If you are anxious to use your Meade LX200 Telescope for the first time, at the very least be sure to read Telescope Assembly and Quick Start sections of this manual. Thereafter, we urge you to read the balance of this manual thoroughly at your leisure, in order that you may fully enjoy the many features offered by the instrument.

4. Caution: All LX200 Owners
Serious damage to the drive gears may result from shock in handling, while transporting or commercially shipping the LX200, should the R.A. Lock (7, Fig. 3), and/or the Dec. Lock (2, Fig. 4) be left engaged. Always release the locks when storing in the case, or when crating for commercial shipment to allow the telescope to give, if the case or crate is sharply jarred or dropped.
Also, the optical and mechanical axes of all LX200 telescopes have been carefully aligned at the factory to ensure accurate object pointing. Do not loosen or remove the fork arms or optical tube assembly from the drive base; the resulting misalignment of the axes will result in inaccurate slewing of the telescope in the GOTO mode.

5. Caution: 10" and 12" LX200 Owners
Do not attempt to turn the focuser knob of the optical tube until you have read this note!
Next to the base of the focuser you will see a red-colored slotted head bolt. This bolt is used only for safety in shipment. Remove this bolt before attempting to turn the focuser knob. In its place, insert the rubber plug provided as a dust protector (this rubber plug is included with your hardware package).
Your focuser is now operational.
Warning! The 10" and 12" LX200 should never be commercially shipped without this red-colored bolt in place. This is essential during commercial transport where rough handling may occur. For your personal transport and storage, you will never have to use this bolt again.

a. TO COMMERCIALLY RE-SHIP THE 10" OR 12" LX200, BE SURE TO FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE:
1. Turn the focuser knob clockwise until it stops. This will bring the primary mirror all the way back in the tube.
2. Remove the rubber plug and insert the red-headed bolt. Thread it in to a firm snug feel. Do not overtighten. (If you have misplaced the red-headed bolt, you may use any other bolt that is 1/4-20x1" long.
3. When packaging the 10" or 12" LX200, be sure to release the R.A. Lock (7, Fig. 3), and Dec. Lock (2, Fig. 3), to prevent shock to the gears in the motor assemblies should the package suffer severe handling.
Please note that commercial shipment of the 10" and 12" LX200 Telescope without the safety bolt in place and packed in the original factory supplied shipping containers as described above is done at the owner's risk and your warranty may be voided if shipping damage results.

6. Keypad Version Number
The current keypad version is 3.20 (see sticker on back of keypad). This does not indicate the telescope software versionwhich is displayed on the keypad LED at power-up.
C. TELESCOPE ASSEMBLY
Use the following steps to assemble your telescope. Note: Section headings list which LX200 model (7", 8", 10" or 12") is covered under that heading.

1. The Field Tripod (7", 8", 10" and 12" LX200 Models)
The Field Tripods (Figs. 1 and 2) for Meade 8", 10", and 12" LX200 telescopes are supplied as completely assembled units, except for the spreader bar (4, Fig. 1) and the 6 lock knobs (2 knobs for each of the 3 tripod legs) used to adjust the height of the tripod. These knobs are packed separately for safety in shipment.
For visual (i.e. non-photographic) observations, the drive base (17, Fig. 3) of the telescope's fork mount is attached directly to the field tripod. The telescope in this way is mounted in an "Altazimuth" ("Altitude-Azimuth," or "vertical-horizontal") format. The telescope in this configuration moves along vertical and horizontal axes, corresponding respectively to the Declination and Right Ascension axes (explained later in this manual) in an astronomical observing mode.
Alternately, the field tripod can be used in conjunction with the appropriate optional equatorial wedge (see Appendix A for instructions of the use of the equatorial wedge) for long exposure astrophotography. The equatorial wedge permits alignment of the telescope's Polar Axis with the Celestial Pole (or North Star).

1. If the tripod does not seem to extend or collapse easily, do not force the tripod legs in or out. By following the instructions above, the tripod will function properly, but if you are unclear on the proper procedure, forcing the tripod into an incorrect position may damage the extension strut system.
2. Do not overtighten the 6 lock-knobs used to fix the inner tripod leg sections at various heights. "Firm feel" tightening is sufficient.
3. Be sure the spreader bar (4, Fig. 1) is not upside-down on the threaded rod.

The R.A. Slow-Motion Control Knob may be turned, if desired, with the R.A. Lock in a "partially locked" position. In this way, a comfortable "drag" in R.A. is created. But do not attempt to operate the R.A. Slow-Motion Control Knob with the telescope fully locked in R.A., as such operation may result in damage to the internal gear system.
Releasing the Declination Lock Knob (2, Fig. 4), permits sweeping the telescope rapidly through wide angles in Declination.
To use the Declination fine-adjust, or Manual Slow-Motion Knob, lock the telescope in Declination using the Declination Lock Knob (2, Fig. 4), and turn the Declination Slow-Motion Knob (1, Fig. 4).
With the above mechanical operations in mind, select an easy to find terrestrial object as your first telescope subject -- for example, a house or building perhaps one-half mile distant.
Unlock the Declination Lock Knob (2, Fig. 4), and R.A. Lock (7, Fig. 3), center the object in the telescopic field of view and then re-lock the Dec. and R.A. locks. Precise image centering is accomplished by using the Dec. and R.A. slow motion controls.
The Focus Knob (5, Fig. 3) is located at the "4 o'clock" position as you face the rear cell of the telescope. Focusing is accomplished internally by a precise motion of the telescope primary mirror so that, as you turn the focus knob, there are no externally moving parts. You will find that if you turn the focus knob counter-clockwise you are focusing towards the infinity setting, and turning clockwise is for close distance. There are about 45 complete turns to go from one end of focus to the other, and it is possible to focus past infinity. Be patient during focusing as images quickly go in and out of focus with only a slight amount of turning of the focus knob.
Before using the telescope manually during the daytime, be sure to read "Daytime Slewing."
2. Using the LX200 In Land
The 7", 8", 10", and 12" LX200 telescopes are shipped with the microprocessor set to Land, the align menu option you will wish to use to view terrestrial objects. In this menu option 4 different motion speeds are active, allowing the telescope to be moved electronically by means of the Keypad. To use the telescope in Land, follow these steps.
1. Loosen the Dec. Lock Knob (2, Fig. 4) and position the optical tube assembly approximately level, so that the Dec. Circle (3, Fig. 3) reads 0°. Retighten the Dec. Lock Knob.
2. Loosen the R.A. Lock (7, Fig. 3) and rotate the telescope so that the R.A. Pointer (9, Fig. 3) and the Hour Angle (HA) Pointer (16, Fig. 3) are approximately in line with each other. This will position the fork arms so that they are parallel to the Power Panel (11, Fig. 3). Tighten the R.A. lock
The above two steps are not necessary for the telescope to work, so don't worry about having to get it exactly right. The telescope has some "illegal" positions, places where the telescope will not go and these two steps insure proper operation.
3. After setting up the telescope, plug in both coil cords with the Keypad, one of the supplied power sources, either the AC Wall Adapter Power Converter (for AC current wall outlets), or the optional DC Cigarette Lighter Power Cord (used in an automobile's cigarette lighter outlet, with the ignition turned on only to allow the electric power on from the car battery).

4. Turn on the power switch on the Power Panel of the LX200. The Keypad Display (1, Fig. 5) will show "MEADE" for several seconds as the microprocessor does a self-diagnostic test. When the self-diagnostic test is complete, the display will show "TELESCOPE" on the top line, "OBJECT LIBRARY" on the lower line, and the red LED light next to the "SLEW" button will light up.
5. At this point, the LX200 is ready to use. Select the speed at which you want to move the telescope by pressing the appropriate Speed Selection Key (4, Fig. 5). Note that you will be able to "see" the telescope move only in the SLEW and FIND modes; CNTR (center) and GUIDE motions can only be seen while looking through the telescope. The red LED next to that key (3, Fig. 5) will light, indicating the speed selected. Then press one of the four direction keys (2, Fig. 5) to move the telescope in that direction at the selected speed.
The LX200 can also be moved manually with the R.A. and Dec. locks released, or as described above only. The Declination Manual Slow-Motion Knob (1, Fig.4) is non-functional when power is supplied to the telescope. When the power is "on", only use the N, S, E, and W keys on the Keypad Hand Controller. Serious damage can occur to the internal gears of the motor assembly if the Declination Manual Slow-Motion Knob is turned even a slight amount by hand.
Before using the telescope during the daytime, be sure to read "Daytime Slewing."
3. Using the LX200 In Altazimuth (ALTAZ)
The two quick start methods described above allow you to use the telescope, but do not make use of any of the computer features available, including finding objects from the Object Library and automatic tracking of stars. In order for these features to work, the telescope's power needs to be "on", and the computer needs some basic information, which is entered through the Keypad. Once entered, the information is permanently remembered by the telescope's computer and need never be entered again, even if the telescope is turned "on" and "off" many times.
This section will explain what keys to push to get the minimum data required into the computer, without any detailed explanation. Later, see Section G, LX200 Modes for detailed instructions. These steps will only take a few minutes and will allow you to begin making use of all the LX200 features. Note also, much of this information can be skipped if using the UNKNOWN site.
a. Entering Basic Information
In order for the LX200 to make the conversions between the stellar coordinate system (R.A. and Declination) and the Altazimuth coordinate system (Altitude and Azimuth), it needs to know three pieces of information. This information only needs to be entered one time--the LX200 remembers the data even when the power is off.

