How to Align any Viewfinder on a Telescope (STEP BY STEP) By

[@dcxplant]

Found an old Mead Model 6600 in my dad's basement after he passed. This was really helpful, now I may actually be able to use the telescope. Thank you.

[@AstronomyGarage]

I'm glad the video was helpful. Have fun with that legacy Meade!

[@deepskymike767]

You mention 3 problems that can occur with red dot finders but there is a fourth, and I believe it’s the biggest one. Forgetting to turn the thing off! 😂 Another excellent intuitive video from this wonderful little channel. Keep them coming.

[@AstronomyGarage]

You're right! Man, I wish I would've included that one. I've killed a lot of batteries by leaving those on.

[@lutherpolaris8230]

This and many other video presentations from this source has been helpful for me in providing long distance tutorials for my adult son. He's a photographer whose just getting into telescopes especially astrophotography. Thank you for making these presentations because they are very practical which really helps.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank you for your comment! I'm glad the videos have proven helpful. Clear skies to you and your son!

[@ostwind1388]

Got a telescope like this second hand for cheap (on a complete whim), tried it fist night, didn't even know I could adjust the focus, could barely see the moon, thought it was a piece of junk. This video helps heaps.

[@AstronomyGarage]

I'm glad it helps. I just published a new video that's a Crash Course for new telescope owners. It covers quite a bit. Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqfcq6CYn5qfatk

[@johngiromini5745]

My 12" Zhumell introduced me to a number of the issues you covered very well. It dealt with the O-ring. I didn't realize until much later those rings could be acquired at an auto parts store. Fortunately, my hardware store of choice, Elliot's, had a plethora of them. One can buy almost anything there, 1 piece at a time. I find the TelRad is the easiest to align, red dot's are harder because of the on/off switch being a round thing. Great video, Reflactor Guy! C U Tuesday perhaps...

[@AstronomyGarage]

Hi John G, you and me both have a 12" Zhumell. Great telescope! I think I've had to replace the O-ring on almost every telescope I've ever fixed up. What's crazy is that the Gskyer not only didn't have an O-ring, but the instructions didn't show one during the assembly photos. I don't think they supplied one despite having a groove for it. $1 later and I corrected that. I have a newfound fondness for the Telrad, especially the highly effective dimmer control. One way or another, I should be there Tuesday.

[@TheStevecas9860]

Some really great tips John!

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thanks! I hope people find it useful.

[@RUSTYMULLENIX-xm5sn]

Always looking forward to your vids. Another good one.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thanks for watching! Clear skies.

[@strat1960s]

Another excellent video. I will be adding a red/green dot sight to my Dob in the near future. I was thinking of using a laser pointer but decided against it due to our property being in the flight path of many aircraft heading to the DFW area. Sure would hate to have the military cops knocking at my door because I unknowingly/accidently "flashed" one of their jets.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thanks for watching! I'm in the same boat. We live under the approach to Meacham Airport, so using a laser would be SUPER risky.

[@ilhankncoglu9254]

great video, thanks

[@AstronomyGarage]

Hope it was helpful. Have fun with your telescope!

[@casper2yall]

Thank you for doing this video. I have the red dot finder and it wasn’t working, didn’t know it took a battery lol..

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank you for watching! I'm glad it helped. Enjoy your telescope!

[@Coleyking69]

Hey I just found your channel from your old videos. Love that you just posted a video! Have you ever tried stacking your phone photos? Can you stack photos without a tracker? Also what kind of tracker do you suggest. I actually have a discord server dedicated to astrophotography with a mobile device. Love to see you there. Thanks again!

[@AstronomyGarage]

With my smartphone photos, I usually record video and then use PIPP and AutoStakkart. Sometimes I use Registax to do the wavelets feature. Thank you for watching.

[@Trequilly]

You're a GOAT. Godbless

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank YOU for watching. Clear skies!

[@curronhill2744]

It blinks to allow you to use dim stars when you are Star hopping that the red rings would normally wash out.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thanks! That makes a lot of sense.

[@PanyingPilot]

My hack is to find the seam at the rear of a red dot finder where the halves are joined. Next use White Out type correction fluid and paint a thin line over this vertical seam. In use, your eye will always be inline with the red dot and not off axis when you look through the finder.

