Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for Meade DS-114AT
Summary of Contents for Meade DS-114AT
- Page 1 Instruction Manual DS-114AT Reflecting Telescope Meade Instruments Corporation...
- Page 2 Light is collected by a concave mirror and brought to a focus at F. Concave Mirror Reflecting Telescope Secondary Mirror Eyepiece...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. If you are anxious to use your DS-114AT Telescope for the first time, before a thorough reading of this instruction manu- al, see the on page 4. -
Page 4: Quick-Start Guide
QUICK-START GUIDE This Quick Start procedure explains how to set up your DS-114AT for manual viewing. If you wish to make observations using the Autostar handbox, please turn to necessary to assemble all the components that are supplied with this telescope. - Page 5 Then press the clip back against the leg to lock in place. Sight along the tube. Sight along the side of the telescope's main tube to locate an object and then observe through the eye- piece.
- Page 6 Fig. 1c: Cradle Rings Lock Knobs (on opposite side). Fig. 1: DS-114AT Series Telescope. Fig. 1b (Inset): Computer Control Panel. (A) LED (B) 12V Port (C) Handbox Port (D) AZ Port (E) ALT Port (F) AUX Port...
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Page 7: Telescope Features
TELESCOPE FEATURES The DS-114AT telescope has a variety of useful features. Be sure to become acquainted with all of these controls before you begin making observations through the telescope. Focus Knobs: Move the telescope’s focus drawtube in a finely-controlled motion to achieve precise image focus. -
Page 8: Autostar Features
The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful when the telescope is commanded to go to an object, but that object is not visible in the eyepiece after the telescope finishes its search. (This sometimes occurs during the alignment pro- cedure.) Press GO TO when the slew is finished and the telescope starts slewing in a spi-... - Page 9 Arrow Keys: Move the telescope in a specific direction (up, down, left, and right), at any Want to learn one of nine different slew speeds. more about slew speeds? The Arrow Keys can also be used to scroll through the letters of the alphabet and numeri- See page 14.
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Page 10: Getting Started
GETTING STARTED Packing List Assembling the telescope for the first time requires only a few minutes. When first opening the packing box, note carefully the parts listed on your giftbox. How to Assemble Your Telescope The telescope attaches directly to the tripod. The telescope in this way is "mounted" in an “Altazimuth”... -
Page 11: Some Notes About The Dual-Motor System
Do not mix battery types. If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. Always remove the batteries if they are not to be used for a long period of time. -
Page 12: Aligning The Viewfinder
Some Meade telescopes include a power multiplier called a Barlow lens. The Barlow supplied DEFINITION: with the DS-114AT triples the power obtained by an eyepiece alone. In the example above, a A capital "X" is used to 25mm eyepiece results in 37X magnification. When used with the supplied Barlow, the tele- denote an eyepiece's scope optics result in a 111X magnification. -
Page 13: Observing
Practice focusing objects with the focus knob (1, Fig. 1). instant and irre- versible eye damage, Once you get a feel for how your telescope moves and focuses, try to view something as well as physical more challenging, like a bird or a distant moving train. -
Page 14: Slew Speeds
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. You can set up your telescope to move at the sidereal rate so that it automatically "tracks" the stars and other objects in the night sky. -
Page 15: Alt/Az Home Position
Level the optical tube and tripod base. Tighten the Alt lock (Fig. 19) to a firm feel only. Loosen the Az lock (Fig. 20) and turn the telescope horizontally until it points North. See LOCATING THE CELESTIAL POLE Fig. 19: The Alt lock (motor attached). -
Page 16: Training The Drive
Easy." Training the Drive After you initialize Autostar for the first time you need to train the drives of the telescope. Training the drive allows the telescope to point accurately at astronomical objects. Perform this procedure every 3 to 6 months to maintain the highest level of pointing accuracy. -
Page 17: Observe A Star Using Automatic Tracking
Autostar slews the telescope to a first alignment star. The user is asked to ver- ify 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 complete the alignment. -
Page 18: Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment
NOTE: The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful when the telescope slews to an object, but that object is not visible in the eyepiece after the telescope finishes its search. (This sometimes occurs during an alignment procedure.) Press GO TO when the slew is finished and the telescope... -
Page 19: Go To Saturn
Earth is rotating beneath the stars. IMPORTANT NOTE telescope. Do not loosen the Alt and Az locks (22 and 19, Fig. 1), or move the base manually, or alignment will be lost. This exercise shows how to select a celestial object (Saturn) for viewing from Autostar’s database. -
Page 20: Basic Autostar Operation
