shown in Figure 4.
Secure in place with the included bolts and wing nuts.

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5) Installing the Counterweight (see Figure 5)
A. Slide counterweight halfway onto rod. Hold the counterweight with one hand and insert
the counterweight rod into threaded hole on mount with the other hand.Tighten
the counterweight rod onto the EQ1 mount.
B. Tighten the thumbscrew to lock the counterweight in place.
6) Installing the Control Cables (see Figure 5)
A. Locate the control cables.The control cables have two different lengths.
Although you can mount either cable to each directional axis, it is recommended
that you mount the longer cable to the declination axis and the shorter cable to
the right ascension axis (setting circle).
B. To install the control cables, slide the sleeve end of the cable over the nipple on the
end of the worm gear.Tighten the cable using the set screw against the flat surface
on the nipple.

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TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY
1) Attaching the Tube Rings to the EQ1 Mount (See Figures 6)
A. Remove the tube rings from telescope by releasing their thumb nuts and
opening their hinges.
B. Place the tube rings on top of the tube ring mounting plate and bolt the tube rings to
the mount by tightening the thumbscrews.
2) Attaching the Telescope Main Tube to the Tube Rings (see Figure 7)
A. Remove the telescope tube from the box.
B. Find the center of balance of the telescope tube. Place this point between the two tube
rings. Close the hinges around the telescope and fasten securely by tightening the
thumb nuts. DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN.
FINDERSCOPE ASSEMBLY
1) ATTACHING THE FINDERSCOPE (see Figure 8)
A. Locate the finderscope optical assembly.
B. Remove the two knurled thumbscrews near the front of the telescope main body.
C. Position the finderscope bracket over the screws in the telescope main body.
D. Secure the finderscope assembly with the two knurled thumbscrews.

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2) ALIGNINGTHEFINDERSCOPE (see Figure 9.1 to 9.4)
Fixed magnification scopes mounted on the telescope optical tube are very useful
accessories. When they are correctly aligned with the telescope, objects can be quickly
located and brought to the center of the field. Alignment is best done outdoors in daylight
when it is easier to locate objects. If it is necessary to refocus your finderscope, sight on
an object that is at least 500 yards (meters) away. This telescope includes a 6x30
finderscope. Loosen the locking ring by unscrewing it back towards the bracket. The
front lens holder can now be turned in and out to focus. When focus is reached, lock it in
position with the locking ring (Figure 9.2).
A. Choose a distant object that is at least 500 yards away and point the main
telescope at the object. Adjust the telescope so that the object is in the center of
the view in your eyepiece.
B. Check the finderscope to see if the object centered in the main telescope view is
centered in the crosshairs of the finderscope.
C. For the included 6x30 finderscope with spring loading, adjust only the two small
screws (Fig.9.4).
EYEPIECE ASSEMBLY
1) Inserting the Eyepiece (see Figure 10)
A. Unscrew the thumbscrews on the end of the focus tube to remove the black plastic
protective end-cap.
B. Insert an eyepiece. Re-tighten the thumbscrews to hold the eyepiece in place.

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TELESCOPE BALANCING
The telescope should be balanced before each observing session. Balancing reduces
stress on the mount and allows precise micro-adjustment control. A balanced telescope is
especially critical when using the optional clock drive for astrophotography. The telescope
should be balanced after all accessories (eyepiece, camera, etc.) have been attached.
Before balancing your telescope, make sure that your tripod is in a balanced level and on
a stable surface. For photography, point the telescope in the direction you will be taking
photos before performing the balancing steps.
1) R. A. Balancing
A. For best results, adjust the altitude of the mount to between 15º and 30º if possible,
by using the altitude adjustment T-bolt.
B. Slowly unlock the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs. Rotate the telescope until both the
optical tube and counterweight rod is horizontal to the ground, and the telescope
tube is to the side of the mount. (Fig.11)
C. Tighten the Dec. lock knob
D. Move the counterweight along the counterweight rod until the telescope is balanced
and remains stationary when released.
E. Tighten the counterweight thumb screw to hold the counterweight in its new position
2) DEC. Balancing
All accessories should be attached to the telescope before balancing around the
declination axis. The R.A. balancing should be done before proceeding with Dec. balancing.
A. For best results, adjust altitude of the mount to between 60º and 75º if possible.
B. Release the R.A. lock knob and rotate around the R.A. axis so that the
counterweight rod is in a horizontal position.Tighten the R.A. thumbscrew.
C. Unlock the Dec.thumbscrew and rotate the telescope tube until it is paralleled to the
ground.
D. Slowly release the telescope and determine in which direction it rotates. Loosen the
telescope tube rings and slide the telescope tube forward or backward in the clamps
until it is balanced.
E. Once the telescope no longer rotates from its parallel starting position, re-tighten
the tube rings and the Dec. lock knob. Reset the altitude axis to your local latitude.

