Want to learn more about
Periodic Error Correction? See page 37.
Tip:
If the "ENTER to Sync" feature is accessed by mistake (holding the ENTER key for more than 2 seconds), press MODE to return to the previous screen.
JTracking Rate: Changes the speed at which the telescope tracks targets in the sky.
a.Sidereal: The default setting for AutoStar; sidereal rate is the standard rate at which stars move from East to West across the sky due to the rotation of the Earth.
b.Lunar: Choose this option to properly track the Moon over long observing sessions.
c.Custom: Allows entry of user-defined tracking rates.
JReverse L/R: Reverses the functions of the Left and Right Arrow keys (i.e., the Right key moves the telescope to the left).
JReverse UP/DOWN: Reverses the functions of the Up and Down Arrow keys (i.e., the Up key moves the telescope down).
JCalibrate Sensors: This menu allows you to improve your telescope's pointing accuracy to alignment stars. It calibrates to correct slight mechanical misalign- ment due to transport, vibration, or aging. It is recommended that calibration be performed after the LNT Module batteries are changed (see page 56 for more information).
When this menu is selected, the telescope slews to Polaris. AutoStar then prompts you to center Polaris and to press ENTER. AutoStar uses the position of Polaris to fine tune the position of North and also for detecting level.
JQuiet Slew: Sets the maximum slew rate to 1.5° for quieter operation.
JMax Elevation: Allows you to enter a value in degrees that sets a limit as to how far the optical tube can swing upward during a programmed slew. (Note that it does not prevent you from performing a manual slew past this limit.) This is useful when you have a camera or other peripheral attached to the telescope— you can prevent it from striking the telescope base.
JMin AOS (Acquisition of Signal): Allows you enter a value in degrees. This value represents the altitude at which your telescope begins to slew when acquiring a satellite track. This is useful when you are observing satellites, but a tall tree or building is obstructing the telescope. For example, you might begin to track the satellite at 15° altitude, instead of 5°. See OBSERVING SATELLITES, page 30, for more information about satellites.
JCalibrate Motor: If the telescope motors appear to have a problem, use this option to retest the motors before performing a Reset. This option is also used if an AutoStar unit is moved between telescopes, to match AutoStar to the new tel- escope. To calibrate the motors, select this option and press ENTER.
JSmart Drive: Allows you to perform periodic error correction (PEC) on the R.A. worm gear and can only be used with polar mounted telescopes. Must be performed with a high powered reticle (eg. 9mm). PEC Training for the the ETX telescopes will take about 24 minutes.
JHigh Precision: If High Precision is turned on, when looking for a faint celestial object (i.e., a nebula or galaxy), AutoStar first slews to a nearby bright star and displays "ENTER to Sync." Center the star in the eyepiece, then press ENTER. At that point the telescope has a high precision alignment to that part of the sky and it then slews to the object that was originally requested.
Targets switches between Astronomical targets and Terrestrial targets. If "Astronomical" is selected, the telescope tracking motor is activated and any object you observe will remain centered in the eyepiece. If "Terrestrial" is selected and the telescope is aligned, the tracking motor is turned off. To learn how to track an object automatically, see page 16.
Site provides access to several options including:
J Select: Displays the currently selected observing site or zip code. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through all the sites. Press ENTER when the site you wish to select displays. Use this option when you move to a different geographic location. The cities you have chosen or zip codes you have “added” will appear at the top of this list (see ADD below).
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