Instruction Manual 8", 10", 12", 14", 16" LX200 R Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes with GPS and AutoStar II Hand Controller ® ® (800) 626-3233 www.meade.com CONTENTS WARNING! Never use a Meade LX200 R Telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope or its viewfinder at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or its viewfinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. ® ® Caution: Use care to install batteries in the orientation indicated by illustration in the battery slots of the battery holder. Follow battery manufacturer's precautions. Do not install batteries backwards or mix new and used batteries. Do not mix battery types. If these precautions are not followed, batteries may explode, catch fire, or leak. Improperly installed batteries void your Meade warranty. If you are anxious to use your telescope for the first time, read the QUICK-START GUIDE on pages 4 and 5. 16" LX200 R Users: See APPENDIX F, page 64, for features unique to the 16" model. ® 14" LX200 R Users: See APPENDIX G, page 68, for features unique to the 14" model. ® ® The name "Meade," the Meade logo, LX200 and Autostar are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in principal countries throughout the world. Patents: US 6,304,376 US 6,392,799 US 6,563,636 D 422,610 Patent Pending. © 2006 Meade Instruments Corporation. Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 Telescope Features ...................................................... 6 AutoStar II Features ...................................................... 9 Getting Started ..............................................................12 Parts Listing ..............................................................12 How to Attach the Tripod to the Telescope ..............12 How to Assemble Your Telescope ............................13 Choosing an Eyepiece ..............................................14 Mounting and Adjusting the Viewfinder ....................15 Observing ......................................................................16 Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually..........16 Terrestrial Observing ................................................16 Observing Using AutoStar II's Arrow Keys ..............16 Focusing the Eyepiece with the Microfocuser ..........17 Slew Speeds ............................................................17 Observe the Moon, Astronomical Observing ..........18 To Track an Object Automatically ..............................18 Moving Through AutoStar II's Menus ..................18 Automatic Alignment............................................18 Observe a Star Using Automatic Tracking ..........20 Go To Saturn ............................................................20 Using the Guided Tour ..............................................20 Basic AutoStar II Operation ............................................22 AutoStar II Navigation Exercise ................................22 Navigating AutoStar II ..............................................23 AutoStar II Menus ........................................................24 Menu Tree ................................................................24 Objects Menu ............................................................25 Event Menu ..............................................................26 Glossary Menu, Utilities Menu ..................................27 Setup Menu ..............................................................28 Hot Button Menus ....................................................31 Advanced AutoStar II Features ......................................32 Adding Observing Sites ............................................32 Creating User Objects ..............................................33 Observing Satellites, Landmarks ..............................34 Identify ......................................................................35 Browse ......................................................................36 Alternate Alt/Az Alignment Methods ........................37 Initialize AutoStar II (for Alternate Alignments) ........37 Easy (Two-Star) Alignment ......................................37 Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment ........................................37 To Set the Home Position Manually ....................38 One-Star Alt/Az Alignment ........................................38 Periodic Error Correction ..........................................39 Photography ..................................................................40 Optional Accessories......................................................43 Maintenance ..................................................................46 Specifications ................................................................49 Appendix A: Equatorial (Polar) Alignment ......................52 Appendix B: Latitude Chart ............................................57 Appendix C: How to Create Your Own Guided Tour ......58 Appendix D: Training the Drive ......................................62 Appendix E: The Moon Menu ........................................63 Appendix F: 16" LX200R Features ................................64 Appendix G: 14" LX200R Features ................................68 Appendix H: De-rotater and Microfocuser Assembly......69 Appendix I: Smart Mount................................................70 Basic Astronomy ............................................................72 ® QUICK-START GUIDE It is recommended that you attach the supplied tripod to the LX200R for observing. Perform the telescope and AutoStar II setup indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. The setup is the same for the standard field tripod and the giant field tripod. Remove the spreader bar (see above figure) from the shipping carton. Slide the spreader bar onto the threaded rod. Slide the rod through the tripod base. Position the spreader bar so that its three arms line up with the three tripod legs. Threaded Rod Tripod Base "C" Clip in slot 1. Remove the field tripod from the shipping carton. Stand the tripod vertically with the tripod feet down and with the tripod still fully collapsed. Grasp two of the tripod legs and, with the full weight of the tripod on the third leg, gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position. 