Meade RCX400TM instruction manual Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually, To define a preset

Note:

Viewing conditions vary wide- ly from night-to-night and site- to-site. Turbulence in the air, even on an apparently clear night, can distort images. Low-power eyepieces, such as the UltraWide 24mm sup- plied with your telescope, are better suited to resolving images in poor viewing condi- tions.

Sync On Preset menu if you do not park your telescope (this menu will reset all your focus presets after you turn off and turn on your scope again ).

To define a preset:

1.Point the telescope at a distant object, press FOCUS and use the Up and Down Arrow keys to focus the telescope until the object is sharply focused as previously explained.

2.Press the Focus key again (FOCUS toggles between the Focus menu and the Preset menu). “Focuser Preset: Go To” displays. Use a Scroll key and scroll down the list of options until “Focuser Preset: Define Preset” displays. Press ENTER.

3.A list of presets displays. If no preset is currently assigned, “1- Unnamed” displays (followed by 2- Unnamed, up to 9 - Unnamed).

4.Use the up and down Scroll keys to scroll through the alphabet and the right and left Arrow keys to move to cursor right or left across the display.

5.When you have finished typing in a name and focusing the telescope, press ENTER. That number preset is now defined. You can enter 9 names. For exam- ple, you may enter “Joe,” “Jill,” “Deep Sky Imager” and so forth.

6.To select one of these presets, you will use the “Focuser Preset: Go To” menu.

To select a previously defined focus preset

1.Press the Focus key twice. “Focuser Preset: Go To Preset” displays. Press ENTER to select this menu.

2.Use a Scroll key and scroll down the list of previously defined presets. When the desired preset displays (for example, “Deep Sky Imager”), press ENTER.

Important Note: If you do not park your telescope, you will need to select one of the presets and refocus your telescope using the Sync On menu. See TO SYNC ON A FOCUS PRESET below.

To sync on a focus preset

If you park your telescope, AutoStar II remembers all the focus positions you defined as presets and you will not need this menu.

If you do not park your telescope, you will need to select just one of the presets and refocus your telescope using the Sync On menu. Then AutoStar II will then reset all the other presets back to the focus preset positions you previously defined.

1.Press the Focus key twice. “Focuser Preset: Go To Preset” displays. Use a Scroll

key and scroll until “Focuser Preset: Sync On Preset” displays and press ENTER to select this menu.

2.Use a scroll key to choose one of the previously entered presets from this list (the most likely preset you will choose will be one that accounts for your own eyesight).

3.Use the Up or Down Arrow keys to focus the eyepiece.

4.Press ENTER. AutoStar II now “remembers” the relative focus positions of the eyepiece.You can now choose any preset and it will be correctly focused.

To exit the focus operation at any time:

1.Press MODE.

Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually

If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, you can observe by merely pointing the telescope and looking through the eyepiece.

1.Loosen the telescope’s R.A. lock (13, Fig. 1a) and Dec. lock (17, Fig. 1a).

2.Move your telescope to observe distant street signs, mountains, trees, and other structures. Use your viewfinder to help site-in on an object.

3.Center the object in the viewfinder’s crosshairs and then in the telescope eye piece. When the object is centered in your eyepiece, remember to re-tighten the R.A. and Dec. locks.

4.To move telescope in the R.A. and Dec. axes again, remember to loosen the R.A. lock and tighten the Dec. lock. Then rotate the manual slow motion control knobs (10, Fig. 1a) and (16, Fig. 1a) .

5.Practice digitally focusing on objects.

See FOCUSING THE TELESCOPE, page 19.

6.Once you get a feel for how your telescope moves and focuses, try to view some-

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