Re: [APML]: OAG & Illuminated Reticle Causing Reflection

[Bert Katzung <katzung@pacbell.net>]

Steve:
After sending the prior E-mail about the Meade OAG problem, I had
another thought--if the reflection that you or your camera sees is
the illuminated reticle of the eyepiece (I have forgotten what you
specified in your earlier messages), it could simply mean that the
prism is backwards in the mount! That would certainly project the
image of the eyepiece reticle into the camera port of the OAG. The
other way the reticle image would get into the camera is if the
fittings on the two sides of the OAG central cube were changed so that
the camera adapter was placed on the *left* (when looking at the
OAG so that the lettering on the cube reads normally). I'm not sure
if it's possible to switch the ends of an OAG in this manner (you
would think that the fittings would be made so that cameras could
only be hung off the right side, no matter what), but if it's 
possible, then Murphy's law may have been operating on your OAG.

If the prism is actually backwards in the mount (so that it is looking
right, rather than left, in the straight-through path) you will have to
turn it around. I think that is fairly easy to do by loosening the
tiny setscrew in the side of the circular housing and carefully 
easing the prism into the orientation needed.

Hope this all helps,
Bert