Meade ETX-LS SC - Manual

GETTING STARTED You may want to perform the ETX-LS assembly indoors in the light so that you become familiar with the parts and operation before moving the telescope outside into the dark for observing. This Getting Started Guide assumes you are too impatient to read the entire manual first and want...

Mounting the Telescope 5 Take the ETX-LS from its packaging and place the entire telescope onto the top of the tripod head. Rotate the telescope head slowly until you feel the scope register on the center hub of the tripod head. Carefully screw the three attachment thumb-screws on the bottom of the ...

Attaching Accessories 8 Be sure the telescope master power switch is in the off position. Remove the ETX-LS handbox and the coiled interface cable from the packing materials. Plug one end into the HNDBX port of the control panel and plug the other end into the Handbox port on the ETX-LS handbox. 9 R...

Key Functions “BACK” - return to previous menu. “ENTER” - select or confirm entry. “GO TO” - Slew to currently selected object. “SPEED” - Adjust Slew Speed. “FOCUS” - Optional Electronic focuser. Motion pad controls focuser. Up/Down scrolls focus speed. “VOL” . - Up/Dn adjusts media volume. “DISP” -...

The “ENTER” and “BACK” buttons on the top of the display let you move up and down the menu tree. When you press “ENTER” you will select the current active menu choice. Pressing “BACK” will move you up the menu tree. To get us to the top of the menu tree, press “BACK” until “Select Item” is displayed...

ETX-LS KEY FEATURES ETX-LS KEY FEA TURES Figure 1: ETX-LS Telescope  3 2 1 5  8   4   Telescope Input/Output Panel  ON/OFF LightSwitch  ECLIPS CCD Module  Red Dot Finder Alignment Screws  Handbox Storage Cradle 1 Diagonal Eyepiece Holder 2 Diagonal Prism 3 1.25” Eyepiece Holder 4 Eyepiece ...

Using the Red-Dot Finder Because your telescope has so much magnification, its field of view is very small. This can make it hard to know exactly where your telescope is pointing by simply looking at it. To help you point the telescope quickly and accurately, for terrstrial targets or when not using...

Meade makes a complete line of accessories to enable you to get the most fun and performance from your ETX-LS telescope. No matter what you want to accomplish, we have the equipment to help you get there. Choosing Eyepieces A telescope’s eyepiece magnifies the image formed by the telescope’s main op...

Universal AC Adapter (07584): This adapter supplies a constant regulated 12 volt DC at up to 5 Amps from either a standard 115 volt AC or 220 volt AC household supply. It is the only tested and recommended AC power supply for the ETX-LS system. Power Supplies While the ETX-LS will operate with 8 “C”...

AUTOSTAR III HANDBOX Figure 5: The AutoStar III Handbox Tour the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button The AutoStar III hand controller operates the ETX-LS telescope with just a few pushes of AutoStar’s buttons. Some of the major features of AutoStar III are: • Automatically move the telescope to an...

Solar System Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Pluto Asteroids Comets Constellation Andromeda Volume Brightness Adj. Contrast Adj. Night Display Sleep Scope Parking Scope Align Automatic Alt/Az 2 Star Alt/Az 1 Star Terrestrial Preferences Restore Defaults Hi Prec. Slews Default Alignment...

database. IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the database. • Select – To select a Landmark already in the database (see ADD below), choose the “Select” option and scroll through the list. Press “ENTER” to ...

• Set Contrast: UP/DOWN selects scrolls through the thirteen pre-set Contrast curves available, “Cont. Day”, “Cont. Moon”, “Cont. Planet”, “Cont. Stars”, and “Cont. Deep1” thru “Cont. Deep9”. The setting after “Cont. Deep9” is Cust.Cont. (Custom Contrast). This setting allows you adjust the Contrast...

On – Selects full-time red video. Off – Selects full-time color video. Sleep Scope is a power and time saving option that shuts down the ETX-LS telescope without forgetting its alignment. With “Sleep Scope” selected, press “ENTER” to activate the Sleep function. ETX-LS goes dark, but the internal cl...

e. “Automatic Alignment: Selecting Star” and “Slewing” display. When it is close to the alignment star “Center Brightest Star: Press “ENTER” ” displays. When the telescope slews to the first star, it may not appear in the field of view in the eyepiece. Use the Red Dot Finder ( Pg. 12, Fig. 2, 16 ) t...

This menu option allows you to define and store terrestrial objects in the Landmark database. First, a landmark needs to be stored in memory using the “Landmark: Add” option. To view a landmark, use the “Landmark: Select” option. To add a landmark to the database In this procedure, you will store th...

7. When the alarm goes off, return to the Satellite menu and press a Scroll key until the desired satellite is on the top line of the display. 8. Press “GO TO” , ETX-LS slews the telescope to where the satellite should appear. The motor drive stops and a countdown is displayed. NOTE: If the schedule...

Terrestrial Observing The ETX-LS is an excellent high-resolution, terrestrial (land) telescopes. Viewing terrestrial objects requires looking along the Earth’s surface through heat waves. These heat waves often cause degradation of image quality. Lower power eyepieces, like the Super Plössl 26mm eye...

7. If the ETX-LS is not to be used for an extended period, perhaps for one month or more, it is advisable to remove the batteries from the telescope. Batteries left in the telescope for prolonged periods may leak, causing damage to the telescope’s electronic circuitry. 8. Do not leave the ETX-LS ins...

Inspecting the Optics A Note About the “Flashlight Test”: If a flashlight or other high-intensity light source is pointed down the main telescope tube, the view (depending upon the observer’s line of sight and the angle of the light) may reveal what appears to be scratches, dark or bright spots, or ...

If you have a question concerning your ETX-LS telescope, call the Meade Instruments Customer Service Department at (800) 626-3233. Customer Service hours are 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. In the unlikely event that the ETX-LS requires factory servicing or repairs, before r...

APPENDIX A: TRAINING THE DRIVE Figure 9: Training the Drive TRAINING THE DRIVE Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 9 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure. NOTE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the driv...

CREATING USER OBJECTS and TOURS APPENDIX B: CREA TING USER OBJECTS User Object are catalogs of deep sky objects you can create or import that are not in the ETX-LS telescope. You can define your own objects and create your own titles. Tours, similar to the three preloaded guided tours (Tonight’s Bes...

In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a crude telescope considerably smaller than the ETX-LS, turned it to look towards the sky instead of distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized about what he saw, forever changed the way mankind thought of the universe. I...

SPECIFICA TIONS SPECIFICATIONS Model and Product Number 6"ETX-LS ACF # 0610-03-10 Optical System Optical Design Advanced Coma-Free (ACF) Primary Mirror Diameter 6” (152mm) Primary Mirror Material Pyrex® Glass Focal Length, Focal Ratio 1524mm, f/10 Optical Coatings Ultra-High Transmission Coating...

MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or ...