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OPERATING THE EQ1 MOUNT
The EQ1 mount has controls for both conventional altitude (up-down) and azimuth
(left-right) directions of motion. These two adjustments are suggested for large
direction changes and for terrestrial viewing. Use the large knurled knob located
underneath for azimuth adjustments. Loosen the knob and rotate the mount head
around the azimuth axis. Use the altitude adjustment T-bolts for altitude adjustments
(Fig. 12).
In addition, this mount has Right Ascension (hour angle) and declination direction
controls for polar-aligned astronomical observing. Loosen the lock knobs to make
large direction changes. Use the control cables for fine adjustment after the lock knobs
have both been locked (Fig.d1). An additional scale is included for the altitude axis.
This allows polar alignment for your local latitude. (Fig.12)

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USING THE OPTIONAL BARLOW LENS
A Barlow is a negative lens which increases the magnifying power of an eyepiece, while
reducing the field of view. It expands the cone of the focused light before it reaches the focal
point, so that the telescope's focal length appears longer to the eyepiece.
The Barlow is inserted between the focuser and the eyepiece in a reflector, and usually between
the diagonal and the eyepiece in a refractor or a catadioptric (Fig. 13). With some telescopes, it
can also be inserted between the focuser and the diagonal, and in this position it gives even
greater magnification. For example, a 2X Barlow when inserted after the diagonal can become 3X
when placed in front of the diagonal.
In addition to increasing magnification, the benefits of using a Barlow lens include improved eye
relief, and reduced spherical aberration in the eyepiece. For this reason, a Barlow plus a lens often
outperform a single lens producing the same magnification. However, its greatest value may be
that a Barlow can potentially double the number of eyepiece in your collection.
FOCUSING
A Slowly turn the focus knobs under the focuser, one way or the other, until the image in the
eyepiece is sharp (Fig.14). The image usually has to be finely refocused over time, due to
small variations caused by temperature changes, flexures, etc. This often happens with
short focal ratio telescopes, particularly when they haven't yet reached outside temperature.
Refocusing is almost always necessary when you change an eyepiece or add or remove a
Barlow lens.

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POLAR ALIGNMENT
In order for your telescope to track objects in the sky you have to align your mount. This
means tilting the head over so that it points to the North (or South) celestial pole. For
people in the Northern Hemisphere this is rather easy as there is a bright star very near
the spot Polaris. For casual observing, rough polar alignment is adequate. Make sure your
equatorial mount is level and the red dot finder is aligned with the telescope before
beginning.
Look up your latitude on a map, road maps are good for this purpose. Now look at the side
of your mount head, there you will see a scale running from 0-90 degrees. Unlock the
hinge of the mount by gently pulling on the lock lever counter-clockwise. At the bottom of
the head is a screw that pushes on a tongue under the hinge, changing the angle. Spin
this until your latitude is shown on the scale by the indicator pin, then lock the hinge
(Fig.15).
"Pole Star" is less than one degree from the North Celestial Pole (NCP). Because it is
not exactly at the NCP, Polaris appears to trace a small circle around it as the Earth
rotates. Polaris is offset from the NCP, toward Cassiopeia and away from the end of the
handle of the Big Dipper (Fig.16).