1) Latitude and Longitude of the Observing Site.
NOTE: The SITE information cannot be entered if the telescope is in LAND mode. If the telescope is in LAND mode, the SITE menu option (Display 2, below) will appear in lower case letters. Follow steps 4-8 to change the telescope's operation to Altazimuth (ALTAZ) mode before proceeding.
You should find the position of your observing site to within 1 or 2 minutes of arc in both latitude and longitude. Many automobile, pilot, and topographical maps, as well as most atlases show latitude and longitude in 15 minute increments or better. The accuracy of the LX200 will depend on how close you get, so take a little time to get as accurate as you can.
Once the above information is determined, it can be entered into the telescope. It is easiest to enter the data with the telescope sitting on a table indoorsdo not try to do it outside at night.
Each step below is given without any details or explanations to keep the process as simple and fast as possible. Next to each step will also be a sample of what the Keypad Hand Controller display (1, Fig. 5) should look like after each step.
As an example, we will enter the data for Costa Mesa, CA (LAT=33°35', LONG=117°42'). If at any time you get "lost," simply turn off the telescope and restart this procedure.
1. Turn the telescope on. After a few seconds (after the self-diagnostic test is complete), the display will look like Display 1.
2. Press the ENTER key. This selects the TELESCOPE functions. The display should look like Display 2.
3. Press the ENTER key. This selects the SITE functions. The display should look like Display 3.
4. Press and Hold the ENTER key until the Keypad Hand Controller beeps. This selects the first site for editing. The display should look like Display 4, with the first "A" flashing.
5. Press the ENTER key. The display should look like Display 5.
6. Use the number keys to enter your Latitude. The underline designates the current cursor position. Mistakes can be corrected by moving back (using the "E" and "W" keys). A negative latitude can be entered by positioning the cursor under the "+" and hitting the "NEXT" key (lower right-hand key). When the Latitude is correct, press ENTER. The display will look like Display 6.
7. Use the number keys to enter your Longitude as above. When complete, the display will look like Display 7.
8. Press ENTER to complete the site information input. The display will go back to Display 3.
9. Press MODE to go back to Display 2.
10. Press MODE again to go back to Display 1.
It is important to note that the longitude standard used in the LX200 starts at 0 degrees in Greenwich U.K. and increases Westerly only to 359 degrees 59 minutes. Many maps will show Easterly longitudes which cannot be entered into the Keypad Display. As an example, if your map indicates that you are at an Easterly longitude of 18 degrees 27 minutes, then you would enter 341 degrees 33 minutes.
Do not concern yourself with differences in longitude and latitude as they pertain to different map spheroid projections, those minor differences are too small to adversely affect the longitude and latitude data input.

2) Local Time and Date.
The local time should be set as accurately as possible, using the 24 hour format. The local time and date are used to determine sidereal time (star time) and the pointing accuracy of the telescope will depend on the accuracy of the time entered. Choose a reliable source as a reference for accurate time such as your local airport, or telephone company. In the U.S.A. you can double check the accuracy of the exact minutes by dialing WWV for the universal coordinated time at (303) 499-7111 (be sure to enter your local time hour information, not the U.T. hour). For the example, we will use 4:25:00 P.M. on Jan. 15, 1992.
1. The display should look like Display 1. If it does not, press the MODE key until it does.
2. Press the MODE key twice. The display will look like Display 8, but with a random LOCAL and SIDE times.
3. Press and HOLD the ENTER key until the Keypad Hand Controller beeps (display like Display 9).
4. Using the number keys, enter the current local time to within 5 seconds. (Remember, 4:25:00 P.M. is 16:25:00 in the 24 hour format.) Corrections can be made by moving the flashing cursor using the W and E keys. The display should look like Display 10.
5. Press the ENTER key when the time is correct. The display will change to Display 11.
The next step is to enter the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone shift. (This procedure is a lot easier than it sounds.) Simply look up your time zone in the table below to find the GMT time zone shift.

Table 1: U.S.A. Time Zones

Use the top row during Standard Time and the bottom row during Daylight Savings Time.
For example: You live in the Pacific Time Zone and you are on Daylight Savings Time. The GMT time zone shift is +7 hours.
6. Use the number keys to enter the GMT time zone shift determined from the table above. Press ENTER when done; the display will go back to Display 8. If you are using the LX200 East of Greenwich U.K., then you must enter a - (minus) GMT time zone shift by moving the blinking cursor backwards in the display with the W key and then pressing the NEXT key. The + (plus) sign will change to - (minus). Use the number keys to enter the Westerly (+) GMT time zone shift determined from the table above or your calculated Easterly (-) time zone shift.

7. Press the ENTER key. This will select the DATE display (Display 12), with a random date showing.
8. Press and Hold the ENTER key until the Keypad Hand Controller beeps. The display will look like Display 13, with the blinking cursor over the first number.
9. Use the number keys to enter the current date. The display should look like Display 14. Use the W and E keys to move the blinking cursor left and right to correct any mistakes.
10. Press the ENTER key when the date is correct.
After you press the ENTER key, the Keypad Hand Controller will display "Updating planetary data". The position of the planets depends on the date, so anytime the date is changed, the planet positions are recalculated.
This is all the information the LX200 needs to make use of all features. The next steps actually align the telescope with the night sky.

b. Setting Up the Telescope
After the basic information has been entered into the telescope, the telescope is ready to actually set-up and use. Follow Section A: Telescope Assembly to setup the telescope outside, and follow these steps:
1. Using the Bubble Level (15, Fig. 3) located on the telescope's drive base, level the telescope. Position the drive base so that the power panel faces North (i.e. to view the power panel, you must face South.)
2. Loosen the Dec. Lock Knob (2, Fig. 4 ) and position the optical tube assembly approximately level (so that the Dec. Circle (3, Fig. 3) reads 0°. Retighten the Dec. Lock Knob.
3. Loosen the R.A. Lock (7 Fig. 3) and rotate the telescope so that the R.A. Pointer (9, Fig. 3) and the Hour Angle (HA) Pointer (16, Fig. 3) are approximately in line with each other. This will position the fork arms so that they are parallel to the Power Panel (11, Fig. 3). Lock the R.A. lock.

Steps 2 and 3 above, are not necessary for the telescope to work, so don't worry about having to get it exactly right. The telescope has some "illegal" positions (places where the telescope will not go) and these two steps ensure proper operation.
4. Turn the telescope on. After a few seconds (after the self-diagnostic test is complete), the display will look like Display 15.
5. Press the ENTER key. This selects the TELESCOPE functions. The display should look like Display 16.
6. Press the NEXT key. This will move the arrow to the lower line (see Display 17).
7. Press the ENTER key to select the ALIGN function. The display will look like Display 18. (If the display looks like Display 19 - with a checkmark already next to ALTAZ, go to step 9.)
8. Press the ENTER key to activate the ALTAZ mode. The Keypad Hand Controller will beep and display a checkmark next to the ALTAZ (see Display 19).
9. Press the ENTER key to use the checked mode (ALTAZ). The Keypad Hand Controller display will look like Display 20.
10. If you have not already leveled the telescope, do so now. When the telescope is level, select 1 STAR or 2 STAR alignment. The display will look like Display 21.
11. This message simply reminds you what you should do next. Press ENTER to show a display like Display 22.
12. Using the monthly star charts in Appendix C, pick an alignment star. Look at the chart for the current month and face the direction indicated. The constellations shown are easily found -- even in the city. The charts are approximately 90 degrees wide, with the top of the chart indicating straight up. If the time is after 9:00 P.M., then use the next month's chart. Once you identify the constellation, pick any of the labeled stars that is not within a 10 degree radius of overhead, but do not choose Polaris, for reasons made clear below. Polaris is also known as the North Star, and is shown for reference only.

Table 2: Object Library Planet Legend

If the planet is too close to the Sun for safe viewing (closer than 15 degrees) the Keypad will display a message to that effect.

3) Daytime Slewing
Some amateurs may want to use the slewing feature of the LX200 to locate the planets or other astronomical objects during the daytime. If not done correctly, this can be very dangerous.
The LX200 "knows" where the planets are in relation to the Sun, but the telescope does not "know" where the Sun actually is. When the GO TO button is pushed, the telescope will slew to the object by the most direct route, which may move directly over the Sun. Use extreme caution before using the GO TO feature of the telescope to locate objects in the daytime! Looking into the telescope or viewfinder, even for the shortest fraction of a second, with sunlight entering the optics, will cause instant and irreversible eye damage. The telescope itself may also suffer serious damage if it is pointed at or near the Sun.
A responsible adult should supervise every aspect of telescope operation when children are observing in the daytime.
Use the following procedure to safely locate objects during the daytime, whether by manual slewing, using the N,E,W,S keys, or using the GO TO key:
1. Before allowing the telescope to move, place the dust covers on the main telescope and viewfinder (or remove the viewfinder from the telescope completely). This will keep the Sun's damaging light out of the telescope should it move across the Sun.
2. Press the GO TO button or manually move the telescope.
3. After the telescope has stopped moving, visually check the telescope's position to be sure it is not pointing near the Sun. If there is any question in your mind that the telescope may be pointing at or near the Sun, do not look through the telescope.
4. Only when you are absolutely convinced that the telescope is pointing away from the Sun should you remove the telescope's dust cover and observe the object.
5. Above all, be careful and use common sense. Observing the Sun, even for the shortest fraction of a second, will cause instant and irreversible eye damage.

E. THE LX200 KEYPAD HAND CONTROLLER
Designed to make you a better astronomer, the integration of optics, mechanics, electronics, and software in the LX200 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope is easily mastered, so easy, in fact that the telescope becomes a natural extension of the observer.
The LX200 gives you virtually every telescope function possible with every control in a compact hand held console. The red LED backlit Keypad has tactile touch buttons (some of which are brighter than others), designed to have the right feel even if you wear gloves. Its red LED backlit display, key arrangement, and easy to understand information allow you to focus the telescope and your mind on the subject at hand.
The LX200 Keypad Hand Controller is a dual axis drive corrector with periodic error control, an information display center for the computerized library, a digital coordinate readout system, a pulsing, illuminated reticle eyepiece brightness controller, a two speed electric focuser controller, and a red LED flashlight!
You will find within a few minutes of powering up the LX200 that the Keypad becomes warm, which is normal for the system. The electronics utilize a heat sink as a means to provide the right operating environment temperature for the LCD display even in sub-zero weather. If you are indeed in these colder conditions, the display may not be visible until the Keypad has transferred enough heat. This process can take a few minutes upon powering up the telescope. While severe cold weather is not damaging to the electronics, it is advised to keep the Keypad in a warmer area to allow immediate proper display performance.

