Meade SN-10 AT Instruction Manual download pdf (Page 4)

Plug in the AutoStar and battery pack. Set the AutoStar

parameters as described on Pages 16 and 19. Perform a

Calibrate Drives from the AutoStar menu. Align your

Viewfinder as described on Page 14. Train the Drives as

described on Page 20. Now you are ready to perform your

first Polar Alignment. Use a cross-hair eyepiece for

increased accuracy.

Polar Alignment ...

There have been volumes written on how to improve and

tweak Polar Alignments. It is true that the better your

alignment, the more accurate your GoTos and tracking

will be. The goal is to get a good alignment and not spend

all of your time working on perfection. The following

will give you a very good polar alignment with the mini-

mum amount of time.

Tip: When the temperatures inside your home vary greatly

from that of outdoors, setting the scope outside an hour be-

fore you plan to observe will allow all of the optical compo-

nents to equalize to the outside temperature which will result

in better viewing.

Loosen both the RA and DEC Locks (#33 and 17). Put

the scope in Polar Home Position by matching up all of the

alignment arrows on the mount. Lock the RA Lock (#33).

Turn the scope about the DEC axis so it is pointing in an

east-west position. Remove the Polar Viewfinder Cap

(#18). Turn on the Polar Viewfinder Illuminator (#30).

Adjust the Latitude Adjustment Handles (#26) and

gently nudge the tripod back and forth until the cross-hair

in the Polar Viewfinder is centered on Polaris. Replace

the Polar Viewfinder Cap and manually (do NOT use

the AutoStar control) return the scope to the Polar Home

Position. Dont forget to turn off the Polar Viewfinder

Illuminator (#30). Lock both the RA and DEC Locks

(#17 and 33).

Tip: Disregard the four sided figure in the Polar Viewfinder

and the four-star grouping referred to in Fig. 36 on Page 48.

The four-star grouping is only applicable if you are located in

the Southern Hemisphere.

Perform a One Star Alignment from the AutoStar menu.

At this point you are ready to begin finding and observing.

The Guided Tour feature of the AutoStar is a nice place

to start.

Tip: The One Star Alignment forces you to fine tune your

Polar Alignment. For improved accuracy, after performing

the One Star Alignment, unlock the RA and DEC Locks,

manually return the scope to the Polar Home Position us-

ing only the two alignment arrows on the RA and DEC axis.

Lock the RA and DEC Locks and follow the AutoStar instruc-

tions for an Easy Alignment - disregarding any instructions

for moving or adjusting the mount.

When You Are Finished ...

Manually return the scope to the Polar Home Position.

Turn off the power and remove all accessories from the

scope. Immediately replace the cap / plug in the focuser

tube. Replace the protective cap over the front of the OTA.

Unlock the DEC Lock (#17) and turn the scope to an east-

west orientation. Carefully release the Cradle Lock

Knobs (#13) remove the OTA and carry it inside. Disas-

semble the mount in the reverse order of set up and carry

inside.

Tip: After a night of observing in chilly weather, when you

carry your scope inside, the moisture in the warm air of your

house will begin to condense and cover your scope with dew

like moisture. Do NOT attempt to wipe this moisture from

any optical surfaces. Replacing the dew caps / tube covers

before going in the house drastically reduces the amount of

moisture reaching the optical surfaces while they re-equalize

to the inside temperature. Owners of the SN series of scopes

may want to cover the primary mirror end of the scope with a

tight fitting good quality shower cap to reduce the amount of

moisture and dust entering the OTA from the back end of the

scope.

Storage ...

Try not to store your scope in its assembled state for long

periods of time. The weight of the counterweights and OTA

assembly on the LXD55 head could cause premature wear-

ing and indentations on the bearings and gears. SN10

owners can stand their OTAs upright with the primary

mirror end on the floor. AR series owners can hang their

scopes by the chrome handle under the focuser.

Tip: We have all seen those little packets of Silica Gel crys-

tals that come packed in electronics, sometimes in the pock-

ets of new coats and in vitamin pill containers. I went to my

local Walgreen’s and asked if they would save them for me -

they gave me dozens - free for the asking. Take an empty

standard 35mm film cannister and drill several 1/4” holes in

the end of it. Stuff two of the little silica gel packets inside,

snap on the cover and use the cannister as your focuser plug.

It will help absorb any excess moisture which may get inside

of your tube. You can also get a couple of flat pill boxes, drill

some holes, stuff with the silica crystals and velcro to the

inside of your dew cap. A couple of the same film cannister

assemblies can also be used in your eyepiece case.

Courtesy of: David (Warp) Sherfy

St. Louis, MO.

Meade LXD55 - SN10-UHTC / AR6

AutoStar Hints & Tips

This list is in no particular order. It is taken from the LXD55

Yahoo! User’s Group database (with permission), and includes

the contributor’s name if he or she so desires. You will see

redundancies occasionally, but we’ve found that most are

worth repeating. If you’d like to contribute to this (or any other)

list, please send us an e-mail with a subject heading of “LXD55

Database”, and we’ll consider it! Thanks!

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Meade SN-10 AT Instruction Manual Page 4

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