Meade Instruments RCX400 - Manual (Page 42)

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Alternate Alt/Az Alignments
If you would rather set up your telescope without using automatic alignment, Autostar
II offers alternative alignment methods for both alt/az and equatorial mounting. During
the One-Star and Two-Star alt/az alignment procedures, you will (unlike the Automatic
and Easy alignment procedures) manually place the telescope in the home position.
The procedures for equatorial (polar) alignment are discussed in APPENDIX A , page
57; the three alternative alt/az alignment methods are discussed below.
Initialize Autostar II
First, you need to initialize Autostar II.
1. Tighten the R.A. and Dec. locks ( 13 and 17, Fig. 1a) to a firm feel.
2. Verify that Autostar II is properly connected to your telescope. See TO CONNECT
AUTOSTAR II , page 17.
3. Flip the telescope power switch to the ON position.
The Autostar II screen is activated and a copyright message displays briefly, followed
by a short beep. Autostar II takes a few moments to start up the system.
4. A message then displays that warns not to look at the Sun. At the end of this mes-
sage, press the key prompted by Autostar II to signify that the message has been
read and understood.
6. Autostar II displays "Align: Automatic."
You are now ready to align your telescope using one of the three alt/az alignment pro-
cedures.
Easy (Two-Star) Alignment
In this method, Autostar II automatically picks two stars from its libraries for alignment.
During the procedure, Autostar II slews the telescope to a first alignment star. The user
is asked to verify that the telescope is pointed at the chosen star and then prompted
to center the star in the eyepiece. The process is repeated with a second star to com-
plete the alignment.
Note: Before performing this procedure, first verify that INITIALIZE
AUTOSTAR II , above, has been performed.
How to perform the Easy Align Procedure
1.
Alignment Option Screen. Following initialization, "Align: Automatic" displays.
2. Select Alignment. Press the Scroll keys until "Align: Easy" displays. Press
ENTER.
3. Home Position. The telescope automatically sets the following positions: home,
level, North, and True North. You may turn off the sensors and manually set these
positions. See
HOME SENSORS , page 34 for more information.
4 . Star Alignment. Autostar II chooses two stars to align upon. The telescope slews
to the first star for alignment. Should the alignment star not appear in the field of
view in the eyepiece, it should be easily recognized: It will be the brightest star in
the area of the sky where the telescope is pointing. Use the Arrow keys to move
the telescope until the star is visible and centered in the eyepiece. Press ENTER.
Repeat the procedure for the second alignment star.
Note: See WHICH ONE'S THE ALIGNMENT STAR , page 23, for some impor-
tant tips concerning alignments stars and using your viewfinder.
When the procedure is performed correctly, "Alignment Successful" displays. If
Autostar II does not display this message, perform this procedure again. (Keep
pressing MODE until "Align: Easy" displays and repeat the procedure.)
Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment
Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. Autostar II provides a
library of bright stars and two stars from this library are chosen by the observer for
alignment. In this procedure, Autostar II does not automatically find home, level, or
North.
1. Alignment Option Screen. "Align: Automatic" displays.
2. Select Alignment. Press the Scroll keys until "Align: Two Star" displays. Press
ENTER.
Important Note:
If you disable the automatic
alignment/GPS function and
then use the alternate align-
ments described in this sec-
tion, you will be prompted to
enter the Time, Date, and
Daylight Savings status.