[@AstronomyGarage]

That's a very clever way to use it!

[@martinlagrange8821]

The one thing that was annoying with the reflex finder supplied on my new 10" ES Hybrid Truss Dob was that the lens had a silver coating - useful in daylight, hopeless at night ! It was possible to gently disassemble the finder to remove the lens, and then using Autosolv it was possible to polish the coating off with some elbow-grease, and allow the finder to function at night. re-seating the cleared lens was critical, as recommended in this great video guide - once done, the red laser dot appears to be off 'at infinity', making the small reflex finder quite usable. Re the Rigel scope, the blinking setting (on low intensity) is to permit star hopping onto faint object in dark skies, in order to allow dark adaptation to remain in place throughout the evening, and not lose sight of that elusive galaxy....

[@AstronomyGarage]

Wow, I've never experienced a finderscope with a silver coating. I wonder if it was designed primary for spotting scopes (used in birdwatching and hunting)? Thanks for the note about the blinking Rigel!

[@salahsana3481]

Good job

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank you for the kind words. Clear skies!

[@MountainFisher]

I use the ball on top of a flag pole just about 1/2 mile or more. I use one with that spring in it and it's a bit screwy, but I get it done. I hate red dot sights and the 6x30 straight through is cheap and my most used scopes get a RACI. I use a right angle correct image even on my 6" Newtonian even though it's upside down, but I hate trying to find stuff upside down. It is like using my left hand to put in a screw underneath a table where I can't see it. Sure I get it done, but tend to go the wrong way first.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank you for the comment. I like the combination of a red-dot finder and a RACI viewfinder. The red dot gets me close and the RACI gets dialed in perfectly.

[@joedgard14]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 obrigado pelas aulas 🤝🏻

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank you for watching!

[@pequodexpress]

Can the non-illuminated eyepiece of the RACI finder be replaced with an eyepiece with illuminated crosshairs?

[@AstronomyGarage]

Good question. Only if the RACI viewfinder has a removable eyepiece portion. Most of them are fixed.

[@ricardohdz1987]

Hey im looking at a 12 inch Meade lightbride for less than $200 with no base, well actually broken, is it hard to get a replacement base for it? I was thinking about adding another one to my collection, but im afraid it might be difficult to get it. Great video as always

[@AstronomyGarage]

That would be a pretty good price for a 12" telescope. I would recommend checking your local Facebook Marketplace or on the classifieds section on CloudyNights.com

[@dougsbir]

does it matter if the finderescope and eyepiece are oriented at different angles if the subject is in both?

[@AstronomyGarage]

I'm not quite sure how that would happen, but if the target is in both images, then I guess it's lined up. Clear skies!

[@dougsbir]

if you put a camera in place of the optical finderscope for instance?

[@pequodexpress]

My 8 x 50 RACI finder has crosshairs. While the intersecting point is in the center of view, the actual crossing "hairs" are not in line with the finder. Is this normal and of little significance, or is there a way to rotate the crosshairs?

[@AstronomyGarage]

This is very common. The eyepiece portion (that holds the crosshairs) is screwed in, but you can back it out slightly (unthreading it) until the cross hairs are lined up.

[@scottt6407]

I've lost count of the number of times I've turned the left/right knob on my RDF, instead of the power/dimmer. It always takes more turning to fix, than the amount I turned by mistake.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Agreed. It's super easy to grab the wrong knob. I wish they would've used a difference shape for the power/dimmer knob.

[@lottythekidd-2]

Hey, I own a 5" Newton telescope, but unfortunately my starpointer is broken. Can I use a digital camera mounted on the top of my telescope screwed in (I mean the threaded hole in the camera and the threaded sticking out thing from the telescope, I know, my terminology is the best) as a finderscope and if yes how can I align it?

[@AstronomyGarage]

Well, you can use smartphone adapter to mount your smartphone to the eyepiece and take photos. As for guiding your telescope, you can use something like Astrohopper, but it really helps to have a finderscope/viewfinder. The red dot finders are only $15 on Amazon.

[@yardsaleuw3075]

I wish they would just make a weaver style base so we can use a rifle red dot. The red dot on my shotgun is 30mm and when I'm not turkey hunting I could use it on my telescope.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Could there be a universal mount that serves both styles?

