Direction Buttons
The NexStar has four direction buttons (3) in the center of the hand control which control the telescope's motion in altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates.
Rate Button
Pressing the RATE key (11) allows you to instantly change the speed rate of the motors from high speed slew rate to precise guiding rate or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the hand controller key pad. The number 9 is the fastest rate (6º per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars. The number 1 on the hand control is the slowest rate (1x sidereal) and can be used for accurate centering of objects in the eyepiece and photographic guiding. To change the speed rate of the motors:
•Press the RATE key on the hand control. The LCD will display the current speed rate.
•Press the number on the hand control that corresponds to the desired speed. The number will appear in the
The hand control has a "double button" feature that allows you to instantly speed up the motors without having to choose a speed rate. To use this feature, simply press the arrow button that corresponds to the direction that you want to move the telescope. While holding that button down, press the opposite directional button. This will increase the slew rate to the maximum slew rate.
When pressing the Up and Down arrow buttons in the slower slew rates (6 and lower) the motors will move the telescope in the opposite direction than the faster slew rates (7 thru 9). This is done so that an object will move in the appropriate direction when looking into the eyepiece (i.e. pressing the Up arrow button will move the star up in the field of view of the eyepiece). However, if any of the slower slew rates (rate 6 and below) are used to center an object in the finderscope, you may need to press the opposite directional button to make the telescope move in the correct direction.
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1 | = 1x (sidereal) | 6 | = 128x | ||
2 | = 2x | 7 | = 1.5º / sec | ||
3 | = 8x | 8 | = | 3º / sec | |
4 | = | 16x | 9 | = | 6º / sec |
5 | = | 64x |
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Nine available slew speeds
Setup Procedures
The NexStar contains many user defined setup functions designed to give the user control over the telescope's many advanced features. All of the setup and utility features can be accessed by pressing the MENU key and scrolling through the options:
Tracking Mode This allows you to change the way the telescope tracks depending on the type of mount being used to support the telescope. The NexStar has three different tracking modes:
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