Orion SkyQuest XX12g, Instruction Manual

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NOTE: Backlash compensation is only active for comput-
erized slewing, not for manual slewing with the direction-
al buttons.
Tracking:
• Sidereal Rate: Activates tracking at sidereal rate. This is
the default tracking rate.
• Lunar Rate: Activates tracking at lunar rate.
• Solar Rate: Activates tracking at solar rate.
• Stop Tracking: Stops the tracking motors.
Auto Tracking: Allows the telescope to automatically track a
celestial object without star alignment. The hand controller will
display the coordinates of the direction in which the telescope
is pointed. You may press the scroll buttons to switch between
the different coordinate options.
Set Slew Limits: Allows you to set slewing limits of the GoTo
base’s altitude axis, to prevent the optical tube from colliding
with the base. When you press ENTER in the Set Slew Limits
submenu, you may enable or disable the slew angular limita-
tions in altitude. If you enable the slew limit setting, the hand
control will prompt you to edit the upper and the lower altitu-
dinal limitations in degrees. You may use the numeric keys to
edit the number and use the RIGHT and LEFT keys to move
the cursor. The slew limit range is dependent on the mount
and the optical tube installed on the mount.
Re-align Encoder: The SkyQuest XXg GoTo base uses
two encoders on each axis to track its position for GoTo and
Autotracking functionality. One encoder is coupled to the axis
shaft and the other is coupled to the motor shaft for each axis.
This dual encoder design allows you to move the telescope
by hand or electronically via the hand controller’s directional
buttons without losing its alignment. However, accuracy may
be diminished when the telescope is moved by hand. The fol-
lowing procedure can be used to recover pointing accuracy.
1. Browse to the Re-align Encoder submenu under SETUP
menu list, and then press ENTER. The hand control will
display “Re-align Encoder, press ENTER”.
2. Press ENTER, then the hand control will show the two
alignment stars that were centered in the last star-align-
ment procedure.
3. Use the scroll keys to select one of the previous align-
ment stars or select another star to recalibrate the axis
encoders. Then press ENTER to confirm.
4. After selecting the star as the reference star to recalibrate
the axis encoders, the telescope will slew to the select-
ed reference star. When the telescope stops slewing, it
should be pointing somewhere close to the reference
star. Use the directional keys to center the reference star
in the field of view of the illuminated Plossl crosshair eye-
piece, and then press ENTER to confirm.
5. The hand control will prompt “Re-align Encoder complet-
ed.” on the LCD screen. Press ENTER to confirm and
finish the Re-align Encoder procedure.
Handset Setting – This submenu allows adjustments of the
brightness of the LCD backlight, the LCD contrast, the bright-
ness of the LED button lights, and the beeper volume of the
hand controller. Press the RIGHT or LEFT directional key to
increase or decrease the values.
Factory Setting: Allows hand controller to be reset to the fac-
tory default setting. Note that this will not delete PAE settings
or User Defined objects.
Using the User Defined Database
The GoTo system allows you to save up to 25 objects in the
User Defined Database. You can save currently unknown
objects, unidentifiable objects, current comet and/or aster-
oid positions, or you can make a custom list of your favorite
objects to view for quick access.
Saving an object to the database
1. Press the
USER button (number 9) on the hand control-
ler, or select “User Objects” under the Object Catalog
menu. Press ENTER.
2. The first available selection in the User Objects is Recall
Object. This is where you select previously saved objects
to view. Use the scroll buttons to call up “Edit Object” and
press ENTER.
3. User-defined objects are stored in two formats: RA-Dec
and AzAlt. Press 1 for the RA-Dec format or 2 for AzAlt.
The LCD will display the coordinates at which the tele-
scope is currently pointed. In the case of the RA-Dec
format, the coordinate readout will be similar to this:
“22h46.1m + 90°00’ “ , which means 22 hours and 46.1
minutes in R.A. (right ascension) and “+90°00’” in Dec
(declination). Change the coordinates using the numeric
keypad and scroll keys. Use the RIGHT or LEFT direc-
tional keys to move the cursor to the next or previous
digit. Press ENTER to save.
4. Warning: If the RA-Dec coordinates entered do not exist,
the hand controller will not respond when the ENTER key
is pressed. Check the entry for a mistake and re-enter the
correct coordinates.
5. To store an object/location in Altazimuth (AzAlt) format,
first point the telescope to the desired location to obtain
the Altazimuth value, and then press ENTER to save.
6. After the coordinates have been saved, the LCD will dis-
play a User Object number, such as # 03. Use the scroll
keys to change to the number you wish to represent the
coordinates and press ENTER.
7. The prompt “View Object?” and the User Object number
you just entered will be displayed. Press ENTER to go to
the object or ESC to return to the Edit Coordinates menu.
Warning: The User Object number displayed may not be
an unassigned one. If you are unsure which numbers
have already been assigned, it is recommended that you
first check for the available numbers by recalling the
saved user-defined objects.