The LX200 Keypad buttons are described as follows:
1. ENTER Key
The ENTER key (1, Fig. 6) is used to select a menu file, a file option, or to edit a value. To select a file or an option, press and release the ENTER key. The LX200 will give a short beep tone and perform the action that you have requested. To edit a value, press and hold the ENTER key until a double beep tone is heard and a blinking cursor appears in the display. There are some other specific situations where the ENTER key is used. These are described in detail where necessary. From now on, the two types of presses will be called 'press' and 'press and hold'.

2. MODE Key
The MODE key (2, Fig. 6) cycles through the five modes of the LX200, and is used to exit from specific menu files.

3. GO TO Key
The GO TO key (3, Fig. 6) causes the LX200 to automatically slew to specific library entry coordinates. The GO TO key also produces a blinking cursor in the GO TO menu file of the COORDINATES/ GO TO mode, to allow new Right Ascension and Declination coordinates to be entered.

4. Direction Keys
Labeled N,S,E, and W, ( 4, Fig. 6) these four keys make the LX200 move, or slew, in a specific direction, with an option of four different speeds, explained later. During entry to change a value, the E and W keys can be used to move the blinking cursor back and forth across the LCD display, so that if an error is made during entry, it can be erased and changed.
The remaining twelve keys have multiple functions, there are up and down arrow keys and numbered keys from 0 through 9. Each one of these keys also has alternate functions listed above the arrow symbols and numbers. The ALT LED light is only visible when entering numerical data. A description of the individual keys follows:

5. Speed Keys (SLEW, FIND, CENTER, and GUIDE)
These keys (6, Fig. 6) allow you to set the rate of movement or slew speed in the drives of the LX200, as activated by the N, S, E, and W keys. The chosen rate is indicated by the speed indicator illuminated LED beside the rate key that you have pressed. The speed rates are SLEW (for the 7", 8" and 10" telescopes, it is 8 degrees per second, for the 12" telescope, it is 6° per second), FIND (2 degrees per second), CNTR (32X sidereal rate), and GUIDE (2X sidereal rate).
NOTE: All of the slew speeds will drive the LX200 in all four directions, except for GUIDE. The 2X sidereal speed in GUIDE has one difference in that it will not interrupt the Right Ascension tracking direction to make Easterly (for Northern hemisphere) or Westerly (for Southern hemisphere) adjustments; it will merely slow down the tracking drive to one half its normal speed. You will find, however, that the slower drive will move the image opposite of the tracking direction, without disturbing the smooth drive action. This performance is absolutely essential when making astrophotographs.
Also note that on DC power sources, the top speed of 8 degrees per second (7", 8" and 10" telescopes) and 6 degrees per second (12" telescopes) is slightly slower. Guiding and tracking rate speeds, are however, unaffected.
SLEW, FIND, CENTER, and GUIDE keys also have numbers listed 7, 4, 1, and 0 respectively. When editing a value, the multiple function of each of these keys is realized. SLEW and FIND are also used to set the 'fast' focus speed for the electric focuser accessory option*, while CNTR and GUIDE set the'slow' focus speed. There are other special functions for the CNTR and GUIDE keys that are discussed in the RET KEY operations.

6. RET Key
Typically used for guiding the LX200 during an astrophotograph, the RET key (5, Fig. 6) is used to change the brightness and pulse rate of the optional corded style illuminated reticle eyepiece*. Pressing either the PREV and NEXT (up and down arrow) keys while holding down the RET key, alters the reticle brightness level up or down.
When guiding on very faint stars, you may find it helpful to pulse the light from the LED so that the reticle crosshairs blink on and off. You will be able to adjust the reticle brightness as well as adjust the pulse rates. There are three pulse rates that can be used, all with a one second pulse interval. The continuous illumination control and pulse rates are set by holding down the RET key and pressing one of the following keys; GUIDE (100% on, no pulsing), CNTR (50% on, 50% off), MAP (25% on, 75% off), CNGC (10% on, 90% off).

7. FOCUS Key
The FOCUS key (9, Fig. 6) allows 2 speed electric focus control of the optional Meade #1206 Electric Focuser* (or equivalent corded electric focusers such as the Meade Model #1200A). To activate, press either the SLEW or FIND key (for fast focusing), or the CNTR or GUIDE key (for slow focusing), press and hold the FOCUS key, and then press and hold the PREV or NEXT keys for near and far focus.

8. MAP Key
The Map key (11, Fig. 6) turns on and off the red LED 'flashlight' that is located at the top of the Keypad. The deep red LED light will protect your night vision while you search for a particular accessory or examine a star chart.

9. Object Keys (M, STAR, and CNGC)
These keys (10, Fig. 6) allow direct access to the LX200's Object Library any time that you are not editing a value or setting a parameter, or selecting a file menu. Use the Object keys when you are at a "top level" of a mode. After pressing one of these keys, the Keypad's display will give a blinking cursor, allowing you to enter the catalog number for objects listed in the library (see Appendix D. 64,359-Object Library). After entry press the ENTER key. To see the entered object press the GO TO key. A brief description of the catalog key symbols are; M (Messier objects), STAR (stars and planets), and CNGC (Computerized New General Catalog).

10. PREV AND NEXT Keys
The PREV and NEXT (up and down arrow) keys (12, Fig. 6) move the display LCD arrow up and down the menu files and menu file options, so that you may choose an individual selection to enter. These keys are also used when adjusting the RET brightness range, or when activating the electric focuser. PREV and NEXT work as well to select the objects from the Object Library when using START FIND.
F. THE LX200 POWER PANEL

The power panel incorporates a power switch and LED indicators showing power on with a current ammeter to show power draw. There is also a N/S switch for Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere use.
The Power Panel has all of the connectors for the AC or DC power input, the DEC Motor, and the Keypad. There are connectors designed to accept optional accessories such as a CCD autoguiding camera, the optional Meade Encoders* that will update the Keypad even if you move the LX200 manually (not using the N, S, E, W keys), the optional Meade #1206 Electric Focuser*, and an illuminated reticle eyepiece*. There is even a connector for RS-232 communication that will allow you to perform every function of the Keypad from your personal computer. An illustration and a description of the LX200 Power Panel features follows:
1. ON/ OFF Switch
When the ON/ OFF Switch (7, Fig. 7) is moved to the ON position, the power light indicator, the Current Ammeter, and the Keypad all light up. You will hear the drive motors rev which momentarily pegs the Ammeter, then the drive motors shift to a slower speed which allows the RA worm gear to find its' centering position for calibrating the Smart Drive, then resuming to an even slower tracking speed. The Keypad Display reads 'Meade LX200', then the version of the software is indicated briefly before defaulting to the TELESCOPE/ OBJECT LIBRARY. Within 15 seconds, the planetary orbital calculations with their corresponding apparent sizes and magnitudes, and current stellar precession calculations are made. Every computer function is checked, and the LX200 diagnostics is complete.

2. N/S Switch
The recessed N/S Switch (8, Fig. 7) converts the LX200 for operation in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, making the drive reverse its' tracking direction. Before power up, the appropriate N or S switch position should be made, as the LX200 will not recognize a change made on the N/S switch afterwards. Use a pen or small tool to slide the switch appropriately. Be sure before you travel across the equator, that you are setting the proper + or - latitude SITE entry for your final destination.

3. Ammeter
The Ammeter display (1, Fig. 7) is a series of vertical red LED bars. Each bar that is fully lit represents 0.1 ampere (100 milli-amperes) of current draw. The LED Ammeter represents its' lowest value on the extreme left of the scale. During normal tracking speeds, the Ammeter will show about four fully lit LED bars and at times a fifth that is partially lit, indicating about 400 to 450 milliamps or 0.4 to 0.45 amps of current draw (when a slew in initiated, the ammeter will peg the scale momentarily showing the inertia load, this effect is entirely normal). The current draw information can be useful if you are trying to calculate how much battery life you will have during an observing run. As an example, if the ammeter has four bars lit, indicating 0.4 amps and you are using a 12 amp hour battery, then to know the approximate number of hours of life the battery would yield, you would divide 12 by 0.4 indicating a battery life of 30 hours.

4. DEC Motor Connector
The DEC Motor Port (11, Fig. 7) is an 8 pin phone jack connector socket, designed to accept standard 8 pin phone jack coil cords. One end of the supplied coil cord plugs in to the Power Panel and the other plugs into the DEC MOTOR socket in the right fork arm to power the declination motor.
5. CCD Connector
The CCD Port (10, Fig. 7) allows direct interface from popular aftermarket CCD autoguiding/imaging cameras with their compatible connecting cables to accomplish autoguiding for non-attended astrophotography. The CCD cameras effectively watch a star and detect slight movements. When star movements are detected, signals from the CCD electronics make drive corrections in the LX200, to bring the star to a home position.
Most CCD autoguiding/imaging cameras are supplied with a cable which is compatible with the LX200 port. If your CCD unit does not have a cable, one can be obtained from the CCD manufacturer, or you can make your own cable using the following table of information.

6. Power 12vDC Connector
The Power 12v DC connector (9, Fig. 7) is designed to accept either the AC Converter that is supplied as standard equipment with the LX200 or the DC Power Cord that is available as optional equipment. The acceptable voltage range (under load) is from 12 to 18 volts.

7. Keypad Connector
The Keypad connector (6, Fig. 7) is a 4 pin phone jack connector socket, designed to accept standard 4 pin phone jack coil cords. One end of the supplied coil cord plugs into the Keypad port, the other end plugs into the LX200 Keypad.

8. Reticle Connector
The Reticle connector (5, Fig. 7) accepts optional accessory corded, plug in style illuminated reticle eyepieces such as the Meade 12mm Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece, or the Meade Series 4000 Plössl 9mm Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece (corded style)*, to allow brightness control and on/ off pulsing rates to be set from the LX200 Keypad.

