Manuale d’uso / di manutenzione del prodotto ETX-80AT-TC del fabbricante Meade
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Instruction Manual ETX-80A T -TC MEADE.COM.
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3 CONTENTS W ARNING! Never use a Meade ® T elescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irre v ersible damage to your e y e. Eye damage is often painless , so there is no warning to the obser ver that damage has occurred until it is too late.
4 QUICK-ST ART GUIDE Setting up the T ripod 1. Open the tripod: Remov e the tr ipod from the giftbo x and stand v er tically . Gently pull the legs apar t to a fully open position. T ur n the center tripod lock knob to secure and stabilize the tripod.
5 Observe Y ou can now use the A utoStar Arrow ke ys to move the tele- scope up , down, right, or left. T o change the speed at which the telescope mov es (sometimes called the slew speed), briefly press the Speed/? k ey . Each press decreases the slew speed do wn one lev el, and then will cycle back to the f astest speed.
6 Fig. 1 : The ETX-80A T T elescope. TELESCOPE FEA TURES 1. Eyepiece 2. Eyepiece holder thumbscre w 3. 90 ° Eyepiece holder 4. Rear Cell P or t 5. Flip mirror control (inset) 6. Flip Bar lo w 7. Battery compar tment 8. F ork ar ms 9. Optical tube 10.
7 Fig. 2 : The AutoStar Handbox (see page 10). Fig. 1c : The batter y compar tment. Fig. 1b : The computer control panel: A - HBX por t; B - LED; C - On/Off; D - A UX por t. Fig. 3 : The tr ipod. h 1^ A B C D 2) 1* 2! 2@ 2# 2% 1( 2$ 18. AutoStar 19. Bubb le lev el compass 20.
8 Fig. 4a: Flip mirror control in the “up” position. Fig. 4b: Flip mirror control in the “do wn” position. ETX: Y our Per sonal Window to the Universe The Meade ETX-80A T is an extremely v ersatile, high-resolution telescope with f eatures similar to those once av ailable only with larger and more specialized imaging systems .
9 1% Focus Knob : Mov es the telescope’s objectiv e lens ( 10, Fig. 1 ) in a finely-controlled motion to f ocus an image. The ETX-80A T telescope can be focused on objects from a distance of about 17 ft. to infinity . Rotate the focus knob clockwise to f ocus on distant objects, and countercloc kwise to f ocus on nearby objects.
10 Fig. 5: #494 AutoStar Handbo x. T our the Cosmos with Just the Push of a Button Control of the ETX-80A T is through the operation of the standard-equipment #494 A utoStar . Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a fe w pushes of A utoStar’ s but- tons.
11 The A utoStar Computer Controller provides control of vir tually e very telescope function within a compact handbo x. A utoStar has soft-touch keys designed to ha ve a positive f eel. The LCD (Liquid Cr ystal Displa y) is backlit with a red LED (Light Emitting Diode) f or easy viewing in the dark.
12 H Speed/? Ke y : Pressing the Speed/? k ey cycles through the nine sle w speeds that move the telescope. Each time the Speed/? ke y is pressed briefly , the current slew speed is shown f or about two seconds on the display . See SLEW SPEEDS, page 15.
13 P arts Listing Getting the telescope ready f or first obser v ations requires only a f ew min utes. When first open- ing the packing bo x, note carefully the follo wing par ts: • The ETX Astro T elescope with fork mount system, built-in flip barlow .
14 8. Plug in the handbo x: Mak e sure that the computer control panel pow er switch is in the OFF position. Remove A utoStar from the packing materials and plug it into the HBX port. Flip the P ower Switch on the computer control panel to the ON position.
15 Manual Operation of the T elescope Using A utoStar's Arrow K eys Y ou may also observe land and astronomical objects using A utoStar's Arrow k eys . If you ha ve not already done so , prepare your telescope follo wing the steps descr ibed in TELESCOPE ASSEMBL Y, page 13.
16 NO TE: A utoStar requests the Countr y/State , City , and T elescope Model inf or mation only the first time A utoStar is activated. If you wish to change this inf or ma- tion, use the "Site" and "T elescope Model" options in the Setup menu.
