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Goto R.A/ Dec
-
Allows you to input a specific R.A. and declination and slew to it.
Goto Alt-Az
- Allows you to enter a specific altitude and azimuth position and slew to it.
To store a set of coordinates (R.A./Dec) permanently into the NexStar database, save it as a
User Defined Object
as
described above.
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Scrolling through the MENU options will also provide access to several advanced utility functions within the NexStar such
as; motor demo, RS-232 interface, key pad light control, cord wrap and anti-backlash.
Demo
- This feature will test both the altitude and azimuth motors by slewing to randomly chosen coordinates in the sky.
RS-232
– The NexStar has an RS-232 port allowing it to communicate with many astronomy computer programs (such as
The Sky
by Software Bisque). Before attempting to create a link with a computer or laptop, go to the RS-232 option and
press ENTER. Follow the connection procedures outlined by your software instructions.
Light Control
– This feature allows you to turn off both the red key pad light and LCD display for daytime use to
conserve power and to help preserve your night vision.
Cord Wrap
–
Cord wrap safeguards
against the telescope slewing more than 360º in azimuth and wrapping the power
cord around the base of the telescope. By default
,
the cord wrap feature is active when the telescope is powered on. Cord
wrap should be turned off when powering the NexStar with batteries.
Anti-backlash –
All mechanical gears have a certain amount of backlash or play between the gears. This play is
evident by how long it takes for a star to move in the eyepiece when the hand control arrow buttons are pressed (especially
when changing directions). The NexStar's anti-backlash features allows the user to compensate for backlash by inputting a
value which quickly rewinds the motors just enough to eliminate the play between gears. The amount of compensation
needed depends on the slewing rate selected; the slower the slewing rate the longer it will take for the star to appear to move
in the eyepiece. Therefore, the anti-backlash compensation will have to be set higher. You will need to experiment with
different values; a value between 20 and 50 is usually best for most visual ob
serving,
whereas a higher value may be
necessary for photographic guiding.
To set the anti-backlash value, scroll down to the anti-backlash option and press ENTER
. Enter
a value from 0-
100 for both azimuth and altitude and press ENTER after each one to save these values. NexStar will remember these
values and use them each time it is turned on until they are changed.
For the best possible pointing accuracy, always center the alignment stars using the up arrow button and the right arrow
button. Approaching the star from this direction when looking through the eyepiece will eliminate much of the backlash
between the gears and assure the most accurate alignment possible.
Observing
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