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Unlock the DEC lock knob and rotate the telescope tube until the pointer on the setting
circle reads 90°. Retighten the DEC lock knob. Loosen the azimuth lock knob and rotate
the mount horizontally until the R.A. axis points roughly at Polaris. Retighten the azimuth
lock knob. Look through the finderscope and center Polaris on the crosshairs by
adjusting the azimuth and latitude settings if a more accurate polar alignment is desired.
After a while you will notice your target drifting slowly North or South depending on the
direction of the pole relative to Polaris. To keep the target in the center of the view, turn
only the R.A. slow-motion cable. After your telescope is polar aligned, no further
adjustments in the azimuth and latitude of the mount should be made in the observing
session, nor should you move the tripod. Only movements in R.A. and DEC axis should
be made in order to keep an object in the field.
Southern Hemisphere
In the Southern Hemisphere you must align the mount to the SCP by locating it's position
with star patterns, without the convenience of a nearby bright star. The closest star is the
faint 5.5-mag. Sigma Octanis which is about one degree away. Two sets of pointers
which help to locate the SCP are alpha and beta Crucis (in the Southern Cross) and a
pointer running at a right angle to a line connecting alpha and beta Centauri (Fig17)
Tracking Celestial Opjects
When observing through a telescope, astronomical objects appear to move slowly
through the telescope's field of view. When the mount is correctly polar aligned, you only
need to turn the R.A. slow-motion to follow or track objects as they move through the
field. The DEC. slow-motion control is not needed for tracking. A R.A. motor drive can be
added to automatically track celestial objects by counteracting the rotation of the Earth.
The rotation speed of the R.A. drive matches the Earth's rotation rate for stars to appear
stationary in the telescope eyepiece. Different tracking speeds are also available in some
models. A second drive can be added to give DEC control which is very useful for doing
astrophotography

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USING THE SETTING CIRCLES
The quickest way to find objects is to learn the Constellations and use the Red Dot
Finder, but if the object is too faint you may want to use setting circles on your mount.
Setting circles enable you to locate celestial objects whose celestial co-ordinates
have been determined from star charts.
Your telescope must be polar aligned and the R.A. setting circle must be calibrated
before using the setting circles. The DEC. setting circle was set at the factory, and
does not require calibrating the same manner as the R.A. setting circle.
Reading the R.A. setting circle
The telescope's R.A. setting circle is scaled in hours, from 1 through 24, with small
lines in between representing 10 minute increments. The upper set of numbers apply
to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere, while the numbers below them apply to viewing
in the Southern Hemisphere (Fig.18).
Setting (calibrating) the R.A. setting circle
In order to set your Right Ascension circle you must first find a star in your field of view with
known coordinates. A good one would be the 0.0 magnitude star Vega in the Constellation
Lyra. From a star chart we know the R.A. coordinate of Vega is 18h 36m. Loosen the R.A. and
DEC. lock knobs on the mount and adjust the telescope so that Vega is centered in the field
of view of the eyepiece. Tighten the R.A. and DEC. lock knobs to lock the mount in place.
Now rotate the R.A. setting circle until it reads 18h36m. You are now ready to use the setting
circles to find objects in the sky.

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Finding objects using the setting circles
Example: Finding the faint planetary nebula M57; "The Ring" From a star chart, we know the coordinates of the
Rings are Dec. 33º and R.A. 18h52m. Unlock the DEC lock knob and rotate your telescope in DEC until the
pointer on the DEC setting circle reads 33º. Re-tighten the DEC lock knob. Loosen the R.A. lock knob and
rotate the telescope in R.A. until the pointer on the R.A. setting circle reads 18h52m (do not move the R.A.
circle). Re-tighten the R.A. lock knob. Now look through the Red Dot Finder to see if you have found M57.
Adjust the telescope with R.A. and DEC. flexible cables until M57 is centered in the Red Dot Finder. Now look
through the telescope using a low power eyepiece. Centre M57 in the field of view of the eyepiece.
The setting circles will get you close to the object you wish to observe, but are not accurate enough to put it in
the center of your Red Dot Finder's/finderscope's field of view. The accuracy of your setting circles also
depends on how accurate your telescope is polar aligned.
POINTING YOUR TELESCOPE
A German Equatorial mount has an adjustment, sometimes called a wedge, which tilts the mount's
polar axis so that it points at the appropriate Celestial Pole (NCP or SCP). Once the mount has
been polar aligned, it needs to be rotated around only the polar axis to keep an object centered. Do
not reposition the mount base or change the latitude setting. The mount has already been correctly
aligned for your geographical location (ie. Latitude), and all remaining telescope pointing is done by
rotating the optical tube around the polar (R.A.) and declination axes
A problem for many beginners is recognizing that a polar-aligned, equatorial mount acts like an alt-
azimuth mount which has been aligned to a celestial pole. The wedge tilts the mount to an angle
equal to the observer's Latitude, and therefore it swivels around a plane which parallels the
celestial (and Earth's) equator (Fig.19). This is now its "horizon"; but remember that part of the
new horizon is usually blocked by the Earth. This new "azimuth" motion is called Right Ascension
(R.A). In addition, the mount swivels North(+) and South(-) from the Celestial Equator towards the
celestial poles. This plus or minus "altitude" from the celestial equator is called Declination (Dec).

