12
(Min.MAG=), and period of variation (Period=) are provided for
variable stars.
4.4 SAO Stars
1. Press the “OBJECT” shortcut key and use the two scroll
keys to find “SAO Catalog,” then press ENTER.
2. Enter the 4 left-most digits of the 6-digit SAO number
(e.g., “SAO 0238xx”). Press ENTER, then the hand
controller will find the first SAO number in the database
that matches the four left-most digits entered (e.g., “SAO
023801”).
3. Use the scroll keys to change the last two digits until the
screen displays the desired SAO index number. Press the
ENTER key to confirm the input. (e.g., “SAO 023825”).
Note:
The SAO catalog in the SynScan hand controller is a
sub-set of the SAO catalog. It only contains stars brighter than
magnitude 8.
4. To slew to a star you will use the same procedure as for
the other objects above (see
Section 4.1
).
4.5 Deep Sky Tour
The SynScan V4 hand controller enables you to take a tour of
the best deep-sky objects visible in the current sky from your
location. You can select them one by one and command the
SynScan hand controller to automatically point the telescope
to each object for viewing. This is the “Deep Sky Tour” function.
1. Press the “TOUR” shortcut key. The screen will display
“Deep Sky Tour” in the top row. Use the two scroll keys to
browse through a list of the deep-sky objects and press
ENTER to pick one.
2. The screen will display the catalog to which the object
belongs as well as its catalog number in the top row. The
object’s current azimuth and altitude will be displayed in
the bottom row.
3. Use the scroll keys to browse the object’s current celestial
coordinates, magnitude (MAG=), rise time (Rise:),
transit time (Transit:), set time (Set:), size (Size=), and
associated constellation (Constellation:).
4. Press ENTER to proceed to the next step.
5. Go To the Object:
Slewing to an object involves the same
procedure as described for the other objects above (see
Section 4.1
).
4.6 User-Defined Objects
The SynScan hand controller 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 asteroid
positions, or you can make a custom list of your favorite objects
to view.
Defining and saving an object to the database
1. Press the “USER” shortcut key. The screen will display
“User Object”.
2. Press the scroll keys until “New Object” is displayed
on the screen, then press the ENTER key. The screen
will display “Coord. Type 1) RA-DEC 2) Mount.” Press
“1” to enter R.A./Dec. coordinates for a celestial object;
press “2” to enter Alt-azimuth coordinates for a land
object. If “RA-DEC” is chosen, the screen will display the
coordinates to which the telescope is currently pointing. If
“Mount” is chosen, the screen will display the coordinates
of the mount’s two axes. The first number is the
coordinates of the R.A. or azimuth axis, while the second
number is the coordinates of the Dec. or altitude axis.
3. Edit the coordinates using the numeric keys and scroll
keys. Press ENTER to save the chosen setting.
4. The screen will display “Save?” Press the ENTER key to
start saving the coordinates. (Or press the ESC key to
proceed to the next step without saving the coordinates.)
5. The hand controller will prompt you to choose a storage
space index number between 1 and 25 for your chosen
object. Select the number you wish to represent the
coordinates, using the scroll buttons. Press ENTER to
confirm.
6. Once the object coordinates are represented by a
number, the hand controller will display “View Object?”
Press ENTER to slew the telescope to the coordinates.
Press ESC to exit.
Selecting a user defined object
1. Press the USER shortcut key. The screen will display
“User Object / Recall Object”. Press ENTER.
2. Use the scroll keys to browse through the list of
pre-defined objects indexed from 1 to 25. Select the
number representing the object you wish to view, then
press ENTER to display the object’s coordinates. Press
the ENTER key again to proceed.
3. The screen will now display “View Object?” Press ENTER
to slew the telescope to the selected object. Press ESC to
exit.
5. Configuring Hand
Controller and
Mount Settings
The MENU and UTILITY shortcut keys are the entry points for
configuring many aspects of the mount and hand controller. The
different types of functions available are listed below, along with
their respective purposes. Press the MENU or UTILITY keys, as
directed below, to access them.
5.1 Date, Time, Site, Time Zone, and
Daylight Saving Time
• Date – Allows you to change the date entered at the initial
setup.
• Time – Allows you to change the current time.
• Observation Site – Allows you to change the current location
settings.
• Daylight Saving – Allows you to change the Daylight Saving
option.
