Related Manuals for Meade Autostar 494
Summary of Contents for Meade Autostar 494
- Page 1 Instruction Manual ® Autostar #494 Computer Controller Meade Instruments Corporation...
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Page 2: Quick Start Guide
QUICK START GUIDE WARNING: Never use Autostar to move a tel- escope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible dam- age to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. -
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Electronic Telescope) series. Please refer to your telescope’s instruction manual for information specific to your telescope model. ® The name “Meade,” the Meade logo, and “Autostar” are trademarks reg- istered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout the world. - Page 4 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Screen (2-lines, 16 characters each line) ENTER Key MODE Key GO TO Key Arrow Keys (Up, Down, Left, and Right) Scroll Up Key Scroll Down Key Speed/? (Speed/Help) Key Coil Cord Fig. 3: Autostar #494 Features.
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Page 5: Autostar Features
AUTOSTAR FEATURES Control of nearly every telescope function is accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar's keys. Autostar has soft- touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with a red LED (Light Emitting Diode) for easy viewing in the dark. - Page 6 Arrow keys are used to move the blinking cursor left and right across the LCD display. Alt/Az alignment: Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move the telescope vertically up and down. The Left Arrow key rotates the telescope horizontally counter- clockwise, while the Right Arrow key rotates it clock- wise.
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Page 7: Getting Started
GETTING STARTED Control of your DS telescope is through the operation of the standard-equipment #494 Autostar. Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar’s buttons. Some of the major features of Autostar are:... -
Page 8: Using Autostar's Go To Capability
4. Use the Scroll keys (6 and 7, Fig. 3) to cycle through the list of countries, states, and provinces (listed alphabeti- cally). Press ENTER when the desired location dis- plays. 5. Autostar then prompts you to enter the nearest city to the observing site. - Page 9 Autostar or after performing a Reset. Fig. 4 depicts an example of an Autostar Initialization procedure. (00) Meade (1.0) A U T O S T A R Country/State Initializing. . . Enter Time: 08:00:00PM (default) 1 (1X) WARNING LOOKING AT .
- Page 10 7. Autostar then prompts you to enter the current date. a. To enter numbers, press either the Up or Down Arrow key (5, Fig. 3) to scroll through numbers 0 through 9. After the desired number is displayed, use the Right Arrow key (5, Fig. 3) to move the cur- sor from one number to the next in the day display (or use to Left Arrow key to move in the other direc- tion across the display, if necessary).
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Page 11: Autostar Navigation
c. Autostar then prompts you to choose your tele- scope model number. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of telescope models. Press ENTER when your telescope model number displays. NOTE: Autostar only prompts you to enter Country/State, City, and Telescope Model Number the first time it is activated. - Page 12 Example: To navigate to the "Select Item: Setup" menu option when the "Select Item: Object" menu is displayed: 1. Press the Scroll Down key four times or the Scroll Up key once. Autostar's LCD display presents two lines of information. The top line shows the current menu level.
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Page 13: Training The Drive
TRAINING THE DRIVE Perform this procedure the first time power is applied or after performing a Reset. Verify that AUTOSTAR Telescope INITIALIZATION is Telescope Model complete. Press MODE until Select Item is displayed. Select Item Telescope Object Train Drive Press the Scroll Up key once. -
Page 14: Alignment
ALIGNMENT As the Earth rotates beneath the night sky, the stars appear to move from East to West. The speed at which the stars move is called the sidereal rate. If the telescope is aligned, the motor drive is designed to move the telescope at the sidereal rate so that it automati- cally tracks the stars. - Page 15 6. Select Alignment: “Align: Easy” displays. Press ENTER. 7. Set Home Position: Autostar then prompts you to set the telescope in the "Alt/Az" Alignment home position (Altitude-Azimuth or vertical-horizontal). To set your telescope in the "Alt/Az" home position: Level the optical tube and the tripod base so that they are parallel (horizontal) to the ground.