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Pointing to the NCP
For the following examples, it is assumed that the observing site is in the Northern
Hemisphere. In the first case (Fig.20.2), the optical tube is pointing to the NCP. This is its
probable position following the polar-alignment step. Since the telescope is pointing parallel
to the polar axis, it still points to the NCP as it is rotated around that axis counter-clockwise,
(Fig.20.1) or clockwise (Fig.20.3).
Pointing toward the western or eastern horizon
Now, considerpointingthetelescope tothe western (Fig.21.1)oreastern (Fig.21.2)horizon.If
the counterweightispointingNorth,the telescope canbeswiveledfromonehorizontotheother
around theDecaxisinanarcthatpassesthroughthe NCP (anyDec arcwillpassthroughthe
NCP if the mount ispolar-aligned). It can beseen then thatif the opticaltube needs to be
pointed at an object north or south of this arc, ithastobe also rotatedaround the R.A axis.

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Pointing to directions other than due North
Pointing in any direction other than due North requires a combination of R.A. and Dec
positions (Fig.22). This can be visualized as a series of Dec arcs, each resulting from the
position of rotation of the R.A. axis. In practice however, the telescope is usually pointed, with
the aid of a finderscope, by loosening both the R.A. and Dec locks and swiveling the mount
around both axes until the object is centered in the eyepiece field. The swiveling is best done
by placing one hand on the optical tube and the other on the counter-weight bar, so that the
movement around both axes is smooth, and no extra lateral force is applied to the axis-
bearings. When the object is centered, make sure the R.A and Dec locks are both re-
tightened to hold the object in the field and allow tracking by adjusting only in R.A.

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Pointing at an object
Pointing at an object, for example to the South (Fig.23), can often be achieved with the optical tube
positioned on either side of the mount. When there is a choice of sides, particularly when there could
be a long observing period, the East side (Fig.23.2) should be chosen in the Northern Hemisphere
because tracking in R.A. will move it away from the mount's legs. This is particularly important when
using an R.A motor, because if the optical tube jambs against the mount's legs, it can result in
damage to the motor and/or the gears.
Telescopes with long focal lengths often have a "blind spot" when pointing near the zenith,
because the eyepiece-end of the optical tube bumps into the mount's legs (Fig. q1). To adapt
for this, the optical tube can be very carefully slipped up inside the tube rings (Fig. q2). This can
be done safely because the tube is pointing almost vertically, and therefore moving it does not
cause a Dec-balance problem. It is very important to move the tube back to the Dec-balanced
position before observing other sky areas
Something which can be a problem is that the optical tube often rotates so that the eyepiece,
finderscope and the focusing knobs are in less convenient positions. The diagonal can be
rotated to adjust the eyepiece. However, to adjust the positions of the finderscope and focusing
knobs, loosen the tube rings holding the optical tube and gently rotate it. Do this when you are
going to view an area for a while, but it is inconvenient to do every time you briefly go to a new
area.