9. Focuser Connector
The Focuser connector (4, Fig. 7) accepts optional accessory corded, plug in style electric focusers such as the Meade #1206 Electric Focuser*, to allow electric focus adjustment control from the LX200 Keypad.

10. RS-232 Connector
The RS-232 connector (2, Fig. 7) allows personal computer interface to allow communications at 9600 baud to access every feature of the LX200 Keypad. In Appendix F of this manual is a wiring schematic to make your own RS-232 connector cord, a cord test program, a demonstration program, and the LX200 Command Set for writing programs. Meade Instruments supplies this information for professional programmers. Meade Instruments Corporation does not offer support or advice for writing software for the RS-232 option.

11. Aux Connector
The Auxiliary connector (3, Fig. 7) is used for the 7" Maksutov fan power.

When you select the ALTAZ alignment mode, the display will give you two options: 1-Star or 2-Star alignment. If you select the 1-Star alignment (by pressing the "1" key), the alignment routine is exactly the same as the procedure described earlier.
b. 2-Star at Known SITE
To use the 2-Star alignment procedure at a known site, follow these steps:
(1) Select the 2-Star alignment (by pressing the "2" key); the Keypad display will prompt you to level the tripod. This leveling step requires a rough level only and, unlike the 1-Star alignment routine, does not affect the pointing accuracy of the telescope. (See Section d. below for a summary of the differences in telescope operation when selecting each of the three alignment procedures.)
(2) After leveling the base and pressing ENTER, follow the Keypad display prompts to select the first alignment star. Slew to that star using the N, S, E, W keys. (3) Follow the Keypad display prompts to choose and center the the second alignment star. Be sure to use the Keypad to slew to the second star. After pressing the ENTER key in the last step, the Keypad display should show the TELESCOPE / OBJECT LIBRARY screen.
The LX200 calculates the distance between the two stars that you chose in the alignment steps and compares this to the distance that you actually slewed the telescope. This is a check to be sure you centered the correct stars during the alignment steps. Should the LX200 discover a discrepancy, the Keypad will display an "Align Mismatch - Check Stars" message. If you get this message after aligning the telescope, check that you are using the correct stars and align again.

Whenever using either of the two 2-Star alignment procedures (at a known SITE or at an UNKNOWN SITE), choosing the proper two stars will determine the pointing accuracy of the telescope. Choose two stars that are not too close together--try to use stars that are at least 90° apart. Do not use Polaris as one of the stars because RA changes very fast at the Pole and minor centering errors can translate to large RA pointing errors. Also, avoid stars near the zenith (straight up) since azimuth changes very fast in this area. Generally speaking, choosing two stars as far apart as possible will yield very accurate pointing.

Table 4: Alignment Methods

b) POLAR
POLAR allows you to use the LX200 mounted on its' optional Equatorial Wedge (see Appendix A) for long exposure astrophotography as well as visual work. With the LX200 powered up, the POLAR file option selected, the Field Tripod leveled, the telescope should be adjusted so that the Declination Setting Circle (3, Fig. 3) is set to 90 degrees (see Fig. 4), and to the 00 hour angle (HA) in Right Ascension (in this position, the Viewfinder (Fig. 3) is up-side down, the R.A. Pointer (9, Fig. 3), the 00 line of the R.A. Setting Circle (10, Fig. 3), and the Hour Angle Pointer (16, Fig. 3) match up), you are ready to start. (If you do not start at the 00 H.A. position, the telescope it will point to the ground instead of the sky, when the Keypad display chooses its' second star.) Press the ENTER key and the LX200 will determine and slew to the precise off-set of the pole star in Declination and Right Ascension.
At this point you need only aim the instrument at the pole star (see Appendix B, section 3. Precise Polar Alignment if the pole star is not visible) and center it in the eyepiece field using only the Altitude and Azimuth adjustments on the Equatorial Wedge (see Appendix A). Once done, you again press the ENTER key and the LX200 will choose and slew to a very bright star that is overhead and can usually be seen in the field of view of the viewfinder. At this point, center the bright star using only the Right Ascension and Declination adjustments of the telescope (either manually by loosening the locks only or electrically), then press ENTER. You can now access every every function of the LX200 including the Smart Drive.
c) Refined Polar Alignment
Astrophotographers routinely require polar alignments of the highest accuracy for the finest guiding characteristics. Your initial polar alignment can be refined by using the LX200's electronics by using a slightly different method in POLAR menu option. The routine outlined below should be performed in two or three 15 minute intervals. At each interval the telescope will slew to the area where the pole star should be centered in the optics. You may find that the pole star is somewhat off-center in the eyepiece showing the alignment error that may have been made during your initial setup. Re-center the pole star during each interval exercise using the Equatorial Wedge adjustments only (see Appendix A) in Altitude and Azimuth, then follow the rest of the routine.
Return to the POLAR menu option in the TELESCOPE mode and press the ENTER key.
Ignore the Keypad display instructions to return the telescope to 90 degrees in Declination and 00 HA. Instead, press the GOTO key and the LX200 will slew to the calculated position of where the pole star should be.
Re-center the pole star in the field of view in the eyepiece using only the adjustments on the Equatorial Wedge (see Appendix A) in Altitude and Azimuth.
Press the ENTER key, and the LX200 will once again slew to a bright star overhead. Center this star using the N,S,E, or W keys and press ENTER. Note: Pressing the MODE key at any point in the alignment routine will abort the routine and exit to the top menu.
After each 15 minute interval you will find that the pole star becomes more accurately centered each time. You can repeat the intervals as often as you like to obtain the highest accuracy. An optional illuminated reticle crosshair eyepiece* makes the job of centering the star easy.
There may be situations when it is impossible to see the pole star due to something blocking your line of sight. In such an occasion, just press the ENTER key next to the POLAR option so that it has a check next to it and follow the Precise Polar Alignment instructions in Appendix B to this manual. You will require the use of an illuminated reticle crosshair eyepiece* to complete the task. Once finished, follow the steps in The Permanently Mounted, Polar Aligned LX200 section to access the Object Library.
d) The Permanently Mounted, Polar Aligned LX200
For those who will permanently mount the LX200 in an observatory, or wish to use the already polar aligned telescope for several nights in succession, it is recommended that a high-precision polar alignment be made with one of the methods described above. Once done, however, you need not bother yourself to go through a polar alignment routine on successive nights, provided that you do not move the instrument's Equatorial Wedge or Field Tripod, to access the Object Library and enjoy near perfect tracking.
To bypass the polar alignment sequence, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Return to the POLAR menu option and place a check next to it by pressing the ENTER key.
2. Then directly enter the catalog number of an object that you are familiar with in the sky by pressing the M, STAR, or CNGC key (see Appendix D. for a listing of the 64,359 Object Library) and press the ENTER key again.
3. Manually center the familiar object in the eyepiece of the telescope.
4. Press and hold the ENTER key until the display reads 'Coordinates matched'.
5. You have now synchronized the Object Library and the LX200 will correctly access every other object in the sky.
e) LAND
The LAND menu option transforms the ALTAZ (Altazimuth) mounted LX200 into an electric slewing spotting scope. In this mode, continuous tracking is canceled and all of the celestial pertinent modes and menus are non-functional, showing lower case lettering in the displays and a beep tone if you try to enter one of them.
The LX200 will slew at any one of the four speeds of SLEW, FIND, CNTR, and GUIDE as activated by pressing the appropriately marked keys on the extreme left of the Keypad display. Altazimuth coordinate readings can still be displayed in the coordinates mode (see MODE 2 in this section). Refer to section D. Quick Start in this manual for the LAND menu option, for full operating procedures. You will also find that the addition of the Meade #928 45 Degree Erect Image Prism or the Meade #924 Porro Prism* instead of the standard supplied star diagonal prism, will give the normal right side up and left to right views that you are accustomed to when using a spotting scope.
3) SMART
The SMART menu file controls the Smart Drive and allows you to train almost all of the periodic error from the Right Ascension drive worm gear (errors induced by tiny gear imperfections that tend to slightly speed up or slow down the drive tracking speed, that occur in a regular 8 minute pattern, or for every rotation of the worm) for greatly enhancing the tracking characteristics or the amount of East and West drift of your LX200. This greatly simplifies guiding during astrophotography. The menu also has provisions for correcting Declination drift. Smart Drive will retain the training given to the R/A drive, even after the telescope is turned off. There is of course a way to erase any training given to it at your command.
The SMART menu has five options. They are; LEARN, UPDATE, ERASE, DEC LEARN, and DEC CORRECT. To use the Smart Drive, the LX200 must be mounted with the optional Equatorial Wedge (see Appendix A), equipped with an illuminated reticle eyepiece*, and used in the POLAR align menu selection. Be sure to train the Smart Drive in the 60.1 Hz Quartz setting that the LX200 will be automatically set at power up. Thereafter, you can adjust this setting in the TIMER/ FREQ mode and still enjoy the periodic error correction.
Once a polar alignment has been completed, your LX200 will point to a bright star overhead that will be near the Celestial Equator. This will be a good star to train the Smart Drive on. You can of course, move to another star just as long as you are near 0 degrees in declination and more or less overhead in Right Ascension. Now is good time to set the brightness and/ or the pulse rate (see section E. The LX200 Keypad) of the illuminated reticle on the guide star and practice guiding for a few minutes.
To actually begin training the Smart Drive, move the LCD arrow to LEARN by using the PREV or NEXT key and press ENTER. There will be numbers that will appear next to the LEARN display, that will begin counting down to zero. The highest number that can appear is 240. The period of the worm is eight minutes and the number represents a sector of the worm wheel which will change to the next lower digit every two seconds. As the Keypad display approaches sector 5, an alarm will alert you that training is about to commence. At this point try to keep the star on the same location of the crosshair during the eight minute training sequence by pressing the N,S,E, and W keys. After eight minutes, the training is over and Smart Drive will play back your drive corrections automatically, dramatically improving the R.A. drive tracking characteristics.
If you wish to further refine the accuracy, move the LCD arrow to UPDATE and press ENTER and follow the same instructions as above. This can be done in UPDATE as many times as you wish. With each training the Smart Drive will average your training sequences.
If you find that you have made a mistake in training (e.g. pushed E instead of W when you should have), you can eliminate the memory by moving the LCD arrow to ERASE and press ENTER.
A star that drifts consistently North or South during guiding, can also be corrected for. Move the LCD arrow to DEC LEARN and press ENTER. Begin making drive corrections immediately by pressing any of the direction (N, S, E, W) keys to keep the star on the crosshair of the guiding eyepiece. It is suggested that you train in DEC LEARN for at least half of your intended exposure time for an astrophoto. The longer that you train, the more accurate the DEC LEARN will be. Once the desired time is finished, press ENTER and the training will cease. The Smart Drive will then determine how many key pushes that you gave in N and S and choose the direction based from which direction received more commands. It then averages the time between key pushes in the chosen direction. In this way, the Smart Drive can correct for Declination drift (should your polar alignment be slightly off), or will allow you to more precisely guide on non-stellar objects, such as comets, asteroids, etc.
To play back your DEC LEARN training, move the LCD arrow to DEC CORRECT and press ENTER. To halt the play back press ENTER again. To erase the DEC LEARN training, either move the LCD arrow back to DEC LEARN and press ENTER twice or turn the LX200 off.
4) 12/24 HR
The 12/24 HR menu selection of the TELESCOPE file simply toggles between a twelve and twenty-four hour display of local time in the time mode.
To toggle between 12 and 24 hours displays, move the LCD arrow to 12/24HR and press ENTER. To return to the original setting, press ENTER again.
5) HELP
The HELP menu selection of the TELESCOPE file is an electronic mini-manual that will briefly describe the function of each command key on the LX200 Keypad.
To use this menu, move the LCD arrow with the PREV or NEXT key to HELP and press ENTER. To read the lines of text, use the PREV and NEXT keys. To exit, press MODE.
6) REVERSE NS
The REVERSE NS menu seletion of the TELESCOPE file reverses the direction of the telescope in North and South movements (e.g. when you press the N key the scope will move South or down instead of North or up). This is especially useful during some guiding applications in imaging and observing.
To use the REVERSE NS menu, move the LCD arrow to REVERSE NS and press ENTER. If you wish to return the direction commands to the original setting, press ENTER again.
7) REVERSE EW
The REVERSE EW menu selection of the TELESCOPE file reverses the direction of the telescope in East and West movements (e.g. when the W key is pressed, the telescope moves East). This is particularly useful during some guiding applications in imaging and guiding.
To use the REVERSE EW menu, move the LCD arrow to REVERSE EW and press ENTER. If you wish to return the direction commands to the original setting, press ENTER again.
8) BALANCE
When adding optional equipment to the LX200, like a heavy camera or Dewshield, it is often necessary to rebalance the telescope using the Meade #1401 (for 8" LX200's), #1402 (for 10" LX200's) , or #1403 (for 12" LX200's) Tube Balance Weight Systems.
Selecting option #8 from the TELESCOPE menu moves the LX200 telescope rapidly up and down in Declination. This provides an easy way to determine when the telescope is balanced in the Declination axis. (Remember, loosening the Dec. lock to check the balance will cause the LX200 to lose alignment.)
When the telescope is out of balance, the LX200 will draw more current when slewing in the "heavy" direction. Also, the Declination motor will sound different.
After selecting option #8, watch the Ammeter and listen to the Declination motor to determine when the LX200 is balanced.
9) HP (High-Precision Pointing)
The High-Precision Pointing (HP) feature of Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes allows for very precise pointing of the telescope. By incorporating the unique LX200 SYNC command, 0.3 arc-sec resolution encoders, and high-speed DC servo motors, observers can now place objects in the telescope's field of view with 1 arc-minute or better pointing accuracy, making critical image placement applications, such as CCD imaging, possible.
a) LX200 Pointing Accuracy
Normal telescope pointing accuracy is better than 5 arc-minutes when doing a casual alignment, which is more than accurate enough for many observing applications. (A "casual" alignment is one that uses the UNKNOWN SITE or one that is done without the use of a reticle eyepiece to EXACTLY center the alignment stars.) This type of alignment will put objects into the field of view of most eyepieces and is more than adequate for almost any visual observing application.
A "critical" alignment will improve the pointing accuracy of the telescope to 2 arc-minutes or better. This type of alignment requires accurate SITE information, time, date, proper selection of the two alignment stars, and a reticle eyepiece to exactly center the alignment stars. These steps generally require only a few extra seconds to accomplish, and improve the telescope's positioning by a substantial amount. Using the "critical" alignment will provide telescope positioning suitable for all but the most demanding pointing applications - including CCD imaging with larger chip cameras, like the Meade Pictor 416 and Pictor 1616 CCD cameras.
The HP feature increases the pointing accuracy of the LX200 to 1 arc-minute or better and also requires the "critical" alignment procedure described above. This alignment procedure will yield the best pointing accuracy possible, placing images of objects onto the active area of the even the smallest CCD cameras available.
It should be stressed that for most applications, using the HP feature is NOT required to get maximum enjoyment out of the telescope. For an evening of simple visual observations, the "casual" alignment is all that is required. Don't let the pointing precision of the telescope become more important than the fun of observing the night sky!
b) Using HP
The High-Precision Pointing mode requires the "critical" alignment, described above, to maximize the telescope's pointing ability. The LX200 default condition is with HP disabled. To activate the HP mode, select the "high-precision" option from the TELESCOPE menu (option #9). When selected, "HIGH-PRECISION" will change to all upper case letters.
When HP is active, the LX200 automatically does several things whenever a GOTO is initiated.
1. HP will search the alignment star database and find the three closest stars to the object (or position) entered. This process takes about 10 seconds and the keypad displays:

