Quick Start; Using The Lx200 Manually; Using The Lx200 In Land - Meade LX200 Instruction Manual

QUICK START

To utilize all the features of the telescope, it is necessary to
enter some information into the telescope's computer memory,
and learn the menu structure of the keypad hand controller,
which is described in the rest of this manual. As advanced as
LX200 electronics are, the telescope is very straightforward to
operate — even if you have no experience whatsoever in using
a personal computer.
If you are reading this manual for the first time and are anxious
to "look through the telescope", this section will describe how to
use the telescope without going through the rest of the manual.
But be sure to come back and read the details, for most of the
telescope's features can not be accessed without a full
knowledge of these details.

1. Using the LX200 Manually

The easiest way to use the telescope is to simply operate it
manually. With the telescope mounted on the field tripod (see
The Field Tripod, page 7), and with the diagonal prism and
eyepiece in place, you are ready to make observations through
the telescope. Even without the viewfinder (if not yet installed),
terrestrial objects will be fairly easy to locate and center in the
telescope's field of view with a low power eyepiece, simply by
"gun sighting" along the side of the main telescope tube.
By unlocking the R.A. lock (7, Fig. 1), the telescope may be
turned rapidly through wide angles in Right Ascension (R.A.).
The reason for the terminology Right Ascension and its
complementary term, Declination will be made clear later in this
manual. For now, Right Ascension simply means "horizontal"
and Declination means "vertical". Fine adjustments in R.A. are
made by turning the R.A. slow-motion control knob (8, Fig. 1),
while the R.A. lock is in the "unlocked" position.
CAUTION: Do not attempt to move the telescope
manually in a horizontal direction when the R.A. lock
is in the "locked" position.
The R.A. slow-motion control knob may be turned, if desired,
with the R.A. lock in a "partially locked" position. In this way, a
comfortable "drag" in R.A. is created. But do not attempt to
operate the R.A. slow-motion control knob with the telescope
fully locked in R.A., as such operation may result in damage to
the internal gear system.
Releasing the Declination lock knob (2, Fig. 4), permits
sweeping the telescope rapidly through wide angles in
Declination.
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Fig. 4: LX200 Declination (Vertical) System. (1) Manual
Slow-Motion Control Knob; (2) Declination Lock Knob;
(3) Declination Worm Gear Cover.
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To use the Declination fine-adjust, or manual slow-motion knob,
lock the telescope in Declination using the Declination lock
knob (2, Fig. 4), and turn the Declination slow-motion knob
(1, Fig. 4).
With the above mechanical operations in mind, select an easy
to find terrestrial object as your first telescope subject — for
example, a house or building perhaps one-half mile distant.
Unlock the Declination lock knob (2, Fig. 4), and R.A. lock
(7, Fig. 1), center the object in the telescopic field of view and
then re-lock the Dec. and R.A. locks. Precise image centering
is accomplished by using the Dec. and R.A. slow-motion
controls.
The focus knob (5, Fig. 1) is located at the "4 o'clock" position
as you face the rear cell of the telescope. Focusing is
accomplished internally by a precise motion of the telescope
primary mirror so that, as you turn the focus knob, there are no
externally moving parts. You will find that if you turn the focus
knob counter-clockwise you are focusing towards the infinity
setting, and turning clockwise is for close distance. There are
about 45 complete turns to go from one end of focus to the
other, and it is possible to focus past infinity. Be patient during
focusing as images quickly go in and out of focus with only a
slight amount of turning of the focus knob.

2. Using the LX200 In LAND

The 7", 8", 10", and 12" LX200 telescopes are shipped with the
microprocessor set to LAND, the align menu option you will
wish to use to view terrestrial objects. In this menu option 4
different motion speeds are active, allowing the telescope to be
moved electronically by means of the keypad. To use the
telescope in Land, follow these steps.
a. Loosen the Dec. lock knob (2, Fig. 4) and position the
optical tube approximately level, so that the Dec. setting
circle (3, Fig. 1) reads 0°. Retighten the Dec. lock knob.
b. Loosen the R.A. lock (7, Fig. 1) and rotate the telescope
so that the R.A. pointer (9, Fig. 1) and the HA pointer
(16, Fig. 1) are approximately in line with each other. This
will position the fork arms so that they are parallel to the
power panel (11, Fig. 1). Tighten the R.A. lock
The above two steps are not necessary for the telescope to
work, so don't worry about having to get it exactly right. The
telescope has some "illegal" positions, places where the
telescope will not go and these two steps insure proper
operation.
c. After setting up the telescope, plug in both coil cords with
the keypad, one of the supplied power sources, either the
AC Wall Adapter Power Converter (for AC current wall
outlets), or the optional DC Cigarette Lighter Power Cord
(used in an automobiles cigarette lighter outlet, with the
ignition turned on only to allow the electric power on from
the car battery).
d. Turn on the power switch on the power panel of the
LX200. The keypad display (1, Fig. 5) will show "MEADE"
for several seconds as the microprocessor does a self-
diagnostic test. When the self-diagnostic test is complete,
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the display will show "TELESCOPE" on the top line,
"OBJECT LIBRARY" on the lower line, and the red LED
light next to the "SLEW" button will light up.
e. At this point, the LX200 is ready to use. Select the speed
at which you want to move the telescope by pressing the
appropriate Speed Selection Key (4, Fig 5). Note that you
will be able to "see" the telescope move only in the SLEW
3
and FIND modes; CNTR (center) and GUIDE motions can
only be seen while looking through the telescope. The red
LED next to that key (3, Fig. 5) will light, indicating the
speed selected. Then press one of the four direction keys
(2, Fig. 5) to move the telescope in that direction at the
selected speed.