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Meade LX200-ACF User Manual

Meade LX200-ACF
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Instruction Manual
8", 10", 12", 14", 16" LX200
®
-ACF
Advanced Coma-Free Telescopes
with GPS and AutoStar
®
II Hand Controller

Table of Contents

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Meade LX200-ACF Specifications

General IconGeneral
BrandMeade
ModelLX200-ACF
CategoryTelescope
LanguageEnglish

Summary

QUICK-START GUIDE

How to Attach the Tripod to the Telescope

Attaching the supplied tripod to the LX200-ACF telescope for observation.

Battery Compartment Installation

TELESCOPE FEATURES

LX200-ACF: YOUR PERSONAL WINDOW TO THE UNIVERSE

AUTOSTAR II FEATURES

Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button

Overview of the AutoStar II system's capabilities for controlling the telescope.

GETTING STARTED

Parts Listing

List of components included with the LX200-ACF telescope for initial setup.

How to Assemble Your Telescope

Step-by-step instructions for assembling the LX200-ACF telescope.

Choosing an Eyepiece

Mounting and Adjusting the Viewfinder

OBSERVING

Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually

Instructions for manually pointing and focusing the telescope on objects.

Observing Using AutoStar II's Arrow Keys

How to use the AutoStar II handbox arrow keys to slew and center objects.

Focusing the Eyepiece Using the Microfocuser (16" Model)

Slew Speeds

Observe the Moon

Automatic Alignment (Auto Align™) Feature

Observe a Star using the Automatic Tracking Feature

GoTo Saturn

LX200-ACF INFO

BASIC AUTOSTAR II OPERATION

AutoStar II Navigation Exercise

A practical exercise to demonstrate menu navigation and function usage.

Navigating AutoStar II

AUTOSTAR II'S MENUS

Object Menu

Identify

Browse

Event Menu

Glossary Menu

Utilities Menu

Setup Menu

Telescope Settings

Details on configuring telescope mount type, model, and slew limits within the Setup menu.

Site Options

Managing observing site locations for accurate telescope pointing and tracking.

Hot Button Menus

ADVANCED AUTOSTAR II FEATURES

Adding Observing Sites

How to store and manage custom observing locations in the AutoStar II database.

To Edit a Site

Procedure for modifying existing site data for accurate location information.

Creating User Objects

Observing Satellites

Landmarks

To Select a landmark from the database

How to recall and slew to stored terrestrial landmarks.

To perform a Landmark Survey

Automatically touring through stored landmarks.

Browse

Alternate Alt/Az Alignments

Easy (Two-Star) Alignment

Step-by-step guide for performing a two-star alignment procedure.

Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment

One-Star Alt/Az Alignment

Periodic Error Correction (PEC Training)

PHOTOGRAPHY & DIGITAL IMAGING

A few tips on imaging with the LX200-ACF telescopes

Advice for achieving better results when photographing celestial objects.

Photography with a Digital Camera

Photography with Meade's AutoStar Suite™

Software and Installation Disk

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

Zero Image-Shift Microfocuser

Details on the microfocuser for precise focusing.

#1220 Field De-rotator

Accessory for reducing image rotation in altazimuth mounts.

#777 Off-Axis Guider

Description of the Off-Axis Guider for long-exposure astrophotography.

#62 T-Adapter

Information on the T-Adapter for prime-focus photography.

Deep Sky Imager Series

LX200 Interface Cable

Cable for PC connection and software updates.

Piggyback Brackets

Accessory for attaching cameras for wide-field photography.

Dew Shields

Accessory to prevent condensation on optical surfaces.

MAINTENANCE

Collimation

Follow these steps for collimation of the optical system

Detailed procedure for adjusting the telescope's optical alignment.

Inspect the Optics

Gauging the Movement of the Telescope

SPECIFICATIONS

10" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications

Technical details for the 10" LX200-ACF telescope model.

12" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications

Technical details for the 12" LX200-ACF telescope model.

14" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications

Technical details for the 14" LX200-ACF telescope model.

16" f/10 LX200-ACF Specifications

AutoStar II System Specifications

Technical details about the AutoStar II system's hardware.

AutoStar II Handbox Specifications

Technical details about the AutoStar II handbox.

APPENDIX A: EQUATORIAL (POLAR) ALIGNMENT

Equatorial Alignment

How to orient the telescope for polar alignment.

Celestial Coordinates

Explanation of R.A. and Declination systems for locating objects.

Setting Circles

How to use the telescope's setting circles for manual object location.

Equatorial Wedge

Lining Up with the Celestial Pole

Precise Polar Alignment

AutoStar II Polar Alignment

Easy Polar Alignment

Steps for performing an easy polar alignment.

One-Star Polar Alignment

Steps for performing a one-star polar alignment.

Two-Star Polar Alignment

Steps for performing a two-star polar alignment.

APPENDIX B: LATITUDE CHART

APPENDIX C: CREATE YOUR OWN GUIDED TOUR

Creating your own Guided Tour

How to program custom tours of celestial objects.

Tour Modes

Explanation of automatic and interactive tour modes.

Writing a Tour

Downloading Tours

APPENDIX D: TRAINING THE DRIVE

APPENDIX E: THE MOON MENU

To observe the Apollo 15 landing site using the Moon option

Step-by-step guide to viewing a specific lunar landmark.

APPENDIX F: 16" LX200-ACF FEATURES

16" LX200-ACF Unique Features

Highlights of the 16-inch model's distinct capabilities.

Control Panel Features

Description of the control panel ports and buttons on the 16-inch model.

Commercial Shipping

Precautions for safely shipping the 16-inch LX200-ACF telescope.

16" TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY

To Assemble the 16" Super Field Tripod

Steps for setting up the heavy-duty tripod for the 16-inch model.

Attaching the 16" Drive Base

Attaching the Fork

Mounting the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA)

Attaching the Power and Data Cords

APPENDIX G: 14" LX200-ACF FEATURES

14" LX200-ACF Unique Features

Highlights of the 14-inch model's distinct capabilities.

Battery Compartment

Information on the battery compartments for the 14-inch model.

Optical Tube Assembly

Note on attaching the optical tube for the 14-inch model.

Auxiliary Jacks

Description of the auxiliary jacks on the 14-inch model.

Collimation

APPENDIX H: DE-ROTATOR AND MICROFOCUSER ASSEMBLY

To attach the microfocuser to the de-rotator

Steps for connecting the microfocuser to the de-rotator.

APPENDIX I: Smart Mount

Introduction

Overview of the Smart Mount feature and its benefits.

Operation

How to use and access the Smart Mount feature within AutoStar II.

Training

The process of training the Smart Mount system for improved accuracy.

Permanently Mounted Scopes

Other Menus Options

APPENDIX J: Previous Model Standard Tripod Setup

BASIC ASTRONOMY

AutoStar II Glossary

Accessing definitions of astronomical terms.

Objects in Space

Overview of celestial objects observable with the telescope.

The Moon

Guide to observing lunar features and understanding its surface.

Planets

Deep-Sky Objects

MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY

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