2. The telescope will slew to the nearest alignment star. These are all bright (brighter than 3rd magnitude) stars and far enough apart to insure that there will only be one in the field of view.
3. The keypad display will display:

Using a reticle eyepiece, center the star in the field of view. (Or center the star on the CCD chip if using a CCD camera.) Press GOTO when the star is centered.
Note: If this star is not in the field of view or if it is obstructed by a land object, the other two stars are available. Use the PREV and NEXT keys to cycle through the three closest stars.
4. The telescope will slew to the selected object or position.
10) SLEW RATE
Option #10 in the TELESCOPE menu is for changing the slew rate of the LX200 telescope. Slowing down the slew rate will result in less noise as the telescope moves and will also use a little less power. To change the slew rate, follow these steps:
1. Press the MODE key on the Keypad until the TELESCOPE / OBJECT LIBRARY menu appears on the display. The cursor should be next to the TELESCOPE option - if not, then press the PREV key to move the cursor up one space.
2. Press ENTER to select the TELESCOPE functions.
3. Press the PREV or NEXT keys to move the cursor to option #10: SLEW RATE. On the right hand part of the display, the number 8 is displayed (6 is displayed on Version 4.34 for 12" LX200 telescopes). This represents the current slew rate in degrees per second.
4. Press the ENTER key to change the slew rate. Each successive ENTER key press increments the slew rate by 1 degree per second.
5. After setting the desired rate, press the MODE key to return to the TELESCOPE / OBJECT LIBRARY menu.
Note: The slew rate is NOT stored in permanent memory and needs to be reset each time the telescope is powered up. The default slew rate is 8 degrees per second on Ver. 3.30 and 6 degrees per second on Ver. 4.34.
11) DEC. BACKLASH COMPENSATION
When taking long exposure astrophotographs, it is necessary to "guide" the photograph to make sure the telescope is tracking perfectly, otherwise stars will appear as ovals instead of pinpoints. This is done by setting the LX200 Keypad to the GUIDE speed, monitoring the star location (e.g. with an off-axis guider), and making small corrections to the telescope position by using the N, S, E, and W keys.
When making these corrections, the R.A. motor will speed up or slow down (by pressing the "E" and "W" keys). The Declination motor, however, when activated (by pressing the "N" and "S" keys) will actually stop and reverse direction. Because of backlash in the Declination motor gearbox, there will be a few seconds delay before the telescope begins to move when reversing direction.
The Dec. backlash feature compensates for the Dec. motor gearbox backlash and provides instant telescope movement when the motor direction is reversed. (Note: this feature is only available in the POLAR mode.)To program the Dec. backlash, use the following procedure:
1. Move to option #11 from the TELESCOPE menu. The Keypad display will show:

The "00" in the display shows the number of arc-seconds of backlash the LX200 is set to compensate for (the default setting is 0 arc-seconds).
2. While observing a star at high power, time the Declination movement delay when reversing the motor directions (by pressing the "N" and "S" keys). Typical values are 2 to 4 seconds.
3. The GUIDE speed for the Declination motor is 15 arc-seconds per second. Therefore, multiply the number of seconds delay by 15.
4. Press and hold the ENTER key for 1 second. The Keypad will beep and a blinking cursor will appear on the Keypad display. Enter the number determined in step 3, above. Press ENTER when the number is entered.
5. Check the time delay as described in Step 2, above. If there is still a time delay, then increase the compensation number. If there is a slight jump when reversing direction, then the number is too large.
When the compensation number is correct, the LX200 telescope will move almost instantly when reversing the direction in Declination. This number is stored in permanent memory and should never need to be set again.
b. OBJECT LIBRARY Menu File
The OBJECT LIBRARY menu file is the other half of the TELESCOPE/OBJECT LIBRARY mode. With it you can become a tourist of the sky, or conduct research surveys of the 64,359 objects. The LX200 Object Library is accessible in the most results-getting, user friendly system ever designed for observers and astrophotographers.
The position epoch of these objects is for real time, updated every time you turn on your LX200. Even the planet's positions have their orbits calculated! This not only qualifies the LX200 as the most accurate integrated object library available, it will never require updated software for precession of the stars or planetary orbital changes.
There are three primary ways to use the Object Library. You can directly access the library by using the M, STAR, or CNGC keys (see section E. The LX200 Keypad) and entering a specific catalog number, the START FIND option can be used to logically find objects in organized strips of the sky that can be custom tailored to only show the objects you wish to see with a selection of object types, size brightness, etc., or you can scan the sky and have the Object Library tell you what is in the field of view in the eyepiece by using the FIELD option. Below is a description of the four OBJECT LIBRARY menu files and file options:
To access the OBJECT LIBRARY menu file, move the LCD arrow to the OBJECT LIBRARY display by pressing the PREV or NEXT key while in the TELESCOPE/ OBJECT LIBRARY mode and press the ENTER key. Now you can access the four menu selections within the OBJECT LIBRARY by moving the LCD arrow to the desired menu selection by using the PREV or NEXT keys and doing the following steps.
1) OBJECT INFO
Press the ENTER key to read the type, brightness, size, and quality. Press ENTER again to read the coordinates. Press ENTER once more to determine how far off the telescope is pointing from the entered object (this is displayed in LCD bars, each bar is ten degrees, or if it is on the object, no bars). This same information can also be accessed at any time by pressing the ENTER key for any object entered by the M, STAR, or CNGC keys. Press MODE to exit to the main menu file.
2) START FIND
The START FIND option resources the CNGC objects within the Object Library and begins a logical search starting wherever the telescope is positioned when activated. To cover the entire visible sky it will make 31 strip divisions about 12 degrees wide, moving from West to East, from the North Pole to the South Pole, then South to North. Once it has found all of the CNGC objects it will repeat its sequence until new objects are visible.
Press the ENTER key and the hand control will display the first object in its finding sequence. This first object is selected by the LX200, based off of where the instrument is pointing in the sky when you entered START FIND. To point your LX200 to the object displayed, press the GO TO key and it will slew to the object.
While in the START FIND option, you can either choose the next object in line or skip it as you wish. In order to find the next object in sequence, press the NEXT key, and the display will read the new CNGC object. If you do not wish to view this object, you can skip it by pressing NEXT again. If you wish to return to a previously viewed object, press the PREV key until the desired catalog number is displayed and press the GO TO key. If you have set some limitations in the PARAMETERS option, it will only find those objects within your chosen confines.
If you find that the object is not well centered in the eyepiece after executing a GO TO (due to poor leveling, improper time input, or errors in site location), center the object; then press and hold the ENTER key until the display reads "Coordinates Matched." This feature in essence synchronizes the LX200 for an area of the sky, so that the next object (if the leveling, time input, or site location information is not corrected) will be better centered, provided it is not too far away from the object that you matched coordinates to.
To exit the START FIND menu selection (and cease its operation) to the main menu, press the MODE key.

3) FIELD
Press the ENTER key to identify objects in the field of view of the telescope. The LX200 will display the object centered in the eyepiece field, and how many other NGC objects are in the field at the same time (defined by the RADIUS parameter setting) as shown in Display 25:
Press the ENTER button to reveal information about the object as shown in Display 26:
Display 26 is interpreted; COMPUTERIZED NEW GENERAL CATALOG #4438, VERY GOOD, GALAXY, MAGNITUDE 10.1, SIZE (in arc minutes) 9.3'. Press ENTER again to read the coordinate location of the object (notice the * legend next to RA coordinate number, it indicates the catalog coordinates of the object, not necessarily where the telescope is pointing) as shown in Display 27:
Press ENTER once more to see physically how far your telescope will have to move to acquire the object entered. The display will show LED bars, each bar represents ten degrees of movement as shown in Display 28:
If you are centered on the object already, such as if you are in the FIELD menu selection, or if you have already made a GO TO command in one of the other methods for finding an object, the above display will be blank.
To review any of the data of an object, continue to press the ENTER button until the desired field appears. You can use the above commands at any time that you have an object entered in the Keypad, while directly entering in specific objects by pressing the M, STAR, or CNGC keys, in the START FIND menu selection, the OBJECT INFORMATION menu selection, or the FIELD menu selection.
4) PARAMETERS
It is here that you can edit the Press ENTER to find eight options which can be reviewed by scrolling through this menu selection by using the PREV or NEXT key. To edit one of the options, move the arrow to the desired option and press and hold the ENTER key until a double beep is heard and a blinking cursor appears (except in the BETTER option) Where numerical values are to be input, simply type them in from the Keypad. If you make a mistake, you can move the cursor backward using the W key, then re-enter the data. To exit to the main option menu, press the ENTER key once again. A description of the eight options and how to set them is below:
a) TYPE GPDCO
This menu file option allows you to select the type of CNGC objects that you wish to locate. The symbols GPDCO represent:

Table 5: Object Symbol Legend

Initially, the blinking cursor appears over the G symbol. If you decide not to look for galaxies, press the NEXT key and the symbol will change from an upper case letter (G) to a lower case letter (g), to deselect the GALAXIES category. If you wish to leave GALAXIES selected, then move the blinking cursor over to one of the other category symbols by pressing the W or E key on the Keypad. You can then deselect the undesired categories.
If you wish to recall a category symbol, move the blinking cursor over the symbol and press the PREV key. After your selections are made, press ENTER.
b) BETTER
The BETTER menu file option allows you to define the visual object quality range. At power up, the range is set at the bottom of the scale on VP, when using the START FIND menu selection, it will select all objects that are very poor through super or what could be considered an "ALL" setting. The object quality symbols are:

Table 6: Quality Symbol Legend

If you wish to define the visual object quality range to very good and better, press the ENTER key until the symbol VG is displayed. From the VP setting to VG requires three ENTER key presses. The LX200 will now select objects that look Very Good through Super.
c) HIGHER
The Higher menu file option sets the horizon setting for the telescope. At power up, the setting is 00 degrees, which assumes that you have an unobstructed line-of-site to the horizon in every direction. If, however, there are things obstructing a level horizon, or if the sky quality is poor due to haze or light pollution, you can set an artificial horizon level so that your LX200 will not try to find objects below your setting.
Enter the number of degrees above the horizon that will clear the obstructions in the sky. To roughly judge how many degrees the obstruction is taking up of the sky, merely hold your fist at arm's length. Each fist diameter is approximately 5 degrees. So, if a tree is three fists high, you would make a setting of 15 degrees in the HIGHER setting. Once the setting is finalized, press ENTER.
d) LARGER
The LARGER menu file option allows settings of the lower apparent size limit of the objects you wish to see. At power up it is set to 000' (arc minutes). In order to make a decision as to the size limits that you may impose, it helps to have a clear understanding of exactly what an arc minute of sky is. A good example is the apparent size of the Moon, which could be expressed as 1/2 of a degree, 30 arc minutes, or 1800 arc seconds. Each arc minute is 60 arc seconds, and there are 60 arc minutes for each degree of sky.
Some beginning observers have a tough time discerning objects less than about 1 arc minute in size unless it is a double star or a planet. Astrophotographers and those involved with CCD imaging may want to set a higher value based off of desired image scale coverage that would be most impressive with different films or types of CCD cameras. Enter the new value in arc minutes, then press ENTER to exit to the option file.
e) SMALLER
The SMALLER menu file option is the upper size object limit. At power up the setting is for 200' arc minutes or 3.33 degrees. This setting is high enough to cover the largest objects in the OBJECT LIBRARY. You may want to lower the value because of true field-of-view limitations of a particular eyepiece (see the RADIUS parameter option for calculating true field).
Other reasons for limiting the value in SMALLER is for astrophotographic or CCD imaging requirements where we don't want the object to exceed the imaging area of the film or the CCD chip.
f) BRIGHTER
The lower brightness limits based on stellar magnitude can be limited in the BRIGHTER menu file option. At power up, the magnitude value is set to a very faint level of +20.0.
You may want to adjust the magnitude level to a brighter value starting at perhaps the limiting visual magnitude of your LX200, which is approximately 14.0 for an 8" and 14.5 for a 10". If you are making astrophotographs, the limiting magnitudes are about 16.5 and 17 for the eight and ten inch instruments respectively. Sky conditions also greatly affect the limiting magnitude due to atmospheric haze, high clouds, light pollution, or combinations thereof.
g) FAINTER
The upper level of brightness may also be adjusted with the FAINTER menu file option, although you may find few applications for limiting it to a lower value.
h) RADIUS
The RADIUS value sets the boundaries of what and how many objects the LX200 recognizes is in a given eyepiece while in the FIELD menu selection. At power up the RADIUS menu file option is set to 15 arc minutes, the radius of 1/2 a degree (30 arc minutes), which is about the proper setting for a 26mm eyepiece used in an 8" f/10 LX200.
To calculate the true field of an eyepiece in the telescope, first divide the focal length of the telescope (e.g. 2000mm for an 8" f/10) by the focal length of the eyepiece (the standard supplied eyepiece is a 26mm Super Plössl, 2000 divided by 26 equals 77X magnification). Then find the apparent field of the eyepiece (which is 52 degrees for the 26mm Super Plössl) and divide it by the magnification (52 divided by 77 equals .67 degrees, multiplied by 60 equals 40.2 arc minutes).
To get the radius of the true field of view, divide the true field by 2. In the case of the above equation, 40.2 arc minutes divided by 2 equals 20.1 arc minutes.
2. Mode Two: COORDINATES/ GO TO
Mode two allows you to see where you have pointed the LX200 in two celestial coordinate formats, either Right Ascension and Declination or Altazimuth. Also in this mode you can enter new Right Ascension and Declination coordinates for any sky position, perhaps to locate objects not in the LX200 library such as comets or asteroids and have your telescope slew to the new coordinates.