4. Place the "C" clip into the slot in the threaded rod above the tripod head--this clip holds the threaded rod in place. Tension Knob 5. 2. Thread in two lock-knobs on each leg (six total) near the foot of each tripod leg. Use the lockknobs to vary the height of the inner, extendible tripod leg sections. Tighten the locks to a firm feel only; do not overtighten. Take the LX200R from its packaging and place the entire telescope onto the top of the tripod head, inserting the threaded rod into the central hole in the bottom of the drive base of the telescope. Tighten the tension knob (see above figure) to a firm feel only; firm tightening of the tension knob is sufficient to result in rigid positioning of the tripod legs. Slide rod through Tripod base Battery Compartment Line up with leg Spreader Bar 6. 3. Remove the threaded rod from the tripod head. A small piece of plastic holds the threaded rod in place. Remove the small plastic bag that is stapled to the threaded rod. This bag contains the "C" clip retainer and an extra clip. Remove the covers of the battery compartments located on the fork arms (one on each fork arm) and carefully lift the battery holders from their compartments, being mindful of the connector wires. Insert four (user-supplied) C-cell batteries into each battery holder, oriented as shown on the diagram on the battery holder. Return the battery holders to their respective compartments. Replace the covers when you are done. -4- ON/OFF HBX Port R.A. Lock Dec. Lock 7. Press the computer control panel power switch to OFF, if necessary. Remove the AutoStar II handbox and the AutoStar II coil cord from the packing materials. Plug one end into the HBX port of the telescope's computer control panel and plug the other end into the coil cord port on the AutoStar II handbox. 9. Tighten, to a firm feel only, the R.A. and Dec. locks. Remove the dust cover from the end of the telescope tube. Place the 26mm eyepiece (F) into the diagonal prism (G) and tighten the attachment thumbscrew (E) to a firm feel only. Sight along the side of the telescope's main tube to locate an object. Rotate the mirror lock knob (9, Fig. 1) towards the "Unlock" position, until it feels loose--the telescope is shipped with the mirror locked. Use the telescope's coarse focus knob (6, Fig. 1) to bring the object into focus. Practice using the AutoStar II Arrow keys to center an object in the telescope's field of view. OR µ 8. Attach microfocuser: Remove the dust cap from the rear cell port (A) of the telescope (Note: Telescope not shown for clarity). Thread the microfocuser adapter (B) into the rear cell port thread. Slide the microfocuser (C) over the microfocuser adapter and tighten the three hex screws on the microfocuser (K) using the provided hex keys. Important Note: The Microfocuser is shipped with the microfocuser adapter (B) threaded to the SC accessory adapter (L). Unthread the adapters from each other before attaching the microfocuser. Set aside the SC accessory adapter. For more information about the SC accessory adapter, see SC OPTIONAL ACCESSORY USERS, page 14. Display 10. Press the Power Switch on the computer control panel to the ON position. The copyright message lights on AutoStar II's LCD display. ¸ Slew Speeds: Speed 9: Fast . . Speed 5: Medium . . Speed 1: Slow Arrow Keys Speed Key Number Keys 1.25" Diagonal Prism Users: If using the 1.25" diagonal prism (G), slide the 1.25" adapter (D) into the microfocuser. Line up the thumbscrew into the groove in the microfocuser (I, also see Fig. 7a and 7b, page 14). Slide the 1.25" diagonal prism into the adapter (D). Tighten the adapter thumbscrew (H) to a firm feel only. Tighten the microfocuser thumbscrews (I) to a firm feel only. 2.0" Diagonal Mirror Users: If using the 2.0" diagonal mirror, slide the mirror directly into the microfocuser (C). Tighten the microfocuser thumbscrews (I) to a firm feel only. 11. "Press 0 to align or Mode for Menu" displays. You can use the Arrow keys to slew (move) the telescope up, down, right, or left. To change the telescope's slew speed, press the Speed key and then the Number keys. "9" is the fastest speed and "1" is the slowest speed. See page 17 for more details. Or you can Press "0" to begin Automatic Alignment. See page 18 for more information. -5- TELESCOPE FEATURES 2@ 2# (not shown) 2! 2% 2) (not shown, on left fork arm) 1( 1* 2$ B c d e f g h i j 1) 1! 1@ 1# Fig. 1: The LX200R Telescope; Computer Control Panel (inset); AutoStar II Handbox (inset). 1& 1^ 1% 1$ AutoStar II Hand Controller. See page 9. -6- Caution: Using products other than standard Meade accessories may cause damage to the telescope's internal electronics and may void the Meade warranty. LX200R: YOUR PERSONAL WINDOW TO THE UNIVERSE The Meade LX200R models are extremely versatile, high-resolution telescopes. With pushbutton controls, precision GPS alignment, zero image-shift microfocusing, truelevel and North electronic sensors, automatic tracking of celestial objects, periodic error correction for both axes, and a library of 145,000+ objects in the AutoStar II database, the LX200R models offer unmatched state-of-the-art performance. Observe the feather structure of an eagle from 50 yards or study the rings of the planet Saturn from a distance of 800 million miles. Focus beyond the Solar System on ancient star clusters, remote galaxies, and stars recently discovered to have planets orbiting about them. Meade LX200R telescopes are capable of growing with your interest and can meet the requirements of the most demanding advanced observer. B Want to learn more about the eyepieces available for your LX200R telescope? See OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES, pages 43, 44, and 45. B C D E F G Eyepiece: Place the Series 5000 26mm 5-element Plössl eyepiece into the 90° diagonal prism (3, Fig. 1) and tighten in place with the eyepiece thumbscrew (2, Fig. 1). The eyepiece magnifies the image collected in the optical tube. Eyepiece Thumbscrew: Tightens the eyepiece (1, Fig. 1) in place. Tighten to a firm feel only. 1.25" Diagonal Prism (or 2" Mirror): Provides a more comfortable right angle viewing position. A 2" diagonal mirror with a 1.25" adapter is standard with the 12" model. See page 14 for information about attaching the p ...