[@woodswalker88]

Dumb question. I had my scope in my study & waved my hand in front of the aperture. Shouldnt that have been visible in the finder?

[@AstronomyGarage]

Keep in mind that the telescope tube itself is offset from the finder by a few inches. So if you cover up the front of the telescope itself, you won't see it in the viewfinder.

[@abdullahzubair2033]

What is the name of the finderscope mount at 9:58

[@AstronomyGarage]

Those are 5x24 straight-through finderscopes. The front lens has a diameter of 24mm and it magnifies 5x. I've had two telescopes that came with these and I replaced them with red dot finders. You can find them here: amzn.to/3ptWCmD

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Man, you have the weirdest issues. The finderscope is misaligned? I found that in my case, the finderscope usually pointed exactly where it needed to, but it was the actual telescope that was misaligned. Fortunately, you can compensate for this by misaligning the finderscope in the exact same way the main telescope is, so you don't even notice. Procedure is pretty similar to yours too! 😂

[@AstronomyGarage]

Nearly every used telescope that I buy is missing the finderscope, so I tend to buy a lot of them, especially the red-dot finders. So, that is the reason why I seem to find all the defective ones, lol.

[@robertsonsid]

If you don't have a 2032 battery you can substitute a 2025 battery with a dime in a red dot finder.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Thank you! That is a hint that I have not heard of before.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@AstronomyGarage Another hint: the name (or number) of the battery straight-up tells you its dimensions. A 2025 is 20mm in diameter, and 2.5mm tall. A 2032 is also 20mm in diameter, but 3.2mm tall. So if you've ever heard of the ubiquitous 18650 Li-Ion cells that make up most battery packs around the world, you now know exactly what dimensions that cell has.

[@AstronomyGarage]

@@EvenTheDogAgrees I honestly never knew that the numerical name implied actual information (size in this case). Thank you for sharing this information!

[@Kitaa_Espe]

The only way to fix a finder scope work without the upside down left to right,,,right to left nonsense...just strap on some bunaculars on the scope it will work a 1,000 times better That's it...Finder scopes are designed to not work and to make it hard for you to focus on something for some reason..What that reason is..Well it's pretty obvious,they want you to buy and buy more and more things and accessories..It's just business...Dont buy telescopes unless you have hard earned money to just throw away....That's just my advise...

[@AstronomyGarage]

I'm sorry you've had such an unpleasant experience. Red dot finders are cheap, work great, and don't have any of that funny right/left upside down swapping. I put them on all of my telescopes. I hope your next experience is more pleasant.

[@garryfreemyer7187]

Can’t get the crosshairs to move. 🥵

[@AstronomyGarage]

What type of viewfinder do you have? Did you try adjusting all three screws? Did you wrap it in electrical tape so it would take up the gap and create a fulcrum?

[@garryfreemyer7187]

@@AstronomyGaragethe type with a spring loaded screw and two adjustable knobs

[@garryfreemyer7187]

Thanks refractor, I got it working the screws were too tight.

[@dougsbir]

and don't point it at your neighbours bedroom

[@AstronomyGarage]

Yes, telescopes are meant for viewing astronomical targets. Clear skies!

[@honoluluhappenings5561]

at 4:08, you skipped the most important step. You show adjusting the screws willynilly, but I can't get the object centered in the finder because the screws are off center & don't go up & down. Please explain in more detail how to center the target using the 3 screws. Please.

[@AstronomyGarage]

Unfortunately, KZbin doesn't allow me to add more video to an existing video, so this would require a new video. However, I'm afraid this falls under the "Keep trying until you get it right" category. Not sure if I could show in detail since the screws can be at a variety of orientations. I'll have to think of the best way to do this.

[@honoluluhappenings5561]

@@AstronomyGarage Thank you for your prompt response! My red dot finder lets me adjust up/down, left/right, and it's a snap to align. But my 'tube' style viewfinder (which I need for sun viewing) has 3 screws at 60-degree angles, and I have never been able to get the finder to align.

[@AstronomyGarage]

One trick I've learned is to pick any two screws and adjust them together to get it close. Then move on to the next set of screws.

[@honoluluhappenings5561]

@@AstronomyGarage Many thanks. I'll give it a shot.