17 7. Set Y our Location or Zip Code: The Location screen displa ys. This screen asks y ou if you wish to choose either the zip code of your observing location or the location ( i.e., entering the city and state or countr y of y our obser ving location).
18 Easy Alignment After you initializ e the system, A utoStar displays “Easy Align. ” The f astest and easiest wa y to star t observing with AutoStar is with Easy Alignment. During Easy Alignment, AutoStar automatically pic ks two alignment stars from its database of celestial objects.
19 4. Press ENTER. “Calculating” displa ys. Then “Saturn” and a set of coordinates displa ys. Satur n’s (and other planets’) coordinates change throughout the y ear . 5. Press GO TO . “Saturn: Slewing... ” displa ys and the telescope slews until it finds Saturn.
20 A UT OST AR MENUS T o night's Best H o w F ar is Far A Star's Life D o wnloaded T ours U s er-created T ours Solar System M e rcury Etc . M o on A s teroids C omets C onstellations A n dromeda Etc . Dee p S k y N amed Obj ect G ala x ies N e b ulae M e ssier Etc .
21 It is impor tant to understand that menu selections are set in a loop ( Fig. 19 ) . This means that pressing the Scroll Down k ey ( 6, Fig. 5 ) cycles do wn through all the availab le options within a giv en categor y , then retur ns to the first option.
22 T o Calculate Sunset time: 1. Press the MODE ke y sev eral times, until “Select Item: Object” is displa yed. 2. Press the Scroll Down k ey once to displa y the “Ev ent” option in the “Select Item” men u. 3. Press the ENTER ke y to choose the "Event" option and mov e down a lev el.
23 Object Menu Almost all obser ving with A utostar is performed using the Object menu categor y . ( NO TE: Exceptions include Guided T our and Landmar k Survey . ) See GO T O SA TURN , page 18, f or an e xample of obser ving using the Object menu. Also see T AKE A GUIDED T OUR , page 19.
24 Event Menu The Event men u provides access to dates and times of astronomical e vents. The Event data- base includes: Sunrise and Sunset calculates the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date. Find r ise and set times f or other dates by entering a new date into the “Setup: Date” menu.
25 Timer selects a countdown timer . This f eature is useful for functions such as astrophotograph y and trac king satellites. See OBSER VING SA TELLITES , page 29. T o use the Timer, press ENTER, then choose “Set” or “Star t/Stop ." N Set : Enter the time to be counted do wn, in hours, minutes , and seconds, then press ENTER.
26 Date changes the date used b y A utostar . This function is useful to check e vents in the past or future. For e xample, set the Date menu f or a da y three months in the future. Then check the "Select Item: Ev ent" menu for the Sunset time on that date .
27 N Quiet Slew : Sets the maximum slew rate to 1.5° f or quieter operation. N Max Elev ation : Allows you to enter a v alue in degrees that sets a limit as to how f ar the optical tube can s wing upward during a programmed sle w . (Note that it does not prev ent y ou from perf or ming a manual sle w past this limit.
28 T errestrial Observing The ETX-80A T makes an e xcellent high-resolution, terrestr ial (land) telescope. Viewing terres- trial objects requires looking along the Ear th's surface through heat w av es. These heat wa ves often cause degradation of image quality .
29 T wo-Star Alt/Az Alignment T wo-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky . AutoStar pro vides a database of bright stars and two stars from this database are chosen by the observer f or alignment. 1. P erform steps 1 thr ough 8 as described in the EASY ALIGNMENT PROCEDURE , page 18.
30 8. Use the Arrow k eys to center the object in the e yepiece to view the object. Satellite orbits change and new satellites (including the Space Shuttle) are launched. Visit the Meade website ( www .meade .com ) appro ximately once a month to get updated information and instructions on how to download this data to A utoStar .
31 6. With about 20 seconds left on the countdown timer , star t watching through the e yepiece for the satellite to enter the field of view . 7. When the satellite enters the field of view , press ENTER. The telescope starts to track with the satel- lite .
32 Fig 27: #827 Right-Angle Viewfinder . A wide assor tment of prof essional Meade accessories are av ailable f or the ETX-80A T . Meade accessories greatly extend man y impor tant applications to the telescope, from low-pow er , wide-field terrestrial viewing to high-pow er lunar and planetar y observing.
33 General Maintenance The ETX-80A T telescope is a precision optical instr ument designed to yield a lif etime of reward- ing applications. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, y our telescope will rarely require f actor y ser vicing or maintenance.
34 T roubleshooting The f ollowing suggestions ma y be helpful with operation of the ETX-80A T . The power indicator light on the telescope does not come on or there is no response when pressing A utoStar Arro w keys: • V er ify that the Computer Control P anel power s witch ( C, Fig.
35 Meade Customer Service If you ha ve a question concerning your ETX-80A T , contact the Meade Instr uments Customer Ser vice Department at: T elephone : (800) 626-3233 Customer Ser vice hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, P acific Time, Monday through F riday .
36 Although A utoStar's database contains more than 1400 objects (stars, neb ulae, planets, etc.) that you can observe , you ma y ev entually want to vie w objects that are not par t of the database. A utoStar provides a f eature that allows you to enter an object's R.
37 P olar Alignment The great majority of ETX-80A T owners will find it unnecessar y e ver to P olar align the telescope. With these ETX telescope models the standard-equip- ment A utostar controller allows the telescope to be used in the altazimuth (Alt/Az) orientation for all obser ving purpose.
38 e .g., the Declination of the Nor th Celestial P ole is +90°, with Declination South of the celestial equator indicated with a “–” sign, e.g.
39 UNITED ST A TES City State Latitude Albuquerque New Me xico 35° N Anchorage Alaska 61° N Atlanta Georgia 34° N Boston Massachusetts 42° N Chicago Illinois 42° N Clev eland Ohio 41° N Dallas T.
40 T rain the telescope motors using A utoStar . P erform this procedure after RESET or if you are e xper iencing any point- ing accuracy prob lems. Figure 33 depicts the complete Drive T raining procedure. Note: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive.
41 In the ear ly 17th centur y , Italian Scientist Galileo, using a crude telescope considerably small- er than the ETX-80A T , tur ned it to look tow ards the sky instead of distant trees and mountains. What he sa w , and what he realized about what he saw , fore ver changed the wa y mankind thought of the universe .
42 Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. T o locate the planets on a given da y or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and T elescope or Astronom y . Listed belo w are the best planets for vie wing through the ETX-80A T .
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Part no . 14-6882-00 07/00 (800) 626-3233 www .meade.com MEADE LIMITED W ARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted b y Meade Instruments Cor poration (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship f or a period of ONE YEAR from the date of or iginal purchase in the U .
Un punto importante, dopo l’acquisto del dispositivo (o anche prima di acquisto) è quello di leggere il manuale. Dobbiamo farlo per diversi motivi semplici:
Se non hai ancora comprato il Meade ETX-80AT-TC è un buon momento per familiarizzare con i dati di base del prodotto. Prime consultare le pagine iniziali del manuale d’uso, che si trova al di sopra. Dovresti trovare lì i dati tecnici più importanti del Meade ETX-80AT-TC - in questo modo è possibile verificare se l’apparecchio soddisfa le tue esigenze. Esplorando le pagine segenti del manuali d’uso Meade ETX-80AT-TC imparerai tutte le caratteristiche del prodotto e le informazioni sul suo funzionamento. Le informazioni sul Meade ETX-80AT-TC ti aiuteranno sicuramente a prendere una decisione relativa all’acquisto.
In una situazione in cui hai già il Meade ETX-80AT-TC, ma non hai ancora letto il manuale d’uso, dovresti farlo per le ragioni sopra descritte. Saprai quindi se hai correttamente usato le funzioni disponibili, e se hai commesso errori che possono ridurre la durata di vita del Meade ETX-80AT-TC.
Tuttavia, uno dei ruoli più importanti per l’utente svolti dal manuale d’uso è quello di aiutare a risolvere i problemi con il Meade ETX-80AT-TC. Quasi sempre, ci troverai Troubleshooting, cioè i guasti più frequenti e malfunzionamenti del dispositivo Meade ETX-80AT-TC insieme con le istruzioni su come risolverli. Anche se non si riesci a risolvere il problema, il manuale d’uso ti mostrerà il percorso di ulteriori procedimenti – il contatto con il centro servizio clienti o il servizio più vicino.
