Quote:
Originally Posted by Astrochem
I followed the procedure in the manual for balancing the telescope. After setting the polar axis to my latitude (37deg), setting the declination to 90 and rotating the scope until the counter weight rod was horizontal, the telescope was not balanced. The counter weight is at its lowest position and cannot add any more gravity to that side and moving it up the rod will make the situation worse.
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It's surprising that a manufacturer would sell a telescope with an equatorial mount that can't be balanced! If the mount and scope are well-matched, you would expect to be able to get a good balance with the counterweight somewhere like half to 2/3 down the shaft. Try contacting the dealer and asking if they can give you an extra weight. If they can't oblige, many telescope shops sell extra counterweights, or you might be able to buy one second-hand.
As a temporary measure, try rigging up some extra counterweight, such as a small bucket with gravel or similar that you can hang from the counterweight shaft. (Just make sure that your temporary weight will clear the south-pointing leg as you swing the scope through the vertical plane.) This will allow you to add / subtract weight until you get a good balance, and then you know what size weight you are looking for.