Advanced Autostar Ii Features; Adding Observing Sites - Meade LX200 R Instruction Manual

Tip:
Using AutoStar II to find
objects not in the libraries:
If you do not wish to navigate
through the menus, a more
direct way to enter coordi-
nates is to press and hold
MODE for two seconds or
more. R.A. and Dec. coordi-
nates display. Press GO TO.
"Object Position" and a set of
coordinates displays. Enter
the R.A. and Dec. coordinates
of any celestial object using
Number keys, overwriting the
coordinates currently dis-
played. As soon as the coor-
dinates are entered, AutoStar
II slews the telescope to the
coordinates. Note that the tel-
escope must be aligned (see
page 18).
However, if you wish to store
the coordinates of an object
in memory, use the method
described at the right.
- 32 -

ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURES

Before trying out the examples in this section, familiarize yourself with the basic oper-
ations of AutoStar II described earlier in this manual. The following examples assume
that you have a basic knowledge of AutoStar II and understand how to scroll to a
desired menu or menu option, and how to enter numbers and text. It also assumes
that you have initialized and aligned your telescope.

Adding Observing Sites

If you plan to observe using AutoStar II at different geographic locations, you can store
observation sites in AutoStar II's memory to help simplify your telescope setup.
Perform these procedures using the Site options (Add, Select, Delete, Edit) of the
Setup menu.
To Add a Site to the user-defined site list:
In this example, you will choose a city and add it to the database list. You will then
select the site to enable it.
1. Navigate to the "Setup: Site" menu. Press ENTER,
2. Scroll through the options until "Site: Add" displays. Press ENTER.
3. Scroll through the list of countries/states. Press ENTER when the country/state
you wish to add displays.
4. Scroll through the list of cities. Press ENTER when the city you wish to add dis-
plays. The Site is now added to the database. You may add sites using this
method.
5. To choose a site, navigate to "Setup: Select." Press ENTER. Scroll through the
list of sites. When the desired site displays, press ENTER.
To Edit a Site:
In this procedure, you will enter a location that is not available in the AutoStar II
database by editing data of a nearby site. You will edit the location's name, latitude,
longitude, and the time zone shift. You will then select the site to enable it.
You will need to know the latitude and longitude of your location to perform this
procedure.
1. Using the Add option, choose a site on the list that is closest to your observing
site and press ENTER so that the site is added to your observing sites list.
Choosing a site already on the list (as opposed to using the "Custom" feature)
makes it easier to edit, as the "Time Zone" value may not need to be changed.
2. Scroll to "Site: Edit" and press ENTER. "Edit: Name" displays. Press ENTER.
3. The name of the site you have just entered to your list displays; if it does not,
scroll to the site.
4. Using the Arrow keys, change the name of the site so that it now reads the name
of your observing location. Press ENTER. "Edit: Name" displays again.
5. Press the Scroll Down key and "Edit: Latitude" displays. Press ENTER.
6. Using the Number Keys, enter the latitude of your observing site and then press
ENTER. "Edit: Latitude" displays again.
7. Press the Scroll Down key and "Edit: Longitude" displays. Press ENTER.
8. Using the Number Keys, enter the longitude of your observing site and then press
ENTER. "Edit: Longitude" displays again.
9. Press the Scroll Down key and "Edit: Time Zone" displays. Press ENTER. (If the
site you chose from the list in step 1 has the same Time Zone as the site you are
editing, just press ENTER again to go on to the next step.) "Time Zone" refers to
the Greenwich Time Zone shift. Users West of Greenwich, use "-" hours (one
hour per time zone) and users East of Greenwich use "+" hours. For the United
States, look up the shift in
10. After entering the shift, press ENTER. "Edit Time Zone" displays.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope
at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
page 30.
TABLE 1,