Local Time And Date; Setting Up The Telescope - Meade LX200 Instruction Manual

8. Press ENTER to complete the site information input. The
display will go back to Display 3.
9. Press MODE to go back to Display 2.
10. Press MODE again to go back to Display 1.
It is important to note that the longitude standard used in the
LX200 starts at 0 degrees in Greenwich U.K. and increases
Westerly only to 359 degrees 59 minutes. Many maps will show
Easterly longitudes which cannot be entered into the keypad
display. As an example, if your map indicates that you are at an
Easterly longitude of 18 degrees 27 minutes, then you would
enter 341 degrees 33 minutes.
Do not concern yourself with differences in longitude and
latitude as they pertain to different map spheroid projections,
those minor differences are too small to adversely affect the
longitude and latitude data input.
c. Local Time and Date.
NOTE: The Time function on the 16" LX200 telescope is a
standard quartz clock. Like nearly any timepiece, the internal
clock of the telescope should be periodically checked and
updated to keep it as accurate as possible.
The local time should be set as accurately as possible, using
the 24 hour format. The local time and date are used to
determine sidereal time (star time) and the pointing accuracy of
the telescope will depend on the accuracy of the time entered.
Choose a reliable source as a reference for accurate time such
as your local airport, or telephone company. In the U.S.A. you
can double check the accuracy of the exact minutes by dialing
WWV for the universal coordinated time at (303) 499-7111 (be
sure to enter your local time hour information, not the U.T.
hour). For the example, we will use 2:40:00 P.M. on August 5,
1998.
1. The display should look like Display 1. If it does not, press
the MODE key until it does.
2. Press the MODE key twice. The display will look like
Display 8, but with a random LOCAL and SIDE times.
¡LOCAL = 11:24:30
Display 8
3. Press and HOLD the ENTER key until the keypad hand
controller beeps (display like Display 9).
¡LOCAL = 11:24:30
Display 9
4. Using the number keys, enter the current local time to
within 5 seconds. (Remember, 2:40:00 P.M. is 14:40:00 in
the 24 hour format.) Corrections can be made by moving
the flashing cursor using the W and E keys. The display
should look like Display 10. (NOTE: The time should be
checked and reset about once a month.)
¡LOCAL = 14:40:00
Display 10
5. Press the ENTER key when the time is correct. The
display will change to Display 11.
Hours from GMT:
Display 11
+ 0 8
The next step is to enter the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time
zone shift (This procedure is a lot easier than it sounds). Simply
look up your time zone in the table below to find the GMT time
zone shift.
SIDE = 21:38:02
SIDE = 21:38:02
SIDE = 21:38:02
- 11 -
U.S.A. TIME ZONES
TIME
ZONE
HAWAII
PACIFIC
MOUNTAIN
CENTRAL
EASTERN
ATLANTIC
For example: You live in the Pacific Time Zone and you are on
Daylight Time. The GMT time shift is +7 hours.
6. Use the number keys to enter the GMT time zone shift
determined from the table above. Press ENTER when
done; the display will go back to Display 8. If you are using
the LX200 East of Greenwich U.K., then you must enter a
- (minus) GMT time zone shift by moving the blinking
cursor backwards in the display with the W key and then
pressing the NEXT key. The + (plus) sign will change to -
(minus). Use the number keys to enter the Westerly (+)
GMT time zone shift determined from the table above or
your calculated Easterly (-) time zone shift.
7. Press the ENTER key. This will select the DATE display
(Display 12), with a random date showing.
Display 12
8. Press and Hold the ENTER key until the keypad hand
controller beeps. The display will look like Display 13, with
the blinking cursor over the first number.
Display 13
9. Use the number keys to enter the current date. The
display should look like Display 14. Use the W and E keys
to move the blinking cursor left and right to correct any
mistakes.
Display 14
10. Press the ENTER key when the date is correct.
After you press the ENTER key, the keypad hand controller will
display "Updating planetary data." The position of the planets
depends on the date, so anytime the date is changed, the
planet positions are recalculated.
This is all the information the LX200 needs to make use of all
features. The next steps actually align the telescope with the
night sky.
d. Setting Up the Telescope
After the basic information has been entered into the telescope,
the telescope is ready to actually set-up and use. Follow
TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY (page 6) to set-up the telescope
outside, and follow these steps:
1. Using the Bubble Level (14, Fig. 1) located on the
telescope's drive base, level the telescope. This is a very
important step because the telescope's pointing ability
depends on the telescope being level. Make sure the
bubble is precisely centered by adjusting the height of the
three tripod legs.
2. Loosen the Dec. lock knob (18, Fig. 1) and position the
optical tube assembly approximately level (so that the
Dec. Circle (3, Fig. 1) reads 0°. Retighten the Dec. lock
knob.
STANDARD DAYLIGHT
TIME TIME
+10 Hours +9 Hours
+8 Hours +7 Hours
+7 Hours +6 Hours
+6 Hours +5 Hours
+5 Hours + 4 Hours
+4 Hours +3 Hours
DATE = 0 7 / 11 / 9 1
DATE = 0 7 / 11 / 9 1
DATE = 0 8 / 0 5 / 9 8