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Finally, there are a few things to consider to ensure that you are comfortable during the viewing
session. First is setting the height of the mount above the ground by adjusting the tripod legs.
You must consider the height that you want your eyepiece to be, and if possible plan on sitting
on a comfortable chair or stool. Very long optical tubes need to be mounted higher or you will
end up crouching or lying on the ground when looking at objects near the zenith. On the other
hand, a short optical tube can be mounted lower so that there is less movement due to vibration
sources, such as wind. This is something that should be decided before going through the effort
of polar aligning the mount.
Choosing the Appropriate Eyepiece
Calculating the magnification (Power)
The magnification produced by a telescope is determined by the focal length of the eyepiece
that is used with it. To determine a magnification for your telescope, divide its focal length
by the focal length of the eyepieces you are going to use. For example, a 10mm focal length
eyepiece will give 80X magnification with an 800mm focal length telescope.
When looking at astronomical objects, you are looking through a column of air that reaches to
the edge of space and that column seldom stays still. Similarly, when viewing over land you
are often looking through heat waves radiating from the ground, house, buildings, etc. Your
telescope may be able to give very high magnification but what you end up magnifying is all
the turbulence between the telescope and the subject. A good rule of thumb is that the usable
magnification of a telescope is about 2X per mm of aperture under good conditions
6) Calculating the field of View
The size of the view that you see through your telescope is called the true (or actual) field of
view and it is determined by the design of the eyepiece. Every eyepiece has a value, called
the apparent field of view, which is supplied by the manufacturer. Field of view is usually
measured in degrees and/or arc-minutes (there are 60 arc-minutes in a degree). The true
field of view produced by your telescope is calculated by dividing the eyepiece's apparent
field of view by the magnification that you previously calculated for the combination. Using
the figures in the previous magnification example, if your 10mm eyepiece has an apparent
field of view of 52 degrees, then the true field of view is 0.65 degrees or 39 arc-minutes.
To put this in perspective, the moon is about 0.5° or 30 arc-minutes in diameter, so this
combination would be fine for viewing the whole moon with a little room to spare.
Remember, too much magnification and too small a field of view can make it very hard to
find things. It is usually best to start at a lower magnification with its wider field and then
increase the magnification when you have found what you are looking for. First find the
moon then look at the shadows in the craters!

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7) Calculating the exit pupil
The Exit Pupil is the diameter (in mm) of the narrowest point of the cone of light leaving your
telescope. Knowing this value for a telescope-eyepiece combination tells you whether your
eye is receiving all of the light that your primary lens or mirror is providing. The average
person has a fully dilated pupil diameter of about 7mm.This value varies a bit from person
to person, is less until your eyes become fully dark adapted and decreases as you get older.
To determine an exit pupil, you divide the diameter of the primary of your telescope (in mm)
by the magnification.
For example, a 200mm f/5 telescope with a 40mm eyepiece produces a magnification of 25x
and an exit pupil of 8mm.This combination can probably be used by a young person but
would not be of much value to a senior citizen.The same telescope used with a 32mm
eyepiece gives a magnification of about 31x and an exit pupil of 6.4mm which should be fine
for most dark adapted eyes. In contrast, a 200mm f/10 telescope with the 40mm eyepiece
gives a magnification of 50x and an exit pupil of 4mm, which is fine for everyone.
OBSERVING THE SKY
1) Sky Conditions
Sky conditions are usually defined by two atmospheric characteristics, seeing, or the steadiness of
the air, and transparency, light scattering due to the amount of water vapour and particulate
material in the air. When you observe the Moon and the planets, and they appear as though water is
running over them, you probably have bad "seeing" because you are observing through turbulent air.
In conditions of good "seeing", the stars appear steady, without twinkling, when you look at them
with unassisted eyes (without a telescope). Ideal "transparency" is when the sky is inky black and the
air is unpolluted.
2) Selecting an observing site
Travel to the best site that is reasonably accessible. It should be away from city lights, and upwind
from any source of air pollution. Always choose as high an elevation as possible; this will get you
above some of the lights and pollution and will ensure that you aren't in any ground fog. Sometimes
low fog banks help to block light pollution if you get above them. Try to have a dark, unobstructed
view of the horizon, especially the southern horizon if you are in the Northern Hemisphere and
vice versa. However, remember that the darkest sky is usually at the "Zenith", directly above your
head. It is the shortest path through the atmosphere. Do not try to observe any object when the light
path passes near any protrusion on the ground. Even extremely light winds can cause major air
turbulence as they flow over the top of a building or wall. If you try to observe on any structure, or
even a sidewalk, movements you make may cause the telescope to vibrate. Pavement and concrete
can also radiate stored heat which will affect observing.