a. Coordinates Menu File
You will at first see the RA = and DEC = coordinates of where the telescope is pointing. If you move the LX200 with the N,S,W,or E keys, the coordinates display will immediately update the new position in Right Ascension and Declination.
You can also display computed information of the Altazimuth coordinates (ALT = and AZ =) by pressing the ENTER key. To return to RA = and DEC =, press the ENTER key again.
The RA = display is broken down into hours, minutes, and seconds, and the DEC = display is broken down into + for North Declination and - for South Declination into degrees, minutes and seconds as shown in Display 29:
If you have made an ALTAZ style of alignment, the ALT = and AZ = coordinate display is formatted so that 0 degrees Azimuth (AZ =) is due South that increases to up to 359 degrees, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds moving clockwise, or from due South moving Westerly. Altitude (ALT =) is formatted so that straight overhead is +90. degrees and 00 minutes, decreasing to +00. degrees, 00 minutes, and 00 seconds as you move the telescope level with the horizon, and then as the LX200 moves below +00:00:00 it will give minus Altitude readings. The Altazimuth coordinate display is shown in Display 30:
While in ALTAZ, you will find during slewing in one direction, that both the RA= and DEC= display will change at the same time, while the ALT= and the AZ= display will only change in the direction that the telescope is being slewed. It is also important to note that only the Declination Setting Circle (3, Fig. 3) will give a correct reading. The R.A. Setting Circle (10, Fig. 3) will only give correct readings in the POLAR setting (see Appendix B: Equatorial Use).
b. GO TO Menu Option
The GO TO menu option, allows you to enter new Right Ascension and Declination coordinates of any object in the sky, so that the LX200 will slew to the new position. With this ability, your LX200 knows no bounds, any celestial object, including comets, asteroids, etc. are easily found, provided you have accurate coordinate data to refer to.
To enter a new pointing position in Right Ascension and Declination, press the GO TO key and a double beep will be heard followed by a blinking cursor that will appear over the RA = coordinate numbers. At this point, type in the new Right Ascension coordinate numbers, then press the ENTER key. You will then notice that the blinking cursor is over the DEC = coordinate numbers. Enter the new Declination coordinate numbers, then press the ENTER key and the LX200 will slew to the new coordinate position.
If you need to enter a minus Declination setting, move the blinking cursor over the + symbol with the W key and then press the NEXT key to get the - (minus) symbol, then move the blinking cursor to the first number with the E key and enter the new coordinate numbers. If you are already at a minus (-) Declination setting and wish to enter a plus (+) declination setting, follow the same instructions as above but press the PREV key instead to get the + symbol.
c. Slew To ALTAZ Coordinates
This feature is similar to the GO TO Right Ascension and Declination coordinates option. It allows you to directly enter the altitude and azimuth coordinates and slew to this position. This also can be used in the LAND mode, allowing the automatic acquisition of land objects for commercial applications. (Note: This feature is not available in the POLAR mode.)
To slew to ALTAZ coordinates, follow these steps:
1. Go to the ALTAZ display.
2. Press the GO TO key on the Keypad. You will hear a quick double beep, and a blinking cursor will appear in the ALT display line on the Keypad display.
3. Key in the desired ALT position and hit the ENTER key. The blinking cursor will move to the AZ line.
4. Key in the desired AZ position. When the ENTER key is pressed, the telescope will slew to the new position.

3. Mode Three: CLOCK/ CALENDAR
The continuously operating clock and calendar is the life pulse of your LX200. At power up, the telescope's accurate sidereal clock automatically allows the system computer to make orbital calculations of the planets, and correct stellar precession for superior pointing ability.
Your accurate initial input of local time and date, with its' long-life lithium battery back-up, need not be re-entered every time you use the LX200, thus enhancing the user friendly aspects of the instrument.
To set the local time and date and to enter the correct GMT offset, refer to section D. QUICK START, of this manual. Be sure to use your local hour setting appropriately in either 12 hour or 24 hour format as predetermined by the 12/24 HOUR TELESCOPE menu file option.
The long-life lithium battery (Panasonic CR2032 3 volt or Duracell DL2032B) is stored behind the Power Panel of the Drive Base. See Appendix E. in this manual for battery replacement information.

4. Mode Four: TIMER/ FREQ
a. TIMER = Menu Option
The TIMER = menu option is for accurately timing different observing or imaging tasks for up to twelve hours long. Counting down to zero, in the hours, minutes, and seconds format, it will give a pleasant beeping tone to notify you that the time is up.
To set the TIMER, move the LCD arrow to TIMER= 00:00:00. Then press and hold the ENTER key to get the double beep tone and the blinking cursor. Enter the number of hours, minutes, and seconds that you require. If you need to correct an error in entry, use the E and W keys to move the blinking cursor and then type in the correct information. After entry, press the ENTER key again and the cursor will eliminate. When you are ready to start your time count-down, press the ENTER key once more. To pause the count-down press ENTER again, and then again to resume.
If you merely want an automatic 12 hour count-down, just press the ENTER key without holding. Then press ENTER to count-down.
b. FREQ= Menu File
FREQ= (Frequency) allows you to adjust the tracking speeds (not slew speeds) of the LX200 digitally in tenths of a hertz from 56.4 Hz to 60.1 Hz, so that you can match virtually every celestial motion in the sky. Some popular drive rate settings are:

Table 7: Drive Rate Settings

Note: If you have trained the Smart Drive in the 60.1 Hz Q setting (see SMART menu file in this section), you will find that Smart Drive will still give periodic error corrections in all of the other frequency settings.
There are three menu file options in FREQ=. To see or set the options, move the LCD arrow to FREQ= and press the ENTER key. At power up, the FREQ= default is the 60.1Hz Q setting. The quartz rate is precisely fixed and cannot be altered. To choose a rate other than the quartz setting, press the ENTER key to see 60.1 M and then again to see 60.1 M with the up and down LCD arrow. These two menu file options can adjust the tracking speeds. The adjustment techniques are described below:

Display 31 shows the manual rate menu file option that can be adjusted by pressing and holding the ENTER key to get the double beep tone and the blinking cursor. Type in the new rate, then when finished, press the ENTER key again.
Display 32 shows the menu file option allows you to step the drive tracking frequency setting in tenths of a hertz, by using the PREV and NEXT (up and down arrow) keys. This is a convenient feature if you are trying to match the precise speed of a planet, comet, or any other non-stellar object. To exit this option, press the MODE key.

5. Mode Five: KEYPAD OFF/ BRIGHTNESS ADJUST
In order to see very faint objects, it will sometimes be necessary to either dim or completely turn off the Keypad red LED backlighting. To do so press the MODE button until the display goes blank. This is the OFF option.
To set the Keypad brightness, press the ENTER button and adjust the brightness to your satisfaction with the PREV and NEXT keys. To exit, press the MODE key.
Note: The backlighting is done by edge lighting a plastic light bar underneath the Keypad. Four LED's are used and do not give a perfectly even backlighting of the keys as keys closer to a LED will be a little brighter than those keys further away.
H. MAGNIFICATION AND FIELD OF VIEW
1. Magnifications
The magnification, or power, of the telescope depends on two optional characteristics: the focal length of the main telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece used during a particular observation. For example, the focal length of the LX200 7" f/15 is fixed at 2670mm, teh focal length of the LX200 8" f/10 telescope is fixed at 2000mm; the focal length of the 10" f/10 telescope is fixed at 2500mm; and the focal length of the 12" f/10 telescope is fixed at 3048mm. To calculate the power in use with a particular eyepiece, divide the focal length of the eyepiece into the focal length of the main telescope. For example, using the SP 26mm eyepiece supplied with the 8" f/10, the power is calculated as follows:

The type of eyepiece (whether "MA" Modified Achromatic, "OR" Orthoscopic, "SP" Super Plössl, etc.) has no bearing on magnifying power but does affect such optical characteristics as field of view, flatness of field and color correction.
The maximum practical magnification is determined by the nature of the object being observed and, most importantly, by the prevailing atmospheric conditions. Under very steady atmospheric "seeing," the 7" LX200 may be used at powers up to about 450X on astronomical objects, the 8" LX200 may be used at powers up to about 500X, the 10" LX200 up to about 600X and the 12" up to about 750X. Generally, however, lower powers of perhaps 250X to 350X will be the maximum permissible, consistent with high image resolution. When unsteady air conditions prevail (as witnessed by rapid "twinkling" of the stars), extremely high-power eyepieces result in "empty magnification," where the object detail observed is actually diminished by the excessive power.
When beginning observations on a particular object, start with a low power eyepiece; get the object well-centered in the field of view and sharply focused. Then try the next step up in magnification. If the image starts to become fuzzy as you work into higher magnifications, then back down to a lower power -- the atmospheric steadiness is not sufficient to support high powers at the time you are observing. Keep in mind that a bright, clearly resolved but smaller image will show far more detail than a dimmer, poorly resolved larger image.
Because of certain characteristics of the human eye (in particular, eye pupil diameter) and because of optical considerations inherent in the design of a telescope, there exists minimum practical power levels also. Generally speaking, the lowest usable power is approximately 4X per inch of telescope aperture, or about 28X in the case of the 7" telescope, 32X in the case of the 8" telescope, about 40X in the case of the 10" telescope and about 48X in the case of the 12" telescope. During the daytime, when human eye pupil diameter is reduced, the minimum practical power with the 8" LX200 is increased to about 60X, to about 75X with the 10" LX200 and to about 90X with the 12" LX200; powers lower than this level should be avoided during daytime observations. A reasonable magnification range for daytime terrestrial observations through the 7" LX200 is from about 70X to 180X; 8" LX200 is from about 80X to 190X; through the 10" LX200 from about 100X to 200X, the 12" LX200 from 120X to 240X. It should be noted, however, that the higher magnifications may not be used due to severe air turbulence near the ground.
Accessories are available both to increase and decrease the operating eyepiece power of the telescope. See your Meade dealer and the latest Meade Telescope Systems and Accessories Catalog for information on accessories.
2. Apparent Field and Actual Field
Two terms that are often confused and misunderstood are "Apparent Field" and "Actual Field". "Apparent Field" is a function of the eyepiece design and is built into the eyepiece. While not totally accurate (but a very good approximation), "Apparent Field" is usually thought of as the angle your eye sees when looking through an eyepiece. "Actual Field" is the amount of the sky that you actually see and is a function of the eyepiece being used and the telescope.
The "Actual Field" of a telescope with a given eyepiece is calculated by dividing the "Apparent Field" of the eyepiece by the power obtained using that eyepiece.
The following table lists the most common optional eyepieces available and the "Apparent Field" for each eyepiece. The power and "Actual Field" of view that each eyepiece yields is listed for each basic telescope optical design.

