C. local time and date, D. setting up the telescope – Leisure Time LX20 User Manual

Page 11

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8. Press ENTER to complete the site information input. The

display will go back to Display 3.

9. Press MODE to go back to Display 2.

10. Press MODE again to go back to Display 1.

It is important to note that the longitude standard used in the
LX200 starts at 0 degrees in Greenwich U.K. and increases
Westerly only to 359 degrees 59 minutes. Many maps will show
Easterly longitudes which cannot be entered into the keypad
display. As an example, if your map indicates that you are at an
Easterly longitude of 18 degrees 27 minutes, then you would enter
341 degrees 33 minutes.

Do not concern yourself with differences in longitude and latitude
as they pertain to different map spheroid projections, those minor
differences are too small to adversely affect the longitude and
latitude data input.

c. Local Time and Date.

NOTE: The Time function on the 16" LX200 telescope is a
standard quartz clock. Like nearly any timepiece, the internal
clock of the telescope should be periodically checked and
updated to keep it as accurate as possible.

The local time should be set as accurately as possible, using the
24 hour format. The local time and date are used to determine
sidereal time (star time) and the pointing accuracy of the telescope
will depend on the accuracy of the time entered. Choose a reliable
source as a reference for accurate time such as your local airport,
or telephone company. In the U.S.A. you can double check the
accuracy of the exact minutes by dialing WWV for the universal
coordinated time at (303) 499-7111 (be sure to enter your local
time hour information, not the U.T. hour). For the example, we will
use 2:40:00 P.M. on August 5, 1998.

1. The display should look like Display 1. If it does not, press the

MODE key until it does.

2. Press the MODE key twice. The display will look like Display

8, but with a random LOCAL and SIDE times.

4. Using the number keys, enter the current local time to within

5 seconds. (Remember, 2:40:00 P.M. is 14:40:00 in the 24

hour format.) Corrections can be made by moving the
flashing cursor using the W and E keys. The display should

look like Display 10. (NOTE: The time should be checked

and reset about once a month.)

U.S.A. TIME ZONES

TIME ZONE

STANDARD TIME DAYLIGHT TIME

HAWAII

+10 Hours

+9 Hours

PACIFIC

+8 Hours

+7 Hours

MOUNTAIN

+7 Hours

+6 Hours

CENTRAL

+6 Hours

+5 Hours

EASTERN

+5 Hours

+ 4 Hours

ATLANTIC

+4 Hours

+3 Hours

For example: You live in the Pacific Time Zone and you are on
Daylight Time. The GMT time shift is +7 hours.
6. Use the number keys to enter the GMT time zone shift

determined from the table above. Press ENTER when done;
the display will go back to Display 8. If you are using the
LX200 East of Greenwich U.K., then you must enter a -
(minus) GMT time zone shift by moving the blinking cursor
backwards in the display with the W key and then pressing
the NEXT key. The + (plus) sign will change to -(minus). Use
the number keys to enter the Westerly (+) GMT time zone
shift determined from the table above or your calculated
Easterly (-) time zone shift.

7. Press the ENTER key. This will select the DATE display

(Display 12), with a random date showing.

10. Press the ENTER key when the date is correct.

After you press the ENTER key, the keypad hand controller will
display "Updating planetary data." The position of the planets
depends on the date, so anytime the date is changed, the planet
positions are recalculated.
This is all the information the LX200 needs to make use of all
features. The next steps actually align the telescope with the night

sky.

d. Setting Up the Telescope

After the basic information has been entered into the telescope,
the telescope is ready to actually set-up and use. Follow
TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY (page 6) to set-up the telescope outside,
and follow these steps:

1. Using the Bubble Level (14, Fig. 1) located on the telescope's

drive base, level the telescope. This is a very important step
because the telescope's pointing ability depends on the
telescope being level. Make sure the bubble is precisely
centered by adjusting the height of the three tripod legs.

2. Loosen the Dec. lock knob (18, Fig. 1) and position the

optical tube assembly approximately level (so that the Dec.
Circle (3, Fig. 1) reads 0°. Retighten the Dec. lock knob.

11

3. Press and HOLD the ENTER key until the keypad hand

controller beeps (display like Display 9).

5. Press the ENTER key when the time is correct. The display

will change to Display 11.

The next step is to enter the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time
zone shift (This procedure is a lot easier than it sounds). Simply
look up your time zone in the table below to find the GMT time
zone shift.

8. Press and Hold the ENTER key until the keypad hand

controller beeps. The display will look like Display 13, with
the blinking cursor over the first number.

9. Use the number keys to enter the current date. The display

should look like Display 14. Use the W and E keys to move
the blinking cursor left and right to correct any mistakes.

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