10
The Autostar II system provides control of virtually every telescope function. The
Autostar II handbox has soft-touch keys designed to have a positive feel. The LCD
(Liquid Crystal Display) is backlit with red LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) for easy view-
ing in the dark. The backlit display, key arrangement, and sequential menu structure
make Autostar II extremely user friendly.
B
2-Line LCD Display: This screen displays Autostar II's menus and information
about the telescope.
•
Top line: Lists the primary menu.
•
Bottom line: Displays other menus that may be chosen, menu
options, telescope status, or information about a function that is being
performed.
c
ENTER Key: Press to go to the next menu level or to choose an option in a
menu. The ENTER key is similar to the RETURN or ENTER key on a computer.
See
MOVING THROUGH AUTOSTAR II'S MENUS
, page 18 and
AUTOSTAR II MENUS
,
page 24.
d
MODE Key: Press to return to the previous menu or data level. The top menu
level is “Select Item." The MODE key is similar to the ESCAPE key on a com-
puter.
Note: Pressing MODE repeatedly while in the “Select Item” level moves
Autostar II to the topmost screen: “Select Item: Object.”
Note: If MODE is pressed and held for two seconds or more, information
about the telescope's status displays. When the status displays, press the
Scroll keys (7, Fig. 2) to display the following information:
• Right Ascension and Declination (astronomical) coordinates
• Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (horizontal) coordinates
• Local Time and Local Sidereal Time (LST)
• Timer and Alarm Status
• Date
• Site coordinates
• Battery status
Press MODE again to return to the previous menu.
e
GO TO Key: Press to slew (move) the telescope to the coordinates of the cur-
rently selected object. While the telescope is slewing, the operation may be
aborted at any time by pressing any key except GO TO. Pressing GO TO again
resumes the slew to the object. Also, press during the alignment or GO TO pro-
cedures to activate a "spiral search."
f
Arrow Keys: The Arrow keys have several functions. Press an Arrow key to slew
the telescope in a specific direction (up, down, left, and right), at any one of nine
different speeds. See
SLEW SPEEDS
, page 17. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys
to move the telescope vertically up and down. The Left Arrow key rotates the tele-
scope horizontally counterclockwise, while the Right Arrow key rotates it clockwise
(unless reversed for Southern Hemisphere use).
Also, use the Arrow keys to scroll through numbers 0 through 9 and the alpha-
bet. The Down Arrow key begins with the letter "A;" the Up Arrow key begins with
digit "9."
Additionally, use the Arrow keys to to move the cursor across the display: Use the
Right or Left Arrow key (5, Fig. 2) to move the cursor from one number to the next
in the display.
g
Number Keys: Press to input digits 0 to 9. Each Number key also has a specif-
ic function, which is printed on each key (these are commonly known as "hot but-
tons"—see page 31):
1 SPEED: Changes the slew speeds. To operate, press Speed and then a
Number key (1 is the slowest speed, 9 is highest speed).
2 CALD (Caldwell): Press to display the Caldwell catalog on the Autostar II
handbox.
3 M (Messier): Press to display the Messier catalog library.
4 FOCUS: Press to display the Focus Control menu.
e
Want to learn more
about using the GO TO
function? See page 20.
Want to learn how to
perform a spiral
search? See page 20.
Want to learn
more about the Focus
menu? See page 31.
Want to learn more
about changing slew
speeds? See page 17.
SPEED
1
FOCUS
4