Table 8: Common Optional Eyepieces

APPENDIX A: EQUATORIAL WEDGE
There are two equatorial wedges used on Meade LX200 telescopes. Please read the section, below, that applies to your telescope.

1. 8" Equatorial Wedge (For 7" and 8" LX200)
The Equatorial Wedge permits use of the 8" LX200 telescope in an astronomical, or "equatorial," mode. The wedge fits onto the field tripod, described below, and accepts the base of the 7" or 8" LX200 fork mount. See Fig. 8.
NOTE: The Meade equatorial wedge is designed solely for use in conjunction with the Meade field tripod. The wedge should never be used without the field tripod, e.g. by placing the wedge alone on a table top and then mounting the telescope on the wedge. The 7" or 8" LX200, placed onto the equatorial wedge alone without the field tripod attached to the wedge may become seriously imbalanced, to the point where the telescope may actually tip over.
The equatorial wedge for the 7" and 8" LX200 telescope is of modern design, with several important features incorporated to simplify and facilitate telescope operation. After using the wedge, you will find that the functional design features included are of very significant value in routine telescope operations. Features included are:
1. Attachment of the wedge to the field tripod by means of only one manual knob.
2. Quick azimuth adjustment by loosening the manual knob as described above.
3. Bubble level for rapid tripod/wedge leveling.
4. Etched latitude scale for fast adjustment of the latitude angle.
To assemble the equatorial wedge, follow this procedure (note that all required wedge hardware and manual knobs are shipped within the wedge carton):
1. The wedge consists of two basic parts: the wedge body and the tilt-plate, as shown in Fig. 8. Attach the tilt-plate to the wedge body by threading in the four knobs provided. Two knobs, with washers, should be used on each side of the wedge body so that a total of 4 knobs attach the tilt plate to the wedge body.
2. Place the wedge onto the field tripod with the central threaded rod of the tripod fitting through the center hole in the floor of the wedge. Thread the 2-1/2" diameter manual knob onto the threaded rod of the tripod and firmly tighten the manual knob.

a. Azimuth Control
The Azimuth Control for the Meade Equatorial Wedge and Field Tripod is shipped in a plastic bag and includes the following parts:

1. Azimuth Base (large U shaped piece of aluminum)
2. Azimuth Arm (small T shaped piece of aluminum)
3. 2 - Azimuth Knobs
4. 2 - 8-32 x 1/2" flat-head machine screws
5. 2 - 8-32 x 1" round-head machine screws

To assemble the Superwedge, follow this procedure (note that all required wedge hardware and manual knobs are shipped within the wedge carton):
1. Locate the two 8-32 nylon set screws on the rim of the tripod head and remove them. Attach the tangent arm to the tripod using the supplied 8-32 X 1/2" socket cap screws. (See Fig. 11a.)

Thread one of these knobs (or screws, as appropriate) partially into the hole on the underside of the drive base, located at the curved-end of the drive base. See 4, Fig. 12. This knob or screw should be threaded in about 3 full turns, not fully threaded into the hole.
Check that the knobs or bolts at the side of the wedge, (5, Fig. 8 or 5, Fig. 10), are firmly tightened before placing the telescope onto the wedge.

Grasping the 2 fork arms of the telescope firmly, with the power panel towards you, place the telescope onto the tilt plate of the wedge by sliding the knob (7" and 8" LX200) or screw (10" and 12" LX200) into the slot at the top of the curved-end of the wedge tilt-plate.
Insert the 2 remaining knobs for the 7" and 8" LX200, or socket screws for the 10" and 12" LX200, through the underside of the tilt plate and into the underside of the drive base. Tighten down all 3 knobs or screws to a firm feel. Extreme force is not necessary in this regard.
The telescope is now fully mounted onto the wedge and field tripod. Adjustments in wedge latitude angle and/or azimuth orientation may be made with the telescope in place. Further details on telescope polar alignment see Appendix B: Equatorial Use.

4. Magnetic Compass (for 7", 8" Equatorial Wedge and 10", 12" Superwedge)
The magnetic compass helps the observer to set-up the telescope without actually seeing the pole star Polaris. This allows setting up before dark or in locations where the view of Polaris is obstructed. The magnetic compass has an adjustment to compensate for the local angle of Magnetic Declination. Note: Magnetic Declination is the difference between Magnetic North (which the compass shows) and true north (where the telescope should be pointed). Magnetic Declination should not be confused with the astronomical term "Declination," which, when used with "Right Ascension," describes the celestial coordinate system.
a. Setting Magnetic Declination
In order to obtain an accurate reading using the compass, you must first adjust for the Magnetic Declination for your location.
1. First, determine the Magnetic Declination in your area using the Isogonic Chart (Fig. 15)
2. Squeeze the clear central vial with thumb and index finger of the left hand.
3. With the right hand, rotate the outer dial until the orienting arrow (the black arrow painted on the inside clear surface) is lined up with the desired Magnetic Declination angle on the declination scale. Notice that East Magnetic Declination is to the right of the "North" position and West Magnetic Declination is left of the "North" position. As an example, Fig. 16. shows the correct setting for 16 degrees West Declination, which covers Providence, Rhode Island.

Figure 15: Isogonic Chart

1. Loosen the knob/compass slightly. This allows for rotation of the Equatorial Wedge under the knob/compass (Fig. 17). The magnetic pointing arrow will point to magnetic north.

2. Rotate the knob/compass so that the magnetic pointing arrow lies directly over the painted black alignment arrow (painted on the bottom surface of the compass, Fig. 18). The "North" position on the direction scale (and the point on the knob/compass) now point directly north.

3. Rotate the Equatorial Wedge in azimuth (without moving the knob/compass) until the centerline of the wedge lines up with the point of the knob/compass (Fig. 19). The centerline of the Equatorial Wedge now falls directly on the true north line.
4. Tighten the knob/compass, locking the Equatorial Wedge into place.
The Field Tripod and Equatorial Wedge are now pointed directly toward celestial north, without ever having seen the North Star.

Figure 20: The Celestial Sphere

2. Lining Up with the Celestial Pole
Objects in the sky appear to revolve around the celestial pole. (Actually, celestial objects are essentially "fixed," and their apparent motion is caused by the Earth's axial rotation). During any 24 hour period, stars make one complete revolution about the pole, making concentric circles with the pole at the center. By lining up the telescope's polar axis with the North Celestial Pole (or for observers located in Earth's Southern Hemisphere with the South Celestial Pole. See section G. Mode Functions) astronomical objects may be followed, or tracked, simply by moving the telescope about one axis, the polar axis. In the case of the Meade LX200 7", 8", 10", and 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, this tracking may be accomplished automatically with the electric motor drive.
If the telescope is reasonably well aligned with the pole, therefore, very little use of the telescope's Declination slow motion control is necessary--virtually all of the required telescope tracking will be in Right Ascension. (If the telescope were perfectly aligned with the pole, no Declination tracking of stellar objects would be required). For the purposes of casual visual telescopic observations, lining up the telescope's polar axis to within a degree or two of the pole is more than sufficient: with this level of pointing accuracy, the telescope's motor drive will track accurately and keep objects in the telescopic field of view for perhaps 20 to 30 minutes.

Figure 21: Finding Polaris

Star Charts (for Northern Hemisphere Observers)

Star Chart 1
Star Chart 2

• 15,928 SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) Catalog of Stars: All stars brighter than 7th magnitude.
  
• 12,921 UGC (Uppsala General Catalog) Galaxies: Complete catalog.
  
• 7,840 NGC (New General Catalog) objects*: Complete catalog.
  
• 5,386 IC (Index Catalog) objects*: Complete catalog.
  
• 21,815 GCVS (General Catalog of Variable Stars) Objects: Complete catalog.
  
• 351 alignment stars for the LX200 telescope.
  
• 110 Messier objects.
  
• 8 Major Planets.

Table 9a: VQ Guide

All, or very nearly all, of the objects in the CNGC are visible with the standard instrumentation and observing conditions used to obtain the visual quality ratings. It is a good indication of what can be expected with similar equipment by experienced deep-sky observers in excellent sky conditions. Naturally smaller telescopes and/or less optimal observing conditions will lower the apparent quality of all objects.
The following is a description of the format of the optional CNGC listing for each object:

Table 10: CNGC Listings

The following types are distinguished in the CNGC.

Table 11: CNGC Types

3. The Star Catalog
The STAR Catalog contains the 250 brightest stars (STAR 1 through STAR 250), 100 interesting double stars (STAR 251 through STAR 350), plus Sigma Octantis, the southern pole star (STAR 351).

4. Select Star by Name
When selecting a star from the object library, any of the 33 stars listed in the LX200 Instruction Manual can now by accessed by its name.

1. Press the STAR key. The Keypad display will show "STAR object:" on the first line and a blinking cursor on the second line.
2. To enter a Star by number, simply type in the star number and press ENTER, as described in the LX200 Instruction Manual.
To enter a Star by name, press the ENTER key. The Keypad display will show a new menu.
3. Select the NAME menu option by pressing the ENTER key.
4. Scroll through the list of Star names (using the PREV and NEXT keys) until the desired Star name is selected.
5. Press ENTER to select this Star.

Table 12: Object Library Planet Legend

7. Other Databases
The other object catalogs are accessed through the CNGC key on the Keypad.

1. Press the CNGC key. The Keypad display will show "NGC object:" on the first line and a blinking cursor on the second line.
2. To enter a NGC object, simply type in the NGC number and press ENTER, as described in the LX200 Instruction Manual.
To enter an object from a different database, press the ENTER key. The Keypad display will show a new menu of the available databases.
3. Select the database from the menu by moving the arrow to the selection desired and pressing the ENTER key. Press MODE to exit the database menu.
4. The Keypad display will ask for the object number. Enter the object number desired and press ENTER.

Table 13: Constellation Codes

Copyright © 1996 Meade Instruments Corporation, All Rights Reserved.