Meade DSX Series Alt/Az Home Position, Moving Through Autostar’s Menus, Initializing Autostar

Pointer to 0° on the Altitude Setting Circle

North

Level

Base.

Fig. 16: Alt/Az Home Position.

Fig. 17: Altitude lock and set- ting circle.

DEFINITION: Initialization is a procedure that ensures that Autostar operates correctly. When you first use Autostar, it doesn't yet know where the observation location site is or the time or date of the observation session.

During the procedure, you will enter infor- mation, such as the current time and date, and observation loca- tion. Autostar uses this information to precisely calculate the location of celestial objects (such as stars and planets) and to move your tele- scope correctly for various operations.

The "Alt/Az" Home Position

1.Loosen the telescope’s Altitude lock (see Figs. 16 and 17, also see Fig 1b).

2.Make sure the tripod base (15, Fig. 1a) is level. Level the optical tube by lining up 0° on the Altitude setting circle (Fig. 17) with the triangular pointer.

3.Tighten the Altitude lock (B, Fig. 1b) to a firm feel only.

4.Loosen the tripod base lock knob (16, Fig. 1a) and turn the telescope horizontally until it points North. See LOCATING THE CELESTIAL POLE, page 40 for more information.

5.Tighten the tripod base lock knob (16, Fig. 1a). Press ENTER.

Moving Through Autostar’s Menus

The Autostar database is organized in levels for quick and easy navigation.

■Press ENTER to go deeper into Autostar's menu levels.

■Press MODE to move back toward the top menu level.

■Press the Scroll keys to move up and down through the options available for each level.

■Press the Arrow keys to enter characters and digits.

The Arrow keys are also used to move the telescope.

Initializing Autostar

This section describes how to initialize Autostar. Perform this procedure the first time you use Autostar or after performing a RESET (see RESET, page 29).

1.Secure Locks - Make sure that the Altitude Lock (B, Fig. 1a) and tripod base lock knob (16, Fig. 1a) are secured.

2.Connect Autostar - Verify that Autostar is properly connected to your telescope. See HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR TELESCOPE, page 11.

3.Turn on Power - Flip the telescope power switch to the ON position.

The Autostar screen activates and a copyright message displays briefly, followed by a short beep. Then Autostar takes a few moments to start up the system.

4.Sun Warning - A message displays that warns you not to look at the Sun. At the end of this message, press the key prompted by Autostar to signify that the message has been read and understood.

5.Getting Started - The Getting Started menu displays a scrolling message. Press ENTER (2, Fig. 2) to bypass the Help tutorial and continue with initialization.

6.Enter Date - Autostar then requests the current date. Use the Number keys (6, Fig. 2) to enter the digits for the date. Use the Right Arrow key (5, Fig. 2) to move from one number to the next in the day display, and also to move to the month. Then, use the Scroll keys (7, Fig. 2) to cycle through the list of months.

When the current month is displayed, use the Right Arrow (5, Fig. 2) to move to the year. Use the Number keys to enter all four digits of the current year. Press ENTER when the date has been entered.

7.Enter Time - Autostar then requests the current time. Use the Number keys to enter the digits for the time. (Use a "0" for the first digit if less than 10.) Use the Right (or Left) Arrow key to move from one number to the next. Press either the Up or Down Arrow keys (5, Fig. 2) to scroll to "AM" or "PM." Press ENTER to start the clock.

Note: If you press ENTER with neither AM or PM displayed, the clock displays the time in a 24-hour (military time) format.

8.Daylight Savings Time - The next screen requests the status of Daylight Savings Time. Pressing a Scroll key toggles between the YES/NO settings. Select the desired setting by pressing ENTER.

NOTE: Daylight Savings Time may be referred to by a different name in various areas of the world.

NOTE: When multiple choices are available within a menu option, the current option is usually displayed first and highlighted by a right pointing Arrow (>).

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