Autostar ii operation, Timing is everything – Meade Instruments LX600 User Manual

Page 35

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35

AutoStar II Operation

Daylight Saving: Enables or disables the Daylight Savings time

setting.

Note: Daylight Savings Time may be referred to by different

names in various areas of the world. Check local time to

verify.

GPS-UTC Offset: Universal Time (UTC) allows you to add leap

seconds to its time calculations, GPS does not. The offset is the

number of leap seconds added since the establishment of GPS.

Site: Site provides access to several options including:

Select: Displays the currently selected observing

site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through all

available sites (see Add below). Press ENTER

when the site you wish to select displays.

Use this option when you move to a different

geographic location.

Add: Allows you to add new observing sites to

the database. Scroll through the list of Countries/

States. Press ENTER when the site you wish to

add displays. Then choose the desired city in the

same manner.

However, when the GPS signal is received, the

site is normally selected automatically and the

site list is updated automatically. Use of this

option is not necessary and is included for the

convenience of those users who may wish to

enter a site manually. You may edit the name of a

site using the Edit option (see below).

Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name,

latitude, longitude, and time zone. Time Zone

refers to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time

zone shift. Users West of Greenwich, England

use “-” hours, East of Greenwich use “+” hours.

For the United States, look up the time zone shift

in Table 1.

Note: Autostar II compensates for daylight

savings time, if selected. See Setup Menu:

Daylight Saving, left.

Owner Info: Accesses the owner information menu, including:

Name: Users may enter both their fi rst and last

names using the Up and Down Arrow keys to

cycle through the alphabet. Use the Right and

Left Arrow keys to move through the text. Press

ENTER when the entry is complete.

Address: Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to

enter your street address, city, state, and zip

code. Press ENTER when the entry is complete.

Clone: Uploads information from one Autostar II handbox to

another. Three options are available:

Catalogs: Sends only user-defi ned object information,

such as new satellite orbits or comet data to another

Autostar II handbox.

Software: Sends only the basic Autostar II software.

This is useful if one user has downloaded a new version

of Autostar II software from the Meade website (www.

meade.com) and wants to pass this software along to

friends.

All: Everything—user-defi ned information and Autostar

II software—is sent to another Autostar II.

Download: Transfers information from another Autostar II.

During the operation, the warning “Downloading Do Not Turn

Off” appears.

Note: The Download function requires the usage of the

included #507 Cable Connector Kit (product# 07047). See

the instruction sheet included with the cable for more

information on how to download.

Catalogs: Receives only user-defi ned object

information, such as new satellite orbits or comet

data to another Autostar II handbox.

Software: Receives only the basic Autostar

II software. This is useful if one user has

downloaded a new version of Autostar II software

from the Meade website (www.meade.com) and

wants to pass this software along to friends.

All: Everything—user-defi ned information and

Autostar II software—is received by another

Autostar II handbox.

Timing is Everything

Your telescope receives the precise time when it syncs

with the GPS. Precise time is important in aligning your

telescope so that it can accurately locate celestial objects.

AutoStar II receives time data in the Universal Time

format. However, if you wish to display the correct time in

your local time zone, use the Daylight Saving menu (see

above) to turn the Daylight Saving option on or off. Keep

in mind that the telescope is receiving the correct time

whether or not you set this option to display your local

time.

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