AUTOSTAR SETUP MENU Select Item: Quick, easy alignment Object permits all telescope Select Item: Setup MEADE MEADE The Universe of Autostar Select Item: Utilities GLOSSARY Select Item: Glossary , page 15, before proceeding with this exercise. -
Page 21: Entering Numbers And Text Into Autostar
To Calculate Sunset time: Press the MODE key several times, until “Select Item: Object” is displayed. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the “Event” option in the “Select Item” menu. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise"... -
Page 22: Menus And Menu Options
GO TO once to change the second line to the name of the brightest star in the constel- lation. Press GO TO a second time to slew the telescope to that star. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the list of stars in the constellation, from brightest to dimmest. -
Page 23: Event Menu
Identify is an exciting feature for an observer who wants to scan the night sky and start explor- ing. After the telescope 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 procedure. -
Page 24: Glossary Menu
OFF. When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the alarm. When the alarm time arrives, Autostar beeps. Press ENTER to deactivate the alarm. Eyepiece Calc calculates information about an eyepiece for the specific telescope to which Autostar is connected. -
Page 25: Setup Menu
See Sleep Scope is a power saving option that shuts down Autostar and the telescope without for- getting its alignment. With "Sleep Scope" selected, press ENTER to activate the Sleep func- tion. - Page 26 Az Percent: The Az (Azimuth) Percent allows you to change the azimuth backlash, i.e., the way the Arrow keys move the telescope along the azimuth (horizontal) axis. If you enter a value near 100, the telescope tube responds more quickly (it responds immediately at 100%) as you hold down an Arrow key and also slews (moves) the tube more quickly.
- Page 27 Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone. Time Time Zone Shift Zone refers to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone shift. Users West of Greenwich, Atlantic -4 Hours England use “-” hours, East of Greenwich use “+” hours. For the United States, look up the Eastern -5 Hours Central...
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Page 28: Caring For Your Telescope
CARING FOR YOUR TELESCOPE Your DS-114AT telescope is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding observations. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your tele- scope will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: Avoid cleaning the telescope’s optics: a little dust on the front surface of the telescope’s... - Page 29 Fig. 26. Fig. 27. Fig. 29. Fig. 31. Fig. 28. Fig. 30. Fig. 32.
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Page 30: Specifications
(2, Fig. 28) to re-lock the tilt-angle of the primary mirror. The telescope’s optical system is now aligned, or collimated. This collimation should be re- checked from time to time, with small adjustments (per steps 1, 2, and/or 3, above) effected as required to keep the optics well-aligned. -
Page 31: Optional Accessories
Milky Way or for the study of broad diffuse nebulae, the wide-field MH 50mm eyepiece is a highly desirable accessory for all DS-114AT Telescopes (except for the DS-2060mm models, which cannot accept large-barrel eyepieces). -
Page 32: Appendix A: Locating The Celestial Pole
Sun set. To precisely point at the pole, find the North Star (Polaris) by using the Big Dipper as a guide (Fig. 33). IMPORTANT NOTE: For almost all astronomical observing requirements, approximate settings are acceptable. Do not allow undue attention to precise alignment of the telescope to interfere with your basic enjoyment of the instrument. Little Dipper... -
Page 33: Appendix B: To Find Objects Not In The Database
Check out your local library, computer store, bookstore, way to enter coordi- CD Roms, Internet, or magazines (such as Sky & Telescope or Astronomy), to find coordinates nates is to press and of celestial objects. The objects/coordinates you enter become part of your own permanent hold MODE for two database, called "User Objects."... -
Page 34: Appendix C: Observing Satellites
Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade website (www.meade.com) approximately once a month to get updated information and instructions on how to download this data to Autostar. If orbital parameters are more than one month old, the satellite pass may not happen at the time predicted by Autostar. -
Page 35: Basic Astronomy
BASIC ASTRONOMY In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your DS-114AT model, turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized about what he saw, has forever changed the way mankind thinks about the universe. - Page 36 Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar. See “GLOSSARY MENU," page 24, for more information. Objects in Space Listed below are some of the many astronomical objects that can be seen with the DS-114AT Series Telescope: The Moon The Moon is, on average, a distance of 239,000 miles (380,000km) from Earth and is best observed during its crescent or half phase when Sunlight strikes the Moon’s surface at an...
- Page 38 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.