Meade DS-2000 - Manuals

5 H G Slew Speed: Fast . . . Medium . . . Slow 11. Sight along the tube: Sight along the side of the telescope's main tube to locate an object. Practiceusing the Autostar Arrow keys to center an objectin the telescope's field of view. 7a. Attach the 90° diagonal prism (refractor models only): Pull o...

7 An important array of features and manual controls facilitates operation of a DS-2000 tele-scope. Be sure to become acquainted with all of these controls before attempting observationsthrough the telescope. Focus Knob - Moves the telescope’s focus drawtube in a finely-controlled motion to achievep...

8 Accessory Tray Attachment Bolts - Attach to wing nuts (not shown) to fasten tray to thetripod. See page 11 for more information. Note: It is not necessary to remove the tray each time you collapse the tripod. Thetray is designed to be collapsed with the legs. Accessory Tray - Conveniently holds ex...

9 Control of the DS-2000AT Series Telescopes is through the operation of the #494 Autostarhandbox. Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a few pushes ofAutostar’s buttons. Some of the major features of Autostar are: ■ Automatically move the telescope to any of the 1400 obj...

10 DEFINITION:Throughout this manu-al, you will notice theterm "Alt/Az." Alt/Az isfrequently used to referto Altitude (vertical)and Azimuth (horizon-tal). Alt/Az is just one ofmany methods used byamateur astronomersto help locate stars inthe night sky. • Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (hori...

11 Packing List Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first open-ing the packing box, note carefully the parts listed on your packing list or giftbox. How to Assemble Your Telescope The telescope attaches directly to the tripod. The telescope in this wa...

12 10. Attach the viewfinder: Carefully remove the rubber eyecup from the viewfinder before sliding the viewfinder into the bracket. Slide the viewfinder, eyepiece-end first, into theviewfinder bracket (see Figs. 8a and 8b). Replace the rubber eyecup after the viewfinderis positioned in the bracket....

14 image) has been aligned to the main telescope. Fig. 13B shows these same images afterthe viewfinder and main telescope are aligned. 5. Check this alignment on a celestial object, such as the Moon or a bright star, and make any necessary refinements. Choosing an Eyepiece A telescope’s eyepiece mag...

15 OBSERVING Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, you can observeby merely pointing the telescope and looking through the eyepiece. 1. Loosen the telescope’s tripod base lock knob (26, Fig. 1) and Dec. lock (6, Fig...

16 Slew Speeds Autostar has nine slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate (see TO TRACK AN OBJECT AUTOMATICALLY below for a definition of "sidereal rate") and have been calculat- ed to accomplish specific functions. Pressing the SPEED/? key changes the slew speed, whic...

DEFINITION:Initialization is a proce-dure that ensures thatAutostar operates cor-rectly. When you firstuse Autostar, it doesn'tyet know where theobservation location siteis or the time or date ofthe observation session. During the procedure,you will enter informa-tion, such as the currenttime and da...

18 10. Select City - The next screen asks for the city (listed alphabetically) closest to the observ- ing site. Use the Scroll keys to cycle through the database of cities. Press ENTER whenthe correct city appears on screen. 11. Select Model Number - The next screen asks for the telescope model. Use...

19 How to Easy Align Your Telescope If you have just applied power to Autostar, perform steps 1 through 5. If you have already per-formed the initialization procedure, go to step 6. 1. Sun Warning - Press the key prompted by Autostar to accept. 2. Getting Started - Press ENTER to continue. 3. Enter ...

20 Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. Two-Star Alignment is identicalto Easy: Align (see EASY (TWO-STAR) ALIGN , above), except Autostar displays a database of bright stars and two stars are chosen by the observer from this database for alignment. ...

21 It is important to understand that menu selections are set in a loop (Fig. 20). This means thatpressing the Scroll Down key (7, Fig. 2) cycles down through all the available options within agiven category, then returns to the first option. The Scroll Up key (6, Fig. 2) cycles up through theoption...

22 To Calculate Sunset time:1. Press the MODE key several times, until “Select Item: Object” is displayed. 2. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the “Event” option in the “Select Item” menu. 3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise...

23 MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category. (NOTE:Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) See GO TO SATURN , page 20, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see USING THE GUIDED TOUR , page 20. Ma...

24 Landmarks stores the location of terrestrial points of interest in the permanent Autostar data-base. IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be locatedand aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the database. ■ Select: To select a Landmark already in the databas...

25 Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of thecurrent year. Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice ofthe current year. Glossary Menu The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and...

26 ■ Suggest: Autostar calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing, based on thetelescope and the object being viewed. Display Options enables or disables Autostar’s two initial displays. If both displays are dis-abled, Autostar begins with the Date display. ■ Sun Warning: Turns the “Sun W...

27 Arrow key and also slews the tube more slowly. Experiment with this option. Try changingthe percent value until you get a "feel" for the Arrow keys that is comfortable for you. Alt Percent: The Alt (Altitude) Percent operates identical to the AZ Percent option (seeabove), but allows you t...

28 be stored). Scroll through the list of Countries/States. Press ENTER when the site you wishto add displays. Then choose the desired city in the same manner. ■ Delete: Deletes a stored site from the database. ■ Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone. T...

30 CARING FOR YOUR TELESCOPE Your DS-2000 telescope is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of reward-ing observations. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your telescope willrarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. Av...

32 thread inward one of the adjustment/lock knobs (1, Fig. 24) while unthreading another of theseknobs. Only make adjustments to two knobs at a time until the secondary mirror appears as inFig. 28. 3. Secondary mirror-holder adjustments: If the secondary mirror (1, Fig. 28) is centered in thefocuser...

33 SPECIFICATIONS DS-2060 Optical design......................................................................................RefractorClear aperture ....................................................................................60mmFocal length ....................................................

APPENDIX B 36 Using Autostar to Find Objects Not in the Database Although Autostar contains a database of more than 1400 celestial objects (stars, nebulae,planets, etc.) that you can observe, you may eventually want to view objects that are not partof the database. Autostar provides a feature that a...

37 Observing Satellites In this procedure, you will prepare your telescope to observe a satellite pass. 1. Go to the "Object: Satellite" menu option and press ENTER. 2. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of satellites. 3. Select a satellite from the list and press ENTER. 4. "...

38 Training the Drive Train the telescope motors using Autostar. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy prob-lems. Fig. 32 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure. NOTE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive. Complete ...

39 Fig. 33: Electronic Controller. (1) Arrow Keys; (2) IndicatorLights; (3) SPEED Key; (4) Coil Cord; (5) MODE Key; (6) OUTKey; (7) IN Key. Fast Medium Moderate Slow APPENDIX E Electronic Controller (DS-2000EC Users Only) DS-2000 "EC" models come equipped with an Electronic Controller handbo...

40 Slew SpeedsThe Electronic Controller has four slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate (seepage 16 for more information). Press the Speed key to change the slew speed. Note each slewspeed corresponds to one of the four LED's of the Electronic Controller. Light 1 (top LED): ...

41 In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your DS-2000model, turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant trees and mountains. What he saw,and what he realized about what he saw, has forever changed the way mankind thinks aboutthe universe. Imagine...

14-7185-01 05/01 A D V A N C E D P R O D U C T S D I V I S I O N Meade Instruments Corporation World’s Leading Manufacturer of Astronomical Telescopes for the Serious Amateur 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92618 ■ (949) 451-1450 FAX: (949) 451-1460 ■ www.meade.com © 2001 MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY ...