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he NexStar has four direction buttons in the center of the hand control which control the telescope motion in altitude (up and
down) and azimuth (left and right). The telescope can be controlled at nine different speed rates.
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ate Button
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ressing the RATE key (11) allows you to instantly change the speed rate of the motors from high speed slew rate to precise
guiding rate or anywhere in between. Each rate corresponds to a number on the hand controller key pad. The number 9 is the
fastest rate (4º per second, depending on power source) and is used for slewing between objects and locating alignment stars.
The number 1 on the hand control is the slowest rate (.5x sidereal) and can be used for accurate centering of objects in the
eyepiece. To change the speed rate of the motors:
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Press the RATE key on the hand control. The LCD will display the current speed rate.
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Press the number on the hand control that corresponds to the desired speed.
The hand control has a "double button" feature that allows you to instantly speed up the motors without having to choose a speed
rate. To use this feature, simply press the arrow button that corresponds to the direction that you want to move the telescope.
While holding that button down, press the opposite directional button. This will increase the speed to the maximum slew rate.
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The NexStar contains many user defined setup functions designed to give the user control over the telescope's many advanced
features. All of the setup and utility features can be accessed by pressing the MENU key and scrolling through the options:
Tracking Mode
Tracking Rate
- In addition to being able to move the telescope with the hand control buttons, the NexStar will
continually track a celestial object as it moves across the night sky. The tracking rate can be changed
depending on what type of object is being observed:
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1 = .5x
2 = 1x
3 = 4x
4 = 8x
5 = 16x
Nine available slew speeds
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- Once the NexStar is aligned the tracking motors will automatically turn on and begin tracking the sky.
However, the tracking can be turned off for terrestrial use:
Alt-Az
This is the default tracking rate and is used when the telescope is placed on
a flat surface or tripod without the use of an equatorial wedge. The
telescope must be aligned with two stars before it can track in Alt-Az.
Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar aligned using an
EQ North
equatorial wedge in the Northern Hemisphere.
EQ South
Used to track the sky when the telescope is polar aligned using an
equatorial wedge in the Southern Hemisphere.
When using the telescope for terrestrial (land) observation, the tracking
Off
can be turned off so that the telescope never moves.
6 = 64x
7 = 1º / sec
8 = 2º / sec
9 = 4º / sec
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