19
Enter Time and Site Info by Sync with your SmartPhone
When iOptron Commander Lite is in action (WiFi version ASCOM, or iOS/Android App), one may
easily import the GPS info from a smartphone to the mount/hand controller. There is no worry about lacking
internet, WiFi, and cell phone signals in rural areas; Commander Lite can always get GPS info from a
smartphone to the HEM mount/hand controller, no dead corner. Please refer to iOptron Commander Lite for
more details (
https://www.ioptron.com/v/ASCOM/iOptronCommanderLiteAppNote.pdf
).
Select N/S Hemisphere
The northern/southern hemisphere will be determined by your latitude coordinate, with one
exception. If you are near the equator (/- 10°), you can choose your own N/S setting.
If the polar axis is aligned to the North Celestial Pole, then set the mount to Northern Hemisphere. If
the polar axis is pointing to the South Celestial Pole, set the mount to Southern Hemisphere. Press the ◄ or
► key to move the cursor and use the
▲
or
▼
key to toggle between “Northern Hemisphere” and “Southern
Hemisphere”.
The site information is stored inside the hand controller’s memory chip. If you are not traveling to
another observation site, they do not need to be changed.
Check the Hand Controller Battery
There is a real time clock in hand controller. If hand controller lost its date and time, please check
the battery.
STEP 9. Perform polar alignment
BrightStar Polar Alignment
If you mount does not have an iPolar installed, or the pole star is not in sight, you may use two bright
stars with
Polar Iterate Align
to perform a coarse polar alignment.
(1) Level the mount and set it to the Zero Position. Align the telescope to the R.A. axis of the mount.
If a finder scope is used, adjust it to be parallel to the telescope optical axis.
(2) Use the HC (
MENU
=> “
Alignment
” => “
Polar Iterate Align
”) to display the azimuth and altitude
position of several bright stars near the meridian. Select one that is visible at a high altitude as
Alignment Star A. Follow the HC instruction to move Alignment Star A to the center of the
eyepiece using a combination of the Latitude Adjustment Knob and the
“◄” or “►” buttons.
Press
ENTER
to confirm when the star is centered. Next, select a bright star that is close to the
horizon as Alignment Star B. Center it using the Azimuth Adjustment Knob and the
“◄” or “►”
button
(t
he “▲” and “▼” buttons are not used here)
. Press
ENTER
to confirm the settings.
