16
Then press ENTER to select the language you want. Restart
the hand controller, and it will display in the selected language.
6. Advanced Functions
6.1 Identifying Objects
After aligning the mount for GoTo operation, the SynScan hand
controller can be used to identify any object at which the tele-
scope is pointing.
1. Center the object to be identified in the telescope’s
eyepiece.
2. Press the “ID” shortcut key. The screen will display
“Identify: Searching…”. The SynScan hand controller will
look up the named stars, planets, Messier objects, NGC
objects, and IC objects within a 5 degrees range of the
object centered in the eyepiece.
3. The screen will display “No object found” if the SynScan
hand controller cannot identify the object.
4. If an object is found within the 5-degree range, the screen
will display the object’s name in the top row, and the
deviation from the object in the center of the eyepiece.
5. If multiple objects are found, use the scroll keys to browse
through the list of identified objects.
6. Press the ENTER key to select an identified object and
then use the scroll keys to read its data, such as the
J2000 celestial coordinates, magnitude (MAG= ), rising
time (Rise: ), transit time (Transit: ), setting time (Set: ),
size (Size= ), associated constellation (Constellation: ),
etc.
7. Press the ESC key to exit.
6.2 Synchronizing Encoders
For telescopes or mounts that are not equipped with auxiliary
encoders, if the mount loses the correct position of either of
its two axes – for example, if an axis is manually moved – the
pointing accuracy will be compromised when the SynScan hand
controller tries to locate an object.
Providing the base of the mount or its tripod was not moved,
you can recover the pointing accuracy with the “Synchronize
Encoder” operation.
1. Access “MENU \ Sync. Encoder” and press the ENTER
key.
2. Use the scroll keys to select an alignment star and press
the ENTER key. The mount will point the telescope toward
the alignment star.
3. After the mount has stopped, use the direction keys to
center the alignment star in the eyepiece, then press the
ENTER key to confirm.
4. The SynScan hand controller will display “Sync Encoder
Completed.” Press any key to exit.
6.3 Parking the Telescope
If the mount has not been moved after an observing session, you
can “park” the telescope to keep the alignment data, PAE data,
and PEC data, and start your next observing session without
having to redo the GoTo alignment and calibration.
Parking
1. Access the menu “UTILITY FUNCTION \ Park Scope” and
press the ENTER key.
2. The screen will display “Park to…” Use the scroll keys to
choose one of the following parking positions and press
the ENTER key.
• Home Position:
Park the telescope in the Home
Position (refer to
Section 2.1
).
• Current Pos.:
Park the telescope in its current position.
• Custom Position:
Park in the same position you used
after the previous observing session.
3. The mount will slew to the parking position (except
parking at the current position). When the mount stops the
screen will display “Position saved. Turn off power”.
4. You may now turn off power to the mount, or press the
ESC key to cancel parking.
Resuming from Parked Position
1. Turn on power to the mount.
2. Pass through the initial steps.
3. When the screen displays “Start from Park? 1) Yes 2) No”:
• Press “1” to resume operation of the mount from the
parked status. After the regular initialization steps, the
SynScan hand controller will be ready for full feature
operation like in the previous observing session.
• Press “2” to abandon the previous saved park position
and alignment data and start a regular observing
session.
6.4 Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE)
The pointing accuracy enhancement (PAE) function enables
the telescope mount to achieve enhanced pointing accuracy in
specific areas of the sky.
After a 1-star, 2-Star or 3-star alignment, the telescope mount
might still have a small pointing error due to many factors, such
as the flexure of the telescope, atmospheric refraction, or other
mechanical issues. The amount of pointing error may vary in
different portions of the sky.
The SynScan hand controller divides the sky into 85 small zones,
and you can calibrate the pointing error for each of these zones.
The next time the SynScan controller tries to locate an object in
the calibrated zone (or a zone nearby), it will automatically apply
the recorded calibration data to compensate for the pointing
error. This function is useful for locating faint deep sky objects,
and it is also helpful to obtain consistent pointing accuracy for a
permanent observatory.
Perform the following procedure to use the PAE function:
1. Perform a 1-star alignment, 2-star alignment, or a 3-star
alignment.