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Page 16: Which One's The Alignment Star
WHICH ONE’S THE ALIGNMENT STAR? If Autostar has chosen an alignment star that you are unfa- miliar with, 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. -
Page 17: Using The Guided Tour
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once aligned, only use the GO TO or Arrow keys to move the telescope. Do not loosen the horizontal and vertical locks of the telescope, or move the tripod manually, or align- ment will be lost. This exercise demonstrates how to select an object for viewing from Autostar’s database. -
Page 18: Slew Speeds
5. Press MODE to return to the Tour list. Press the Scroll keys to scroll through the list. Press ENTER when you find the next object you wish to observe. 6. Press MODE and hold for two seconds to leave the Guided Tour menu. -
Page 19: Autostar Menus
AUTOSTAR MENUS Select Item: Select Item: Object Event Solar System Sunrise Mercury Sunset Moonrise Etc. Moon Moonset Asteroids Moon Phases Next Full Moon Comets Constellations Next New Moon Andromeda Next 1st Qtr Etc. Next 3rd Qtr Deep Sky Meteor Showers Named Object Quadrantids Galaxies... -
Page 20: Object Menu
OBJECT MENU Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category. (NOTE: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) See “GO TO SATURN,” page 16, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see “USING THE GUIDED TOUR,” page 17. Many Autostar menu categories contain databases. - Page 21 Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade web site (www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information and instructions on how to download this data to Autostar.
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Page 22: Event Menu
has been properly aligned, use the Autostar Arrow keys to move about in the sky. Then follow this procedure: IMPORTANT NOTE: Only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope during the Identify proce- dure. Do not loosen the telescope locks or move the base or alignment is lost. -
Page 23: Glossary Menu
the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars thus dips from +2.1 to a minimum of +3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. Autostar calculates minimum magnitude time at mid-eclipse. Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the current year. -
Page 24: Setup Menu
Magnification: Scroll through a list of available eye- pieces. When an eyepiece is selected, the magnifica- tion is calculated. Suggest: Autostar calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing, based on the telescope and the object being viewed. Display Options enables or disables Autostar’s two initial displays. - Page 25 Time changes the time entered into Autostar. Setting the correct time is critical for Autostar to properly calculate loca- tions and events. Time may be set to 24-hour mode (military time) by selecting the "blank" option which follows the "AM" and "PM"...
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Page 26: To Track An Object Automatically
Targets switches between Astronomical targets and Terrestrial targets. If "Astronomical" is selected, the tele- scope tracking motor is activated and any object you observe will remain centered in the eyepiece. If "Terrestrial "is selected, the tracking motor is turned off. To track an object automatically: Set the telescope in the Alt/Az home position (see "EASY TWO-STAR ALIGNMENT PROCEDURE,"... -
Page 27: General Maintenance
Statistics provides basic statistical data about Autostar, including: Characters Free: Shows how much room is available in user-defined object memory. Version: Shows the current version of the Autostar software. Reset completely resets Autostar. Autostar requires initial- ization again after a Reset before proceeding with observa- tions. -
Page 28: Meade Customer Service
Time, Monday through Friday. In the unlikely event that the Autostar requires factory servicing or repairs, write or call the Meade Customer Service Department first, before returning Autostar to the factory, giving full particulars as to the nature of the problem, as well as your name, address, and daytime telephone number. -
Page 29: Appendix A: Entering R.a. And Dec Coordinates
APPENDIX A: ENTERING R.A. AND DEC COORDINATES Although Autostar's database contains more than 1400 objects (stars, nebulae, planets, etc.) that you can observe, you may eventually want to view objects that are not part of the database. Autostar provides a feature that allows you to enter an object's R.A and Dec coordinates in the "User: Objects"... - Page 30 9. Autostar then prompts you to enter the Magnitude of the object. This step is also optional. Use the Arrow keys to enter this information, if so desired, and press ENTER to go to the next display. "User Object: Add" displays again.
- Page 31 ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase.