2
Table of Contents
1. Overview and Operating Modes
3
1.1 Keypad Layout and Connection Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 Slewing with the Direction Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 SynScan Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Initialization
5
2.1 Setting the Mount’s Home Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Initializing the Hand Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. GoTo Star Alignment
7
3.1 Choosing an Alignment Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 Choosing the Alignment Star(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Alignment Methods for Equatorial Mounts . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 Alignment Methods for Alt-azimuth Mounts . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.5 Tips for Improving Alignment Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.6 Comparison of Alignment Methods
(Equatorial Mount/Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4. Locating Objects
11
4.1 Messier, NGC, IC, and Caldwell Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.2 Planets and the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3 Named Stars, Double Stars, and Variable Stars . . . . . 11
4.4 SAO Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.5 Deep Sky Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.6 User-Defined Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5. Configuring Hand Controller and
Mount Settings 12
5.1 Date, Time, Site, Time Zone,
and Daylight Saving Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.2 Hand Controller Display and Keypad Settings . . . . . . 13
5.3 Backlash Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.4 Tracking Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.5 Autoguide Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.6 Setting Meridian Flip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.7 Altitude Axis (Elevation) Slew Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.8 Enable/Disable Auxiliary Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.9 Alignment Star Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.10 Sorting Method of Alignment Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.11 Naming of Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.12 Re-aligning the Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.13 Show Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.14 Show Time and Local Sidereal Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.15 Display Version Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.16 Display Power Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.17 Display Polaris Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.18 Display Polar Alignment Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.19 Changing Polar Scope Illumination Level . . . . . . . . . 15
5.20 Language Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
6. Advanced Functions
16
6.1 Identifying Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6.2 Synchronizing Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6.3 Parking the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6.4 Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE) . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6.5 Camera Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
6.6 Periodic Error Correction (PEC) for EQ Mount . . . . . . 18
6.7 Calibrating Auto-Home Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.8 Polar Alignment without Polar Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.9 Setting Cone Error and Non-Perpendicular Error . . . . 19
6.10 Astronomical Time-Lapse Photography . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.11 Solar Tracking Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
7. Connecting SynScan to a Computer
20
7.1 Working with Astronomical Software Programs . . . . . . 20
7.2 PC Direct Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Warning:
• Never look directly at the Sun with the naked
eye or with a telescope – unless you have a
proper solar filter installed over the front of the
telescope! Otherwise, permanent, irreversible eye
damage may result.
• Never use your telescope to project an image of
the Sun onto any surface. Internal heat build-up
can damage the telescope and any accessories
attached to it.
• Never use an eyepiece solar filter or a Herschel
wedge. Internal heat build-up inside the
telescope can cause these devices to crack
or break, allowing unfiltered sunlight to pass
through to the eye.
• Never leave the telescope unsupervised, either
when children are present or adults who may not
be familiar with the correct operating procedures
of your telescope.
