20
U
Ut
ti
il
li
it
ty
yF
Fe
ea
at
tu
ur
re
es
s
Scrolling through the MENU options will also provide access to several advanced utility functions such as anti-backlash
compensationand slew limits.
Setup Time-Site -Allows the user to customizethe NexStar display by changing time and location parameters (such as
timezone and daylight savings).
Anti-backlash– All mechanical gears have a certain amountof backlashor play between the gears. Thisplay is evident
by how longit takes for a star to move in the eyepiece when the hand control arrow buttons are pressed (especiallywhen
changing directions). The NexStar's anti-backlash features allows the user to compensate
for backlash by inputting a value which quickly rewinds the motors just enough to
eliminate the play betweengears. The amount of compensation needed depends on the
slewing rate selected; the slower the slewing rate the longer itwill take for the star to
appear to move in the eyepiece. Therefore, the anti-backlash compensation will have to be
set higher. You will need to experiment with different values; a value between 20 and 50
is usually best for most visual observing,whereas a higher value may be necessary for
photographicguiding.
To set the anti-backlashvalue, scroll down to the anti-backlash option and press ENTER.
Enter a value from 0-100 for both azimuth and altitude directions and press ENTER after
eacho ne to save these values. NexStarwill remember these values and use them each time
itis turned on until they are changed.
Slew Limits – Sets the limits in altitude that the telescope can slew without displaying a
warning message. The slew limitsprevent the telescope tube from slewing to an object
belowthe horizon or slewing to an object that is high enough that the tube might hit one of
the tripod legs. However, the slew limits can be customizeddepending on your needs.
Forexample, if you would like to slew to an object that is closeto the zenith and are certain
that the tube willnot hit the tripod legs, you can set the slew limits to 90º in altitude. This
willallow the telescope to slew to any object above the horizon without warning.
Direction Buttons –The direction a star moves in the eyepiece varies depending on the
accessories being used. Thiscan create confusion when guiding on a star using an off-axis
guider versusa straight through guide scope. To compensate forthis, the direction of the
drive controlkeys can be changed. To reversethe button logic of the hand control, press
theMENU button and select Direction Buttons from the Utilities menu. Usethe Up/Down
arrowkeys (10) to select either the Azimuth buttons (leftand right) or Altitudebuttons (up
anddown) and press ENTER. PressingENTER again will reverse the directionof the hand
control buttons from their currentstate. Direction Buttons will only change the eyepiece
rates(rate 1-6) and will not affect the slew rates (rate 7-9).
Light Control – This feature allows you to turnoff both the red key pad light and LCD display for daytime use to
conservepower and to help preserveyour night vision.
Select Model – The first time the NexStar is poweredon, thehand control display allows you to select your NexStar
froma list of different models. If for some reason theincorrect modelwas selected or you wish to use your hand control on
a different NexStar model, the Select Model utility feature allows you to re-selectthe p roperNexStar model from the
displayed list. Once the correct NexStar model has been selected the power needs to be restarted before beginning the
alignment procedure. TheSelect Model feature will return the hand controlto its original factory settings. Parameterssuch
as backlash compensation valuesalong with slew and filter limits will be reset. However, stored parameters such asuser
definedobjects will remain saved even afterthe model has been changed.
RS-232 - TheNexStar has a RS-232 port located on the bottomo fthe hand control that allows it to communicate with
many astronomy computer programs such as The Sky by Software Bisque. Before attempting to create a link with a
computer, select the RS-232 option and press Enter.
SETUP TIME-SITE
AZM PO S IT IV E
AZM NEGATIVE
ALT POS IT IV E
ALT NEGATIVE
ANTI-BACKLASH
SLEW ALT MAX
SLEW ALT MIN
SLEW LIMITS
AZM BUTTONS
ALT BUTTONS
DIRECTIONBUTTONS
DISPLAYOFF
DISPLAYON
KEY PAD OFF
KEY PAD ON
LIGHT CONTROL
SELECT MODEL
UTILITIE S
MENU