Meade Instruments LX600 - Manual (Page 37)

37
Adv
anced AutoStar II F
eatures
Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself
with the basic operations of AutoStar II described earlier in this
manual. The following examples assume that you have a basic
knowledge of AutoStar II and understand how to scroll to a
desired menu or menu option, and how to enter numbers and
text. It also assumes that you have initialized and aligned your
telescope.
Adding Observing Sites
If you plan to observe using AutoStar II at different geographic
locations, you can store observation sites in AutoStar II’s memory
to help simplify your telescope setup. Perform these procedures
using the Site options (Add, Select, Delete, Edit) of the Setup
menu.
To Add a Site to the user-defi ned site list:
In this example, you will choose a city and add it to the database
list. You will then select the site to enable it.
1. Navigate to the “Setup: Site” menu. Press
ENTER,
2. Scroll through the options until “Site: Add”
displays. Press ENTER.
3. Scroll through the list of countries/states. Press
ENTER when the country/state you wish to add
displays.
4. Scroll through the list of cities. Press ENTER
when the city you wish to add displays. The Site
is now added to the database. You may add sites
using this method.
5. To choose a site, navigate to “Setup: Select”.
Press ENTER. Scroll through the list of sites.
When the desired site displays, press ENTER.
Tip: Using AutoStar II to fi nd objects not in the libraries:
If you do not wish to navigate through the menus, a more direct
way to enter coordinates is to press and hold MODE for two
seconds or more. R.A. and Dec. coordinates display. Press GO
TO. “Object Position” and a set of coordinates displays. Enter the
R.A. and Dec. coordinates of any celestial object using Number
keys, overwriting the coordinates currently displayed. As soon
as the coordinates are entered, AutoStar II slews the telescope
to the coordinates. Note that the telescope must be aligned (see
page 21).
To Edit a Site:
In this procedure, you will enter a location that is not available
in the AutoStar II database by editing data of a nearby site. You
will edit the location’s name, latitude, longitude, and the time
zone shift. You will then select the site to enable it.
You will need to know the latitude and longitude of your location
to perform this procedure.
1. Using the Add option, choose a site on the list
that is closest to your observing site and press
ENTER so that the site is added to your observing
sites list. Choosing a site already on the list (as
opposed to using the “Custom” feature) makes it
easier to edit, as the “Time Zone” value may not
need to be changed.
2. Scroll to “Site: Edit” and press ENTER. “Edit:
Name” displays. Press ENTER.
3. The name of the site you have just entered to
your list displays; if it does not, scroll to the site.
4. Using the Arrow keys, change the name of
the site so that it now reads the name of your
observing location. Press Enter. “Edit: Name”
displays again.
5. Press the Scroll Down key and “Edit: Latitude”
displays. Press ENTER.
6. Using the Number Keys, enter the latitude of
your observing site and then press ENTER. “Edit:
Latitude” displays again.
7. Press the Scroll Down key and “Edit: Longitude”
displays. Press ENTER.
8. Using the Number Keys, enter the longitude of
your observing site and then press ENTER. “Edit:
Longitude” displays again.
9. Press the Scroll Down key and “Edit: Time Zone”
displays. Press ENTER. (If the site you chose
from the list in step 1 has the same Time Zone
as the site you are editing, just press ENTER
again to go on to the next step.) “Time Zone”
refers to the Greenwich Time Zone shift. Users
West of Greenwich, use “-” hours (one hour per
time zone) and users East of Greenwich use “+”
hours.
Time Zone Shift
Atlantic -4 Hours
Eastern -5 Hours
Central -6 Hours
Mountain -7 Hours
Pacifi c -8 Hours
ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURES