Orion ATLAS EQ-G User Manual download pdf (Page 17)

3. You can ENTER the object’s location by its R.A. and Dec.

coordinates, or its azimuth and altitude coordinates. Press

1 (RA-Dec) or 2 (AzAlt) to make your selection.

4. The default setting will display the R.A./Dec. or Az/Alt coor-

dinates the telescope is currently pointed to. Therefore, if

the telescope is pointing at the object you wish to save

(i.e. the object is centered in the eyepiece), simply press

ENTER. If the object you wish to save is at another location

in the sky, enter its coordinates using the numeric keypad.

When finished inputting the coordinates, press ENTER.

Note: If the coordinates entered do not exist, the hand con-

troller will not respond when ENTER is pressed. Check the

coordinates for data entry mistakes, and re-enter the correct

coordinates.

5. The hand controller will then ask “Save?” If you do wish

to save the entered object coordinates, press ENTER.

Otherwise, press ESC.

6. The controller will now prompt you to choose a num-

ber between 1 and 25 for your chosen object. Using the

scroll buttons, select a number you wish to represent the

object, then press ENTER. Keep in mind that if the object is

assigned a User Object number that is already in use, the

hand controller will overwrite the previously saved coordi-

nates.

6. The hand controller will now display “View Object?” Press

ENTER to slew the telescope to the object, or press ESC

to exit.

Recalling a User Defined Object

1. Press the USER button. You can also select “User Defined”

in the Object Catalog menu and then press ENTER.

2. Choose “Recall Object” and press ENTER.

3. Select the User Object number representing the object you

wish to view using the scroll buttons. Press ENTER to dis-

play the object’s coordinate. Press ENTER again, and the

hand controller will ask “View Object?” Press ENTER once

more to have the telescope slew to the object. (If a vacant

User Object number is selected, the hand controller will not

respond.)

Note: If the recalled User Object is currently below the horizon,

the controller will display “Below Horizon!! Try another obj.” and

will automatically return to “Recall Object”.

Identifying an Unknown Object

The GoTo hand controller has the ability to identify celestial

objects that are unknown to you. To identify an object the

telescope is pointing at, simply press the ID button. You can

also scroll to “Identify” in the Main Menu and press ENTER

to identify the object. The hand controller will then show a list

containing the close objects in the M, IC, NGC, and Named

Star catalogs and their angular distance from the location

where the telescope is pointed. Use the scroll buttons to view

this list of objects. Press ESC when finished.

Linking with a Computer

The GoTo hand controller can be connected to a computer

via the supplied computer interface cable. Many commercially

available planetarium software programs can utilize this func-

tion and be used to control the Atlas EQ-G mount. Look for

software that is compatible with the Celestron NexStar 5i/8i or

NexStar GPS, like Starry Night Pro. The description below will

lead you through the procedure on how to connect and discon-

nect the Atlas EQ-G to a computer.

1. Align the mount as described previously (see “Alignment”).

2. Connect the supplied computer interface cable to the

smaller modular jack (RJ-11) on the hand controller (Figure

10). Connect the other end of the cable to the COM port of

your computer.

3. In the planetarium software of your choice, choose

“Celestron NexStar 5i” or “Celestron 8/9/11 GPS” for the

driver setup and follow the instructions provided by the pro-

gram to connect the mount and computer through the hand

controller. The mount will be under the full control of your

computer once the connection is successfully established.

4. When finished observing, follow the software’s instructions

to close the computer connection to the hand controller.

See Appendix C for more information on computer interfacing.

Auto Guiding

For astronomical imaging, the Atlas EQ-G mounts have a des-

ignated autoguider jack (Figure 11). The pin-outs on the 6 pin

modular jack are SBIG compatible and can be used with most

autoguiders available. Refer to Figure 15 when connecting the

autoguider cable to the mount and calibrating the autoguider.

Autoguiding speed can be adjusted using the “Auto Guide

Speed” function in the Setup Menu.

Updating the GoTo Hand Controller’s Firmware

From version 3.0 and up, the GoTo hand controller’s firmware

can be updated over the internet. Users can download firm-

ware updates from Orion’s website www.OrionTelescopes.

com.

System Requirements

- GoTo hand controller version 3.0 or greater

- Windows95 or later

Figure 15. Pin diagram for the Atlas EQ-G autoguider jack.

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