Important Note:
Once the telescope is aligned, only use the Arrow keys to move the tele- scope. Once the telescope has been aligned, do not loosen the telescope locks (12 and 17, Fig. 1), or move the base manually, or alignment will be lost.
Important Note:
Autostar II only prompts you to enter the Site infor- mation (Steps #5 and #6) the first time you initialize the system. The next time you turn on the system, Autostar II skips Steps #5 and #6 and proceeds to step #7a; you need not enter Site information again unless you use the Reset function
The Site information is stored in the Site menu. If you move the telescope outside of a 5 miles area of your initial observing location, Autostar II auto- matically determines your new location when it gets a GPS Fix, and adds the new location to the Site menu.
If you wish to manually add or select a Site in the Site menu, see ADDING
OBSERVING SITES, page
32.
Important Notes:
It is recommended that you do not attempt a GPS fix indoors.
It is also recommended that you CALIBRATE SEN- SORS the first time your telescope takes a GPS fix. See page 29 for more information.
Important Note:
The Daylight Saving menu enables or disables the Daylight Savings Time setting: Remember to turn this setting off or on the two days a year when Daylight Saving changes. See TIMING IS
EVERYTHING, page 28.
The Autostar II screen is activated and a copyright message displays briefly, fol- lowed by a short beep. Then Autostar II takes a few moments to start up the sys- tem.
4.A message displays that warns not to look at the Sun. At the end of this message, press the key prompted by Autostar II to signify that the message has been read and understood.
5.The first time you turn on the system, Autostar II prompts you to enter the Country or State (listed alphabetically) of the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the database of countries, states, and provinces. Press ENTER when the correct location displays.
6.Autostar then prompts you to enter the nearest city (listed alphabetically) to the observing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the database of cities. Press ENTER when the correct city appears on screen.
7.The system now performs the following routines:
Caution: As the telescope performs the following operations, it will swing and rotate. Keep a safe distance from the telescope.
a.Initializes the Smart Drive. The R.A. and Dec. motors operate briefly.
b.Attempts a "GPS Fix." The LX200's GPS receiver attempts to acquire and sync up with signals from GPS satellites. "Getting GPS Fix" displays. The first time this operation is performed, it may take as long as 8 to 10 minutes; nor- mally, however, it takes only a minute or two. "Align: Automatic Alignment" dis- plays when the GPS signal is acquired. Press ENTER. See THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM in the LX200GPS INFO box on page 21.
c.Finds the home position. Moves the telescope back and forth to find the hard stops (i.e., the "home" position). The hard stops are limiting positions for the rotation of the telescope, in order to prevent the telescope from
d.Detects “level” of the base of the telescope; finds tilt and tip. To detect level, Autostar II must calculate "level" at three compass points. See FINDING TRUE LEVEL in the LX200GPS INFO box on page 21.
Autostar II also Determines the positioning (i.e., the tilt and tip) of the optical tube.
e.Finds North. Locates magnetic North and then calculates and points the tel- escope to true North. See FINDING TRUE NORTH, page 21.
After performing these operations, Autostar II now knows:
■The position of the telescope's hard stops
■The observing site's location
■The date and time
■The location of true North
■Where level is for the telescope
f.Star Alignment. Autostar II then chooses two stars to align upon. When the telescope slews (moves) to the first star for alignment, it may not appear in
LX200GPS TIPS
Which One’s the Alignment Star?
If Autostar has chosen an alignment star with which you are unfamiliar, how can you be sure if the star in your eyepiece is really the alignment star?
The rule of thumb is that an alignment star is usually the brightest star in that area of the sky. If you perform a GO TO to an alignment star and you're not sure if you have located the alignment star or it isn't in the eyepiece, look through your viewfinder. When you view an alignment star in the viewfinder, it stands out dra- matically from the rest of the stars in that portion of the sky. The viewfinder will help you locate a star more quickly than the eyepiece, because it has a much wider field of view than the eyepiece. Using Autostar, set the slew speed to 6 or
higher and use the Arrow keys to center the alignment star in the viewfinder. If your viewfinder has been aligned with the telescope, the alignment star should now be in the eyepiece. Set the slew speed to 4 or less and center the star in the eyepiece. Also see the "Spiral Search" tip, page 20.
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