Alternate Alt/Az Alignment Methods; Initialize Autostar Ii (For Alternate Alignments); Easy (Two-Star) Alignment - Meade LX200-ACF Instruction Manual

Important Note:
If you disable the automatic
alignment/GPS function and
then use the alternate
alignments described in this
section, you will be
prompted to enter the Time,
Date, and Daylight Savings
status.
North
Dec.
Setting
Circle
Fig. 17: Alt/Az Home Position.
Fig. 18: Dec. Setting Circle at 0°.
- 38 -
Alternate Alt/Az Alignments
If you would rather set up your telescope without using automatic alignment, AutoStar
II offers alternative alignment methods for both alt/az and equatorial mounting. During
the One-Star and Two-Star alt/az alignment procedures, you will (unlike the Automatic
and Easy alignment procedures) manually place the telescope in the home position.
The procedures for equatorial (polar) alignment are discussed in
53; the three alternative alt/az alignment methods are discussed below.

Easy (Two-Star) Alignment

In this method, AutoStar II automatically sets the home position, and also
automatically picks two stars from its libraries for alignment. During the procedure,
AutoStar slews the telescope to a first alignment star. The user is asked to verify 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.
How to perform the Easy Align Procedure
1. Select Alignment. Select "Align: Easy" from the Setup menu. Press ENTER.
2. Home Position. The telescope automatically sets the following positions: home,
level, North, and True North. If so desired, you may turn off the sensors and
manually set these positions. See
more information.
3 . Star Alignment. AutoStar II chooses two stars to align upon. The telescope
Level
slews to the first star for alignment. Should the alignment star not appear in the
Base
field of view in the eyepiece, it should be easily recognized: It will be the brightest
star in the area of the sky where the telescope is pointing. Use the Arrow keys to
move the telescope until the star is visible and centered in the eyepiece. Press
ENTER. Repeat the procedure for the second alignment star.
Note: See
important tips concerning alignments stars and using your viewfinder.
When the procedure is performed correctly, "Alignment Successful" displays. If
AutoStar does not display this message, perform this procedure again. (Keep
pressing MODE until "Align: Easy" displays and repeat the procedure.)
LX200-ACF TIPS
The LX200-ACF telescopes provide features that allow you to control the primary
optical mirror and focus functions for more precise viewing capability.
One control feature is the primary mirror lock (Pg. 7, Fig. 1, 9). The primary mirror
lock prevents the primary mirror from moving during long photographic exposures
and locks in the focus. To use this feature, you should precisely focus and center the
object of interest and then turn the lock knob to the lock position and tighten to a firm
feel. Do not try to refocus with the mirror locked. You must unlock the primary mirror
and then focus. This feature is only necessary for long exposures or where critical
focus must be maintained.
Another control feature is the zero-shift microfocuser (Fig. 1, 24). The microfocuser
allows for "jiggle-free" focusing. It also allows you to achieve focus without causing a
viewed object to move out of position in the eyepiece.
Some tips to help you make the most out of your microfocuser (see
EYEPIECE USING THE MICROFOCUSER
1. Set the "travel" (extension) of the drawtube of the microfocuser to
about halfway.
2. Rotate the mirror lock knob towards the "unlock" position, until it feels loose.
3. Use the coarse focus control (Fig. 1, 6) to achieve a rough focus of a bright star.
4. Rotate the mirror lock knob towards the "lock" position and adjust the tension to
a firm feel; this action serves to lock in the coarse focus. But make sure that
you don t adjust or bump the coarse focus knob once you have tightened
tension on the mirror. If you do, reset the coarse focus as
described above.
5. Press the AutoStar II Focus key and then use the Up and Down keys to control
the microfocuser. If desired, you may change the focus speed.
6. You may need to repeat this procedure when you change eyepieces.
C A L I B R ATE SENSORS
WHICH ONE S THE ALIGNMENT STAR
Mirror, Mirror...
, page 18, for more detailed instructions):
, page
APPENDIX A
, page 30 for
, page 20, for some
FOCUSING THE