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How to Mount a Telrad Finder

The Telrad finder attaches to telescopes and is used to find individual stars or celestial bodies. The Telrad is a "zero power" spotting scope that helps you direct the telescope to the star or body observed in the sky with little guesswork. The Telrad mounts quickly to the top of the telescope; it is equipped with adhesive foam to make the mounting process quick and easy. If you miss your positioning, you can remove the adhesive foam by applying heat from a hair dryer. The Telrad mounts to the base of the telescope, near the eyepiece.

Things You'll Need

Hair dryer
Drill

Instructions

Adhesive Mount
- 1
  Set up your telescope on a tripod. Mount the telescope on the tripod.
- 2
  Peel the adhesive foam's protective cover off the back of the Telrad finder. Press the Telrad onto the top tube of the telescope so the Telrad scope faces the same direction as the telescope tube.
- 3
  Apply the heat from the hair dryer to melt the glue in case you misplaced it during the mount. Peel the Telrad off as the glue heats and reposition until you have it in the desired position.
Screw Mount
- 4
  Place the base of the Telrad onto the telescope, near the end where the eyepiece is located. Mark the plate screw holes and drill out on the telescope.
- 5
  Place the plate onto the telescope and align the holes. Screw the plate to the telescope and mount the Telrad to the plate.
- 6
  Thread hook-and-loop straps through the base of the Telrad and around the telescope and tighten to keep the Telrad secure. Use this technique should you not want to mar the surface of your telescope with glue or drilled holes.

Astronomy