Meade LX850 User Manual - Page 23

One Star Alignment, Syncing your Eyepiece or Camera, using Starlock

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Getting Started You are now ready to perform AutoStar's One-Star alignment procedure. One Star Alignment To prepare your telescope for One Star Alignment: 1. Plug in the AC adapter to the control panel. 2. Verify both the RA and DEC clutches are tight. 3. Connect Autostar II to the HBX port of the control panel. 4. Flip the power switch of the control panel to the ON position. The Autostar II screen is activated and a copyright message displays briefly. 5. "Press 0 to Align or Mode for Menu" displays. Press 0. 6. The telescope will seek the home position and align with its internal sensors. 7. "GERMAN NORTH" is displayed. Instructions how to place your mount in the german home position scrolls in the lower portion of the display. Press ENTER. Since the mount has used its internal home position sensors to position it in the home position. Your mount has been factory calibrated to sufficient accuracy to provide a reasonable alignment. (press any Autostar II key to abort the Alignment). 8. Autostarnowacquiresa"GPSFix."TheLX850'sGPS receiver acquires and syncs up with signals from GPS satellites. After performing these operations, Autostar II now knows: • The telescope's limiting positions star visible. Use the Arrow keys to move the telescope until the star is visible and centered in the eyepiece. The alignment star should be easily recognized and be the brightest star in the area of the sky where the telescope is pointing. Press ENTER. "Align Successful" displays. If "Align Unsuccessful displays," repeat the procedure. NOTE: When the second star is centered and Enter is pressed, the StarLock is automatically aligned with the primary OTA. After the alignment, if you wish to realign the StarLock with the primary OTA after a GoTo to a star, press and hold the ENTER key on Autostar for 2 seconds, then release. "Enter to Sync" will display, press Enter. This aligns the StarLock to the Primary OTA and improves the mounts high precision pointing performance. After your initial alignment, you can update the Home position for your scope, by selecting "Calibrate Home Position" from the SETUP/TELESCOPE menu. This will provide even more accurate results for subsequent alignments. This procedure only need be done once, or after recollimation of you optics or exchanging OTAs. Syncing your Eyepiece or Camera using Starlock Whenever you change eyepieces, diagonals or cameras, the center field of view may shift slightly. Starlock can compensate for this slight difference by performing the following routine: • The observing site's location • The date and time 9. "CTR Polaris: Slewing" displays. When the telescope stops slewing, center Polaris in the eyepiece using only the mounts latitude and azimuth adjust knobs (Page, Fig. 1, #17 and #34). DO NOT USE THE HANDBOX TO CENTER POLARIS. When Polaris is centered lock the Altitude and Azimuth locks, then press ENTER. 10.Autostar II then chooses another star to align upon. "Searching...." displays. The telescope then slews to a bright star for alignment. If it does not appear in the field of view in the eyepiece, look through the viewfinder-the star will be the nearest bright 1. Press the MODE key several times, until "Select Item: Object" is displayed. 2. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Object" option and move down four (4) levels. "Object: Star" is displayed. 3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Star" option and move down one (1) level. "Named" is displayed. 3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Named" option. 4. Scroll thorough the lists of Named star until you come to a bright star that is visible (if you are not sure what to choose use the same star that 23

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You are now ready to perform AutoStar’s One-Star
alignment procedure.
One Star Alignment
To prepare your telescope for One Star Alignment:
1. Plug in the AC adapter to the control panel.
2. Verify both the RA and DEC clutches are tight.
3. Connect Autostar II to the HBX port of the
control panel.
4. Flip the power switch of the control panel to the ON
position. The Autostar II screen is activated and a
copyright message displays briefly.
5. “Press 0 to Align or Mode for Menu” displays.
Press 0.
6. The telescope will seek the home position and align
with its internal sensors.
7. "GERMAN NORTH" is displayed. Instructions how
to place your mount in the german home position
scrolls in the lower portion of the display. Press EN-
TER. Since the mount has used its internal home
position sensors to position it in the home position.
Your mount has been factory calibrated to sufficient
accuracy to provide a reasonable alignment. (press
any Autostar II key to abort the Alignment).
8.
Autostar now acquires a “GPS Fix.” The LX850’s GPS
receiver acquires and syncs up with signals from
GPS satellites.
After
performing
these
operations,
Autostar
II
now knows:
• The telescope’s limiting positions
• The observing site’s location
• The date and time
9. “CTR Polaris: Slewing” displays. When the tele-
scope stops slewing, center Polaris in the eyepiece
using only the mounts latitude and azimuth adjust
knobs
(Page, Fig. 1, #17 and #34)
. DO NOT USE
THE HANDBOX TO CENTER POLARIS. When
Polaris is centered lock the Altitude and Azimuth
locks, then press ENTER.
10.Autostar II then chooses another star to align upon.
“Searching
....
” displays. The telescope then slews
to a bright star for alignment. If it does not appear
in the field of view in the eyepiece, look through
the viewfinder—the star will be the nearest bright
star visible. Use the Arrow keys to move the tele-
scope until the star is visible and centered in the
eyepiece. The alignment star should be easily rec-
ognized and be the brightest star in the area of the
sky where the telescope is pointing. Press ENTER.
“Align Successful” displays. If “Align Unsuccessful
displays,” repeat the procedure.
NOTE: When the second star is centered and En-
ter is pressed, the StarLock is automatically aligned
with the primary OTA. After the alignment, if you wish
to realign the StarLock with the primary OTA after a
GoTo to a star, press and hold the ENTER key on Au-
tostar for 2 seconds, then release. “Enter to Sync” will
display, press Enter. This aligns the StarLock to the
Primary OTA and improves the mounts high precision
pointing performance.
After your initial alignment, you can update the Home
position for your scope, by selecting “Calibrate Home
Position” from the SETUP/TELESCOPE menu. This
will provide even more accurate results for subse-
quent alignments. This procedure only need be done
once, or after recollimation of you optics or exchanging
OTAs.
Syncing your Eyepiece or Camera
using Starlock
Whenever you change eyepieces, diagonals or cam-
eras, the center field of view may shift slightly. Starlock
can compensate for this slight difference by perform-
ing the following routine:
1. Press the MODE key several times, until “Select
Item: Object” is displayed.
2. Press the ENTER key to choose the “Object”
option and move down four (4) levels. “Object:
Star” is displayed.
3. Press the ENTER key to choose the “Star” op-
tion and move down one (1) level. “Named” is
displayed.
3. Press the ENTER key to choose the “Named”
option.
4. Scroll thorough the lists of Named star until you
come to a bright star that is visible (if you are
not sure what to choose use the same star that
23
Getting Started